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Do You Market For Human Talent? Part 2 of 2

Do You Market For Human Talent? Part 2 of 2

Posted on by MDSadmin

How Often Are You Recruiting For New Top Human Talent?

It is easy to form a perception that talent should only be recruited when there is a position vacant in your company, but unfortunately, that kind of thinking is not very helpful to your company. You should always be recruiting and finding top talent so that they are ready when positions open up for any reason.

Don’t Rely on the Internet Alone

The advent of the internet and job boards was thought to be the end- all- be- all for recruiting. But, it has proven to be a double edge sword when it is the only method used. The great thing about internet job postins is that you can cast a wide net by broadcasting your current job openings to many individuals that may be looking for employment in your town, or even across the country. The downside is that you can be flooded by many applicants that are not anywhere close to being qualified for an opening in a specific position.

Now, relate this to your community’s marketing department for new residents. Can your community just post an advertisement saying “We have rooms available”, and the right person shows up and there you go, you have a new resident? Not quite, or there would be no need to have a sales and marketing team. It should be considered the same with community staffing. It takes a lot of work and effort to find the right fit for the community, both for residents and staff.

Always Be Recruiting

Do You Market for Human Talent? Part 1 of 2It’s important to augment the posting of job openings through portals such as Indeed, Career Builder, or others in this category. Talent Mangers must actively recruit to find the best employees available for the many different job functions within the community/company. This includes giving talks throughout the community at different functions and gatherings of people like civic clubs, high schools, junior colleges, colleges, and other professional organizations throughout your operating region. It is very important to educate as many people as possible about the existence of your community/company, that it is a great place to work with many opportunities besides those of just direct caregivers. Target programs and organizations can include, but are not limited to, those affiliated with business, nursing, culinary, and hospitality.

LinkedIn is also a great place to gather potential contacts for professional level jobs. LinkedIn should be used to identify individuals with skills that will be beneficial to your team now and in the future. Don’t limit yourself to just those that may currently hold positions in the Senior Living industry, but look in other industries for transferable skills as well. Establish casual relationships in the beginning and watch how they interact with others in their peer groups. Do they post timely and relevant material? Do they have original thoughts? How many connections do they have (a peek at how good they might be at networking and recruiting prospective residents)? Do they seek out and participate in continued education opportunities? LinkedIn will also let you glance into the individual’s employment past. With this feature, it is easy for an individual to write anything they want with little to no cross-checking by others, so proceed with caution. Trust, but verify. Once individuals are identified as potential employees who could be an asset to your team, then it is prudent to reach out and make a connection with them.

Start an HR newsletter to keep current employees and those interested in working for your company informed of current happenings within your company/community. Not necessarily resident-focused, but more about job openings, training, and highlighting employee accomplishments. The added communication will go a long way in both employee retention and recruiting efforts. While this form of communication usually will not lead to instant gratification in the recruiting of other professional individuals, it will build a pattern of contact that over time will lead to candidates keeping up with your company. If they like what you have to say, it will leave them with the sense of wanting more information about company activities and available openings.

So get out from behind the desk and computer screen, and endeavor into the community, market yourself, your industry, and your company for great talent. A great side effect is that while you are getting the word out of your community/company, simultaneously you just might accidentally uncover a prospective resident or family member looking for a loved one.

Make your company an employer of choice, not an employer of last resort!

 

Roy Barker is Director of Special Projects at Moore Diversified Services, a Fort-Worth, Texas-based organization specializing in Senior Living operations analysis, marketing development, and investment advisory services. Roy is an authority in the field of employee turnover analysis and retention strategies.

 

Wishing You and Your Family a Safe and Happy Holiday Season!

Wishing You and Your Family a Safe and Happy Holiday Season!

Posted on by MDSadmin

 

Happy Holidays From The Staff of MDS

We at MDS would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you dedicated to the service and care of the many residents aging successfully in communities around the world a Safe and Happy Holidays!

We especially thank those that will tend to residents on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; there is no day off in an industry such as ours.  To many of these residents, you are their family and you will make their holidays bright!

Thank you for your commitment to the betterment of the Senior Living and Senior Housing Industry.

 

Employee Training and Retention: The Debate between Expense and Investment – Part II

Employee Training and Retention: The Debate between Expense and Investment – Part II

Posted on by MDSadmin

Once an effective training and development program is established and utilized by the organization it can begin seeing increases and benefits in the following areas: productivity, motivation, quality, job satisfaction, commitment (employee retention), and reduced absenteeism.

In order to provide the training and development that reaps these many benefits, it costs money, time and other resources. Paid human resources are used to plan, organize and teach training sessions, mentors take time from their own duties to mentor newer employees, training materials must be printed and/or compiled in electronic format, and fees must be paid for seminars, classes or workshops. Organizations recognize there is a cost for training and development.

In today’s competitive business world, most organizations are looking at ways to reduce expenses in order to increase profits. Unfortunately, when training is only looked at as an expense, it can be the first category to go to the chopping block. It is suggested that businesses need to accurately analyze what these training programs are worth. While most organizations compile data and trends on advertising campaigns, sales department activities, and other activities that they can directly tie to increased revenue, it can be difficult to determine a Return on Investment (ROI) on employee training and development.

