Tackling staff turnover: a novel approach; This innovative program helps entry-level employees surmount life's roadblocks to stay on the job

Nursing Homes, March, 2004 by Linda Zinn

Rizika explains that implementing the Achieve program was not without challenges. Some of these relate to problems inherent in the three-shift schedule nursing homes must keep. Also, because of state-regulated staff-to-resident ratios, scheduling breaks for Lunch & Learns and other training sessions has sometimes been difficult. Achieve staff have had to be creative to overcome these obstacles. Some Lunch & Learn sessions, for example, have been held as early as 7 a.m. and as late as 11 p.m. to accommodate workers' schedules. Also, by scheduling Achieve activities on payday and presenting information during regularly scheduled staff meetings, it's been possible to increase the number of employees reached. "We learned in implementing the program in the 11 nursing homes how important it was to customize it to the demands of each facility and its residents," Rizika says. "Part of the reason for our success has been our flexibility."

Another problem, Rizika says, was that some employees were afraid to seek an Achieve Advisor's help because they didn't want to be seen as having problems. "We've learned to marry social work skills with marketing skills to encourage employees to use our services," Rizika says. "We have had to focus more on presenting Achieve as an opportunity for advancement, for goal achievement, for defining a pathway to success--in short, as a benefit."

To help counter any possible negative perceptions about participating in Achieve, its staff have produced a new booklet and brochures around the theme "Achieve: Your Pathway to Success," emphasizing that Achieve can help employees set and reach career and personal goals. Because employees most often contribute to turnover rates within their first 90 days of employment, a number of administrators have asked that Achieve staff introduce the program and these materials at new-employee orientations. This helps Achieve Advisors and facility personnel identify early on who might benefit most from Achieve's services.

At this time the Achieve program is funded with support from Cuyahoga County and from private donors; therefore, all its services can be provided at no cost to the participating nursing homes and their employees. Rizika says that in the future the program might have to charge employers for its services, but that the cost would be much lower than the expense of losing staff to turnover--which has been estimated at $3,000 per employee for hiring and training a replacement.

"We're starting to explore with the 11 employers in the study the idea of continuing to receive our services for a fee once the study is over and funding is no longer available to us. We already have that arrangement with one of the companies that took part in our pilot program," says Rizika. "We have customized the services to respond to the needs of this employer, which has contracted with us for more than two years."

RELATED ARTICLE

Nicole. The first thing you notice about Nicole is that she is in constant motion. "I can't just sit still. I like to work hard. I just get into trouble if I'm not busy all the time," says this single mother of two young children and recently promoted ward secretary at the nursing home where she works. Nicole has cycled through many different jobs--including Navy construction worker, corrections officer, nurses' aide, and medical assistant--none of which offered any significant advancement over the previous one. But after earning her recent promotion and raise, she notes regarding her workplace, "I have found a home here."