SKILLS FOR THE NEW ENVIRONMENT


FLEXIBILITY: FROM EMPLOYEE SCHEDULES TO NEW TECH SKILLS, IT’S IN DEMAND


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oday’s workforce and managers need to be flexible about how they define and practice the skill of flexibility. There’s flexibility from the employee side—being empowered to set scheduling or locations, try out different roles, create a program, or have a voice in strategy. And then there are


in-demand skills from the employer side: Being able to put your best forward while managing change; being open to diverse perspectives; exercising judgment and critical thinking in a crisis. There’s little question that flexibility is in demand. When asked


in the Prudential Pulse of the American Worker survey what would encourage them to stay at their present employers, flexible work schedules were at the top of the list, at 31 percent. The PwC Work- force Pulse Survey of March 2021 found workers said these were the top three skills critical to their career path: Problem-solving; ability to learn new skills and apply them quickly; and adaptability. Yet for some, the challenge of having to stretch so far for so long


may have lasting consequences, resulting in workers and workplac- es being less flexible just as they are called on to be more flexible. As the Deloitte report “Workforce Strategies for a Post-COVID


Recovery” puts it, “The biggest challenge organizations will likely face in recovery is the tension between preparing for a return to previous activities and routines—getting back to work—while also embracing a new reality—rethinking work.” “While many workforces have demonstrated resiliency in the


face of crisis, it is important to remember that transformative change can be difficult and unsettling for many workers.” This resonates for those in the middle of senior living’s recent


major ownership and management changes, sales, and new brand launches. While these may strengthen the industry overall, from an individual employee’s perspective, the changes can be stressful and unsettling. Offering flexibility on the job can be a way to empower an employee and re-connect them to the community.


Flexing the benefits More flexibility in scheduling was something associates sought even before the pandemic made it a necessity, and flexibility in pay through using pay cards and real-time earnings programs. Dur- ing the pandemic, many workplaces offered help with childcare, transportation, and food and household basics—these could be hard to get either because of pandemic-related financial problems or because they put employees and their families at risk. This more flexible definition of benefits will likely continue. The most recent OnShift Employee Perspectives survey asked se-


14 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE JULY/AUGUST 2021


nior living workers which perks are or would be most valuable to them—even if these weren’t offered by their employer. A quarter of workers named a flexible work schedule. PwC’s Workforce Pulse Survey also found employees valued


benefits that may not be part of the usual package, such as paid time off for community service volunteering and extensive mental health benefits.


Think skills, not jobs Also likely to be a continuing trend: Cross-training and role-switch- ing, once necessitated by the pandemic and now essential because of workforce shortages and changing workplaces alike. “Roles are disrupted, but skills prevail,” states Accenture’s “Cre-


ating Shared Workforce Resilience” report. “Business leaders typi- cally think in terms of jobs or roles, rather than underlying core skills. However, skills are the new currency and will be the key to rebuilding resilient workforces in the future.” It also urges looking for adjacent and related skills workers


have—this can allow more flexibility in management and for the employee and start an empowering career path. Another flex test comes with the rapid advances in technology


during the pandemic. Not only telemedicine, but also robotics and AI are radically changing senior living. Have managers thought about what that will mean to them—and to employees? How might this change roles and duties? What about the emotional and well- being consequences of these changes to staff and to residents? We’ll all need to be ready to learn and change.


2020: Your greatest resource As a manager, much of what you need to know can be found in the past year. Examine how roles needed to change or expand. Re- call times that certain parts of once-reliable processes and policies turned into dangerous obstacles. What kind of support did employ- ees need to weather the constant changes? The crisis showed us where we may need to provide benefits, training, or resources—and what is safe to leave behind.


A recent OnShift survey showed a quarter of employees would like a flexible work schedule.


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