With the high-touch and often demanding nature of senior care, work-life balance is paramount to better senior living staff satisfaction. Fortunately, the technology available to employers in today’s landscape can make it easier to facilitate this type of culture. From improved EHRs to remote patient monitoring, operators have many technologies at their disposal, but staff scheduling platforms have the ability to make a profound and significantly more direct and immediate impact on work-life balance for senior living employees.
Work-life balance is critical for senior living organizations because it helps to:
- Reduce burnout
- Improve retention
- Drive employee performance
Burnout is public enemy No.1 in senior living
Whether frontline caregivers or back-office staff, senior living employees have cumbersome and stressful workloads, which can lead to burnout if they do not take care of their mental, emotional and physical well-being. Not only does a healthy work-life balance reduce burnout by improving the ratio of time on the clock, but it also increases the flexibility to take on life’s unexpected challenges and opportunities without being shackled to the senior living community.
Staff scheduling technology reduces burnout in 4 key ways including:
- Maintaining adequate staff levels
- Providing flexibility
- Reducing administrative burden
- Enhancing communication
Proactive employee retention amidst an industry-wide staffing shortage
Senior living employees who feel supported in achieving a healthy work-life balance are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs and stay with their employers for a longer period of time, whether that’s in a temporary capacity or full-time.
“Scholars have found that intent to leave is typically influenced by a multitude of factors, including individual characteristics such as job satisfaction and frequency of experiencing “moral distress,” and work environment characteristics, such as appropriate staffing, quality of care, safety, etc.,” according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s study, “Examining the Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Burnout & Stress Among U.S. Nurses.” This is immensely important in an industry that is not only dealing with the fallout of the staffing shortage, but also the mass exodus of caregivers and nurses altogether In fact, approximately 100,000 nurses left the industry entirely, according to the same study.
“Far too many good nurses have just said, ‘We’re just going to quit,’ and go to some other industry because why should they deal with the physical and emotional demands when it just doesn’t pay?” says Michael Christensen, co-founder and CEO of health care staff scheduling platform EasyShifts.
Improved employee performance and greater resident satisfaction.
When employees have a healthy work-life balance, they are more likely to be productive and engaged in their work. They are also more likely to be physically and mentally healthy, which can improve their ability to provide high-quality care to residents. Happier residents mean a better reputation, and all of these factors have a direct bottom-line impact.
Additionally, employees who have time for personal pursuits are often able to bring new ideas and perspectives to their work, which can lead to innovation and better outcomes. That is not going to happen if staff members feel like they are coming up for air every time they have a day off because work will be the last thing on their minds. Staff scheduling platforms put that flexibility and control back into the hands of employees so they are reinvigorated whenever they step through the facility doors. There is an undeniable impact on retention as well.
“When you have a software that can shift some control back to the caregivers themselves, It does a lot to make the good workers — the ones who love the job, and really want to provide good care — stay because that’s the environment they want to work in,” Christensen says.
Create a culture of work-life balance with staff scheduling technology
Work-life balance is an essential component of a healthy workplace culture in the senior living industry. The demanding nature of senior care underscores the importance of staff well-being and job satisfaction. Thanks to the availability of technology in today’s environment, employers can easily facilitate this type of culture. While there are many technologies at their disposal, staff scheduling platforms have proven to be particularly effective in reducing employee burnout and improving work-life balance. With these tools, senior living facilities can create a supportive work environment that promotes employee satisfaction and retention while delivering high-quality care to residents.
This article is sponsored by EasyShifts. The 24/7 365 online staff scheduling system from EasyShifts allows managers to quickly create schedules for their employees based on their availability, skillset, location, and more in just minutes. The software also provides helpful features like shift swapping tools to ensure everyone gets the hours they need each week without overlapping shifts or double-booking a single employee’s day off. To learn more, visit easyshifts.com.
