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Sponsored by WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT


Ramp Up Retention By Regularly Surveying Staff


Mark Woodka, CEO, OnShift T


he search for new ways to engage and retain senior living employees seems never-ending. And in working


with our customers, we’ve discovered one of the best ways to engage is through fast and frequent pulse surveys that focus on a specifi c topic or area of interest. Annual satisfaction surveys serve their


purpose, but are often too little, too late when it comes to preventing turnover. When done right, pulse surveys can


create a culture of constructive commu- nication that leads to numerous process improvements. But most importantly, they give employ-


ees a voice, make them feel valued, and work wonders for your retention eff orts. Here are some of the tactics that our


customers are using to make regularly sur- veying employees a success.


Incentivize feedback Reward your employees for taking the time to share their thoughts. This not only shows employees their opinions are valued but helps create a more consistent fl ow of feedback to make improvements and reduce turnover. These rewards can be as simple as a gift


card, company swag, or public recognition like an “employee of the month” award.


Keep it quick & convenient A fi ve-point scale works well and maintains consistency. OnShift’s staff satisfaction pulse surveys are sent directly to employees’ mo- bile devices and simply ask respondents to choose an emoticon to record what kind of day they’ve had. Employees can quickly re- spond, and results can be easily viewed from a high level to understand staff satisfaction and develop a plan for improvement.


Encourage elaboration Open-ended questions can be a gold mine for understanding the struggles and triumphs of your employees. Many pro- viders have received valuable feedback in the optional comment section of our pulse surveys. In fact, when given the option to elaborate, 55 percent of OnShift Engage pulse survey respondents leave a comment.


Allow anonymity Employees may be more comfortable re- sponding to some surveys if they can do so anonymously. However, we’ve found that off ering the op-


tion to remain anonymous is merely a cour- tesy, as 72 percent of employees that take our pulse surveys choose to identify themselves. This shows they want to be heard and want management to follow up.


Home in on new hires In senior living, 40 percent of total employee turnover happens during the fi rst 90 days of a new employee’s tenure, so providers need to pay close attention to new staff members. OnShift recently launched a platform enhancement that sends automated pulse surveys to new hires. This series of fi ve sur- veys gathers feedback on communication, cooperation, and employee support during key points of the onboarding process. Plus, the insight provided can help orga-


nizations refi ne their training and onboard- ing programs for future new hire success.


Maintain the feedback loop Let employees know their feedback is being heard. Report on what’s changed in the community and call attention to feedback that’s been a key driver of process improve- ments. Employees will become more likely


to provide feedback if management takes their input seriously and makes a noticeable eff ort to address it.


Be strategic


In addition to pulse surveys, our custom- ers have seen success using customizable surveys to broach issues specific to their community. For example, get employee buy- in on proposed new policies or processes by asking employees for their input. Staff members are much more likely to embrace something that they had a say in. Keep in mind that surveying too fre-


quently and asking questions that aren’t well thought-out can lead to survey fatigue and sacrifi ce the quality of feedback. Surveys can provide a wealth of insight into daily life at your community. However, the most important part of the process is what you do with the information you collect. Asking, listening, and acting has a snow-


ball eff ect, builds a culture of communica- tion, and keeps employees engaged with your community. I hope you can put these practices into place and reap the benefi ts of an engaged workforce.


NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 ARGENTUM.ORG 37


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