The home-, facility-, and community-based care industries continue to battle incredibly high turnover, rising demand for services, and a lack of career advancement opportunities for its workforce. This may seem daunting, but industry admins have access to a proven, practical remedy for meeting these challenges head-on that can result in greater job satisfaction, improved job performance, increased employer trust, and more positive perceptions throughout the entire employee experience.
That remedy is better onboarding. Onboarding that is personal and personable can be an effective, proactive medicine for much of what’s ailing the health care industry today. This means making sure your onboarding pays attention to the experiences, backgrounds, and needs of every new employee to create the best onboarding experience for them.
The recent Viventium Caregiver Onboarding Experience Report shows that an employee-first onboarding experience can be a game changer and a competitive differentiator. We’re talking about an onboarding experience that has a human touch and offers the right balance between teaching the mechanics of the job and connecting new hires with the culture of the organization and its people.
After all, why should a new hire who has 10 years of verified, home health care experience need to receive the same training during onboarding as someone who’s new to the field? For seasoned health care veterans, repetitive or generic orientations can send a message that their experience and knowledge are underappreciated or completely forgotten. On the other hand, caregivers new to the industry need comprehensive training that equips them with the skills needed to provide effective care. Acknowledging and addressing these varying needs is critical.
By tailoring onboarding and training to each individual, you recognize each new hire’s specific needs, accelerate their productivity, and encourage high levels of engagement right from the start. If you aren’t sure where to start, here are three easy-to-implement solutions that can make a big impact on the employee experience the onboarding process.
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Present clear paths for career advancement. One of the fundamental aspects of personalizing onboarding is to clearly present career advancement opportunities within the organization. This demonstrates to new hires that you are invested in their growth and see a future for them at your organization beyond their initial position. It’s a simple way of boosting morale and, in turn, loyalty.Our research found that caregivers at Onboarding Leaders (organizations that create a good or excellent onboarding experience) are significantly more likely to feel they have opportunities to advance in their careers compared with caregivers at Onboarding Laggards (organizations that create a mediocre or terrible onboarding experience). Caregivers at Onboarding leaders rated how they feel about opportunities for career advancement at 3.78, on a scale of 1 to 5. Caregivers at Onboarding Laggards rated their perception of career advancement at 2.80.
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Enhance person-to-person support. The health care industry is human-centric by nature. Its onboarding process should be, too. Strategies for making onboarding more personal include assigning mentors, forming welcome committees, and ensuring that HR representatives are accessible. Our research shows that when new employees feel supported by real people, they can confidently navigate the complexities of health services in areas where new hires feel most confused. For example, we found that 83% of all new hires in the industry say they need at least some assistance completing their tax documentation. By ensuring that new hires feel as though there is someone they can ask tax documentation questions to, they are more likely to feel supported and that the organization is invested in them having a good experience working for them.
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Encourage managers and team leaders to play an active role in onboarding. Admins and managers should adopt a hands-on approach during the onboarding process. Active participation can ease new employees into the company culture and create important connections. These relationships will serve as critical support networks for new hires as they adjust to their roles.Our study found that caregivers at Onboarding Leaders are 36% more likely to feel they have support from their immediate leaders on the job, which leads to higher employee engagement and lower turnover.
A Personal Touch Goes a Long Way
A personalized onboarding experience reflects an organization's commitment to its workforce. For individuals in the health services industry, where empathy and personalized attention are part of the job, mirroring those values in employee onboarding helps solidify your organization's dedication to an employee-first culture.
It’s crucial for admins and managers to recognize and implement these strategies. By creating a welcoming, supportive, and personalized onboarding experience, you can build a more satisfied and loyal workforce, ready to deliver high quality care to clients.
At Viventium, we understand the unique challenges you face in recruiting and retaining top talent, and we encourage you to refresh your onboarding process with these easy-to-implement approaches. The investment you make in personalizing your onboarding experience will pay dividends in employee satisfaction, patient care, and, ultimately, the success of your organization.
We have continually been a trusted partner of health care employers and support industry admins and organizations.
This is just another that way that Viventium is forever in it with you.
This information is for educational purposes only, and not to provide specific legal advice. This may not reflect the most recent developments in the law and may not be applicable to a particular situation or jurisdiction.