The idea of “corporate work culture” may not come to mind when you think of senior living. However, as you may have observed from your previous experiences, an organization’s culture is critical to the success of ANY company, which doesn’t exclude senior care. A healthy culture fosters successful outcomes like job satisfaction, retention and patient care quality. That is why it is critical to build a culture that prioritizes people over profits.
Looking for less turnover, fewer headaches and lower expenditures? Here are 10 ways you can build a strong culture for your organization:
1. Kick things off with an engaging orientation process
Your organization’s onboarding and training procedures can influence new employees’ first impressions of the company’s work environment. Developing a dynamic and engaging orientation helps new employees acclimate to their surroundings and bond with coworkers. More so, it’s a way to stay organized. If you’re bringing on staff members under the same job title, having an inconsistent orientation process can be damaging overall.
2. Celebrate Excellence
While all leaders want to expect excellence from their employees, that doesn’t mean it should go without being noted. Not only should top executives be rewarded, but also front-line employees who best represent the organization’s values. When managers champion their top performers, it encourages the team to pick up the slack when needed.
3. Create a mentorship program
The best employees want feedback and guidance on the job. Mentorships give employees the opportunity to receive continuous constructive feedback and learn how to improve their performance before receiving formal performance reviews from their managers. A mentorship program can help differentiate top performers, which can help streamline the company’s future recruitment/retention strategy in the future.
4. Build an inclusive workforce
While the workforce difficulties continue to persist, a strong focus should be on implementing diversity, equity and inclusion as strategic imperatives in the workforce. This often requires collaboration with relevant organizations that can help your facility reach these goals, such as a nearby university.
5. Lead by example
The mark of a good leader lies in their ability to walk the talk. Although leaders provide orders, they should also participate in the real labor to gain a better understanding of the issues the team faces. It comes down to the little things. No one is too good to pick up a piece of lint from the floor or take the trash out.
6. Have a clear goals and rewards system
Employee reward systems are typically considered separate from salary, but they may be monetary in nature. While previously thought to be exclusive to large corporations, small businesses have begun to use them as a tool to attract top employees in a competitive job market.
7. Encourage the exchange of ideas
Encourage them to collaborative comments, and provide feedback by creating an environment that encourages them to do so. You might come up with a brilliant business idea. What’s more, you’ll boost the work culture and environment. Employees who believe their work, and their ideas, are valued are more productive and less inclined to leave.
8. Hiring the right people
As obvious as this sounds, most companies miss the mark on this one. Hiring people who are a good fit is the first step toward retention. Most companies who are worried about their workplace culture agree that while you are able to train certain skills, you can’t change someone’s personality or values. Asking questions during the interview on how they’ve handled certain situations can serve as a good performance indicator.
9. Prioritize safety
States and individual providers are adopting different approaches to implementing their own vaccine and booster injection regulations. However, senior care facilities must continue to place a high priority on keeping residents and employees safe. Don’t be afraid to ask your team for their feedback on what would make them feel more comfortable. Not everyone is going to have the same opinion, so employee feedback should be taken regardless of any federal or state mandate.
10. Stick to your mission and vision
Aside from employees and residents, your mission and vision were designed to be the heart of your organization and work culture. The mission statement serves as a clear and effective guide for decision-making, while the vision statement guarantees that all actions are in line with the organization’s goals. Remind everyone of those values are until you’re tired of hearing them.