Together With

Good morning.   Your employees are telling you they want more flexibility.  What are your options?  What are yur next moves?

This week, over a few newsletters, we will be reviewing some ideas that will provide your employees with more flexibility without impeding on your operation and your business goals.

If you have ideas that have worked for your community, please share them and we will include your insights in future newsletters

Elevate your operation by listening to feedback

We have heard the word "flexibility" quite a bit from our direct care teams over the past 6-9 months.  In addition to increased and sometimes skyrocketing wages, team members would like more say in when they work and the ability to adjust their schedule when needed.

How do you respond, and what options do you have?

The answer is as easy and as complex as you make it.  The easiest, no-brainer first steps are the one I see getting overlooked the most. 

Before you introduce technology, look to expand your per diem pool, etc., empower your existing team to provide their own flexibility.

Historically, hospitals do this much better than the senior living industry.  It's time for us to catch up.

Here are two steps you can introduce quickly and easily.

1. Introduce and connect every full-time employee with their part-time counterpart- and vise-versa.  It's common sense, but most communities do not have a process to connect these two individuals consistently.  It can be as simple as "Sally, allow me to introduce you to Joe.  Joe works the same assignment as you on the days when you're not here.  Joe will likely be your fastest solution when you have a conflict with your schedule or need to switch days."  Make sure they both know your approval process for switching shifts but encourage them to work with each other to provide easy flexibility and coverage while not incurring overtime.
2. Next, expand the concept to their entire complement of co-workers on their assignment.  Every assignment, unit, etc., will have a complement of staff on each shift.  If you're running 7.5 or 8-hour shifts, the cohort will include 6 team members.  A full-time day, a part-time day, a full-time evening, a part-time evening, a full-time night, and a part-time night.  If you're running 12-hour shifts, each cohort will have four team members.  Connect these team members and encourage them to work within your processes to cover shifts and provide each other with flexibility.

These are easy steps that most senior living leaders overlook. 

Throughout this week, we will expand on this concept, talk about self-scheduling, additional software you can utilize, and an entirely new subset of employees you can introduce to your community, all of which will answer the call for flexibility and support your business goals. 

As always, we welcome your feedback and perspectives.  Reply to this email.   

Webinar opportunity 

Be sure to register for the upcoming webinar from our partners at Base 10.  Your clinical team won't want to miss learning about the role nurses and precision medicine can play in managing cardiovascular disease in the skilled nursing and senior living setting.  I'm impressed with the common sense services Base 10 brings to our industry.  Utilizing a resident's specific genes to determine the most appropriate medication regimen means better resident outcomes, reduced med pass times, and decreased pharmacy spending.- The trifecta.  

Grab your coffee and make it a great day.  We appreciate you and your dedication to your team and residents. -Thank you!