Training Makes Employees Feel Valued

Research has shown, however, that when employers invest time, money and resources in their employees with training and development the employees develop a commitment to the organization. The employee feels the organization/employer values them as a worker, values their skills and values their contribution. Research has also determined that with training and development the employee believes the employer cares about the employability of the employee. (Agrawal)

In contrast, some employees have been known to say they “saw it coming” before they were fired or let go. This can be the perception when an employee is struggling and/or not performing well and the employer distances themselves from the employee; does not offer help (training/development), keeps adding additional workload, tells the employee not to worry they will eventually “get it”, etc. In other words, with ongoing training and development the employee does not feel the employer is leaving them to “sink or swim” on their own or that the employer is not “creating” a reason to fire them.

Which Came First …?

Another comment that represents the crux of this argument: “Positions that have a high turnover rate (such as tech support) are often viewed by management as not worthy of proper training.” (Green) It is “the chicken and the egg” type question. Are these positions not worthy of training due to the high turnover or is a high turnover due to the lack of training? Another point of training is to evaluate if you have the right person for the right job. Sometimes you may have a talented and capable individual but they are just in the wrong position. Continued training and development, including evaluations, can determine strengths and weaknesses and what persons fit best with various positions.

Training and employee development is not just for the employee but is as beneficial to the employer as well. For those employers that view training as an expense, a trade-off for production or just plain wasted time, they may not have an effective training program in place. Also if an employer’s turnover is high, they may need to evaluate how they train new employees, evaluate existing employees and what programs are in place to develop employees to be productive members of their organization. Employers that are successful in reducing employee turnover embrace training and employee development as a necessary tool to further their organizational goals.

We featured this excerpt from a research paper that Kim Jimenez had written on employee training and how it relates to employee engagement/retention.  Employee turnover is a real cash expense that effects your business in many ways.  MDS can help in employee orientation and training in order to help create and retain the best staff possible.

 

Roy Barker is Director of Special Projects at Moore Diversified Services, a Fort-Worth, Texas-based organization specializing in operations analysis, marketing development, and investment advisory services. Roy is an authority in the field of employee turnover analysis and retention strategies.

References

Agrawal, Archana. “Employee Development and Its Affect on Their Performance.” International Journal of Marketing, Financial Services & Management Research (2013): 99-108. Web.
Green, Allison. www.askamanger.org. 19 05 2012. Article. 05 09 2014.

MDS Would Like To Say Thanks To Loyal Readers With Complimentary Book Chapter and Special Offer

Posted on by MDSadmin

 

As our way of saying thank you to our blog subscribers we are offering A COMPLIMENTARY CHAPTER from Jim Moore’s “Independent Living and CCRCs, Survival, Success & Profitable Strategies for Not-For-Profit Sponsors and For-Profit Owner/Operators”, a must-read sequel to his previous BEST SELLING book “Assisted Living Strategies for Changing Markets”.   Current subscribers, please email roybarker@m-d-s.com and he will gladly forward your complimentary chapter.  If you are not yet a subscriber, simply subscribe to our blog TODAY by placing your email address in the sign up box on the far left hand side of this page and your chapter will automatically be sent to you.

As an added BONUS for our loyal followers (both new and old) we are offering this wonderful work of writing at a PROMOTIONAL RATE! Remember to sign up for our blog (if you haven’t already) and just click the link below to receive your own copy for the special promotional rate of ONLY $40 (shipping and handling included).   This book retails for over $60 with shipping and handling.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR BLOG TODAY and take advantage of this special promotional price! (For a limited time while supplies last.)

Continue reading “MDS Would Like To Say Thanks To Loyal Readers With Complimentary Book Chapter and Special Offer” →

Was That Really The Question? Ways to Encourage Employee Engagement (part 2 of 3)

Was That Really The Question? Ways to Encourage Employee Engagement (part 2 of 3)

Posted on by MDSadmin

In this 3-part blog series , we’re exploring ways to better engage your employees within your company. Last time we discussed hiring individuals who fit within your current corporate culture. Today we’ll take a look at the importance of communication as well as providing growth opportunities for employees.

Communication

Once you have the right people in place communication is still imperative. Employees want to see that upper management is transparent and that they buy into this process. As I mentioned before, employees can spot a con job a mile away. Look at employees as valued team members. It’s much easier when management and employees are all pulling the wagon in the same direction. To ensure the success of your employees is to ensure the success of you and your business. They must be viewed as having something of value to contribute to the process of providing an excellent customer experience.

Take the time to really get to know your employees. Be visible. Be engaged yourself. And I’m not talking about just knowing their names and what departments they work in, but who they really are and what their lives are really about. Of course this task can be delegated. In a large company a CEO may not know the entire story about each employee, but there should be managers in between who do.

Growth Opportunities

It’s important to provide good employees with different methods of expanding their horizons. This can range from the necessary training needed for them to excel in their current position, as well as cross training for other jobs within their department or within the company in general.

