Adviser Winter 2019-20 LeadingAge New York Adviser LeadingAge NewYork Winter 2019-20 | Page 42

Feature
New Year Brings New Employee Initiatives
for Higher Retention at Loretto
L
oretto in Central New York is entering
the new year with a focus on “pragmatic
altruism.” It’s not about doing good simply
for good’s sake, but doing it with a vision,
a purpose and in a way that’s a “win-win”
for the individual, your business and your
community.
Employers and employees are often focused
on the tasks that need to be accomplished,
but not as much on the experience of the
people accomplishing those tasks. Leaders
at Loretto believe that a better business
strategy and a better human strategy is
to recognize the interconnectedness of
employees’ work lives and personal lives.
... Loretto partnered with a local credit union to pilot a
program that enables employees to become qualified for an
auto loan to purchase a vehicle.
Especially amid the nationwide shortage of
health care workers, health care employers
are responsible for employees’ continued
employment and well-being. With that in
mind, Loretto has entered into a series of
relationships with philanthropic groups and
community organizers, making significant
improvements in the lives of employees
and the standards of the surrounding
communities while also providing positive
outcomes for Loretto.
Leaders opened a dialogue a few years
ago with the people who put in the shifts
day-to-day at Loretto, and they continue this
dialogue today. Peers gather in a room –
staff with staff, managers with managers,
leadership with leadership – and are asked
important questions: How does working
at Loretto make you feel? If you could
change one thing, what would it be? What
does Loretto value? What do you value?
Leadership and managers are purposely
not included in initial staff discussions
to encourage honest conversation. Then,
groups are brought together to discuss
shared interests, disconnected interests and
misunderstandings. The final component is
forming teams to co-create shared solutions
to the most challenging issues.
Loretto discovered that one of the most
important things to one employee was
diapers. Yes, paper underpants for babies.
What does this have to do with the
employee’s work at Loretto? A lot. The
employee’s children are in day care, and
most day care facilities require that parents
provide diapers for their children – if they
don’t, the day care will not accept the
children into their care. No diapers, no
day care. And no day care means a missed
shift for Loretto (and a day’s pay for that
employee).
As the leaders at Loretto heard more of
these stories, they decided to establish
a diaper bank so that employees could
receive diapers to provide to their day care
center to ensure the continued care of their
children – and the ability to meet all of their
assigned shifts. In addition to meeting their
shifts, without the concerns surrounding
diaper finances and day care, employee job
performance was improved.
(See New Year on page 42)
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Adviser a publication of LeadingAge New York | Winter 2019-20