Articles-Thought Leadership Solving the Retention Problem | Page 3

“While it is easy to pay lip service to valuing human
capital, this research makes it clear that skillful human
capital utilization requires a clear, compelling strategy.
That strategy should include attention to creating an
organizational culture and a climate that generates
goodwill. It should also focus on a clear strategy for
developing talent at all levels of the organization.”
shared by a CNA, who detailed a practice that is
commonplace in her facility. In her own words: ‘When
your bosses come around and they know what section
you work in, every morning they walk in and they look
and they tell you, “You know, your section looks good,
you’re doing a good job,” it motivates you to do a good
job and try to do better. It means a lot to that staff
member because you know that they recognize your
work, and especially when they call you by your name.
It makes a lot of difference when they call you by your
name’” (Smikle, 2015).
Fostering Community and Connectedness
Smikle states that “A sense of connectedness emerged
as a central, driving factor in commitment and
retention. Whether the connections are to managers,
peers, or residents, the human connection is a
profound and undeniable theme. The voices shared
through the interviews told stories of relationships,
bonds, and connections.” She adds, “For example, a
director summed it up when she said, ‘The atmosphere
is like a family atmosphere, where everyone is
respected and has a connection with the other one…
people are concerned if they don’t see you, they’re
concerned about where you are, where you’ve been,
what’s going on with you’” (Smikle, 2015).
Identification with an Organization’s Mission
Smikle pinpoints the role of identification with the
corporate mission as an important contributor to
engagement. She suggests that “Crafting a meaningful
mission and integrating it into the culture of the
organization served the organization in this study well.”
In addition, “Employees from all levels and functions
mentioned the mission and its impact on their work.
Employees repeatedly identified the corporate mission
as an important part of how they conduct the business
of elder care.” (Smikle, 2015) It’s not hard to
extrapolate that other organizations would be well-
served in adopting tools and techniques that support
their efforts to provide high quality care and encourage
staff across the care continuum to feel pride and value
“for the effort they exert on behalf of people who
cannot help themselves” (Smikle, 2015).
References
Lowe, Graham, “How Employee Engagement Matters for Hospital Performance,” Healthcare Quarterly, 15(2):29-39 (April 2012, Retrieved at https://
www.researchgate.net/publication/225296126_How_Employee_Engagement_Matters_for_Hospital_Performance.
Salela, Alyssa, “Training pays off when looking at retention in LTC, panel members say,” McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, June 13, 2017, Retrieved at
https://www.mcknights.com/news/training-pays-off-when-looking-at-retention-in-ltc-panel-members-say/article/667998/.
Sherwood, Rick, “Employee Engagement Drives Health Care Quality and Financial Returns,” Harvard Business Review, October 30, 2013, Retrieved
at https://hbr.org/2013/10/employee-engagement-drives-health-care-quality-and-financial-returns.
Smikle, Joanne, “Why They Stay: Retention Strategies For Long Term Care,” Provider Magazine, November 2015, Retrieved at http://www.provider-
magazine.com/archives/2015_Archives/Pages/1115/Why-They-Stay-Retention-Strategies-For-Long-Term-Care.aspx