Other growth opportunities may include expanding employee responsibilities, delegating specific tasks to them, and of course providing them with the opportunity for upward mobility within the company. Instead of handing down edicts from the top and letting them trickle down to the bottom, form teams where employees have a chance to collaborate and help set policies. We have to remember that frontline employees are the ones who know what the customer is looking for and what the roadblocks are to providing excellent customer service.

I look forward to seeing you next time as we continue to explore ways to engage your employees.

 

Roy Barker is Director of Special Projects at Moore Diversified Services, a Fort-Worth, Texas, based organization specializing in operations analysis, marketing development, and investment advisory services. Roy is an authority in the field of employee turnover analysis and retention strategies.

 

Was That Really The Question? Ways to Encourage Employee Engagement (part 1 of 3)

Was That Really The Question? Ways to Encourage Employee Engagement (part 1 of 3)

Posted on by MDSadmin

The other day I saw this question posed to others in a forum, “what do you do to show your employees they are involved?” The obvious answer to me was, don’t just try to show them, actually get them involved.

I’m sure the intent of the question was supposed to be “how do you involve your employees,” but it didn’t really come across that way. This does bring up the question of do you only do things to try to “show” employees they are engaged, or do you actually involve them? The point being is that if you truly involve your employees, you shouldn’t have to look for ways to appear that you are. Employees are very perceptive when programs or the latest buzz words are being hyped. However, if these programs are not actual practices in their workplace, it comes across as if management is trying to pull a fast one on them.

I’ve seen surveys published where less than 30% of the workforce feels engaged. A 2013 Career Builder survey found that 77% of “full-time employed workers are open to, or actively looking for, new job opportunities.”   There is a lot of lost productivity due to these staggering numbers. And don’t think for one minute that the lackluster attitude doesn’t trickle down to the quality of service and attention your customers receive.

In this 3-part blog series, we’ll explore ways to make sure your employees feel truly engaged to help you with employee retention as well as ensure your customers receive quality service.

Where To Start

There is no end-all, be-all list of engagement ideas. Some techniques will depend upon your business model, you and your employees’ personalities, what motivates your employees, and what you view as quality outcomes for your customers.

It’s usually best to start at the beginning with the hiring process. Find candidates that mesh well with your current corporate culture. You can always teach and train to skill. Make sure you take the time to orient employees not only into their job, but into the company culture. Unfortunately, this step is often not comprehensive, a low priority, or skipped altogether.

Make sure to join me next time as we continue to explore ways to engage your employees.

 

Roy Barker is Director of Special Projects at Moore Diversified Services, a Fort-Worth, Texas, based organization specializing in operations analysis, marketing development, and investment advisory services. Roy is an authority in the field of employee turnover analysis and retention strategies.

In Whose Hands Have You Placed Your Reputation and Business?

In Whose Hands Have You Placed Your Reputation and Business?

Posted on by MDSadmin

By Roy Barker

Many people answer this question with our executives, the higher-ups, and those employees who engage the consumer. All of these choices are correct, but in the consumer’s mind the employee helping him or her is the only voice and/or face of your company.

Are your phones being answered in a timely manner? Is the voice on the other end friendly and helpful? Are visitors greeted with a friendly smile? Is your intended message being delivered by employees through their actions?

Front line employees are the ones customers base their purchasing decisions on. Quality of service is key to producing happy residents, resident/employee referrals, and added value to your company. How many times have you gone out of your way to bypass a business because the one a mile down the road has better customer service, or has gone the extra mile to resolve an issue? This happens to Senior Living communities every day because of the way a prospect was handled or not handled on the phone. Most communities are unaware of a missed opportunity.

Questions To Ask

Questions you should now be asking yourself are: am I hiring the best individuals for the task? MDS believes the first step in quality customer service is hiring the right individual. The right individual may not always be the most qualified. In most instances, it is better to base hiring on attitude, personality, and corporate culture fit, and then train skills. This may take more time in the hiring and training process but will payoff in the long run through better quality service and longevity of the employee’s tenure with the company.

Next question: are your new hires being properly oriented into the company and company culture in their new positions, as well as receiving continued training? Employees should initially be trained through orientation and continued on a regular schedule thereafter. Training gives employees empowerment, competence, and confidence to do their job well resulting in a satisfied customer and employee. Even after you have gone through the previous steps you must still monitor and spot check to insure job duties are being carried out the way you want and expect them to be.

MDS can help you help your employees, customers, and bottom line through providing orientation and training materials, on-site training sessions, over the phone coaching, and group seminars to ensure your team has the tools needed to be successful and provide an excellent customer service experience to current and future clients. MDS also has many years of experience in mystery shopping communities to gather firsthand knowledge of the feel and attitude of a community, as well as monitoring results on an ongoing basis.

I look forward to working with you and your community’s professional team in the very near future. Contact me directly to set up an initial consultation and let’s start the process to an improved customer service experience, higher occupancy rates, and a healthier bottom line.