Maximising Workforce Potential: Addressing Staff Shortages in Aged Care

There are an estimated 1.3 million older people receiving a form of aged care service, however, there are just 360,000 leaders. (CEDA, 2022).

With each older person becoming older and frailer, the challenges each leader faces, both physically and mentally, have become a catalyst for the workforce to decide to leave the sector. 

So, how do you create an environment to make your leaders feel valued, and want to stay?

Fostering a positive environment

Organisational culture shapes the way your leaders work. Creating a positive, enjoyable environment can make coming to work each day a pleasant experience. However, a toxic work environment can be hostile and negatively impact your customers’ experience.

The art of creating a positive work environment can be difficult, yet, it is a necessary item to take your workplace from good to great. Some steps you can take to improve your workplace are:

• Onboarding – create a great onboarding experience –  provides a positive experience where people feel a sense of belonging
• Recognition – Making sure your leaders feel valued and recognised for the hard work they do
• Clear Communication – Ensuring everyone fosters clear, open and honest communication among all levels ofg the organisation
• Collaboration and teamwork –  creates unity, working towards common goals and promotes problem solving
• Support – Ensure that the management is supportive and approachable and that your leaders feel they can come to you with any concerns
• Continuous Improvement – feedback from your workforce and consumers is the most valuable tool to identify areas for improvement and how you can implement them. 
• Diversity and Inclusion – Creates innovation and a welcoming work environment

Encouraging continuous learning 

Continuously investing in the learning and development of your leaders is an effective way to enhance your workforce’s capabilities. It is a crucial element in ensuring that leaders stay well-informed and maintain up-to-date skills.

At Anchor Excellence, we offer a range of leading educational sessions designed to support you and your team in upskilling and staying up-to-date on all the latest reforms and sector changes.

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By changing our perspective of what our workforce means to the sector, we can ensure that each leader feels valued and supported when they come to work – ensuring that our consumers are receiving the best care possible. 

Creating a supportive work environment is one of the key strategies to improve staff retention and satisfaction. Mentoring and support, personal and professional development, established systems and processes, appraisal feedback processes and strong leadership aligns staff to the mission and values of the organisation promoting a sense of belonging and shared responsibilities and goals.

Strong responsive Leadership and management skills influence organisational effectiveness impacting on staff performance and job satisfaction, retention and turnover of staff, this having a direct impact on resident outcomes and satisfaction with the delivery of care and services. 

To find out how we can support you in creating a positive and positive work environment, reach out to us today!