Senior care organizations have always experienced a high rate of employee turnover, averaging 75% or higher. With an ongoing nursing shortage, in addition to other employee recruitment challenges, senior care providers need to do everything they can to ensure that once employees are hired, they feel positive about their position and can have an immediate impact on the quality of care provided. The solution is simple: Implement a positive, effective orientation process.

Employee orientation is a vital component of employee retention and productivity. A study conducted at Corning Glass revealed that employees who had a positive experience with employee orientation were “69% more likely to be with the company three years later than those who did not.” 

A solid orientation process also enhances the quality of work and productivity in an organization. A study done at Texas Instruments found that employees who participated in employee orientation “reached their full productivity two months sooner than those who hadn't.” 

Every senior care provider has their own orientation process; but can you benefit from taking a look at your process and seeing if some improvements could be made? Using just one of the recommendations below can help improve your orientation:

  • Get started early. If you have courses or policy information that can be sent to the employee before their first day, then your employees can on-board and “hit the ground running” on their first day. Part of this process is providing the required state and federal training requirements.
  • Think about the how information is delivered. Is it easy to understand? Is it consistent? More importantly, do you have any way to prove that the employee really understands their role within your organization? Mix in some training courses with quizzes or post-tests to ensure understanding.
  • Proactively keep track of how new employees are doing. The best way to prevent turnover is to monitor how employees are doing in their new positions and whether they need further training. The best way to do this: Ask them! Use 30- and 90-day surveys to track employee satisfaction and address issues before they lead to turnover.

In response to popular client demand, Silverchair Learning developed an orientation series of three courses, each about 30 minutes, designed to meet almost all required training needs for new staff.” We recognize the importance of quick on-boarding, and the courses that allow employees to have a positive impact from the start.

By implementing a positive employee orientation, senior care facilities could see a decrease in their turnover rate, higher employee satisfaction, and most importantly — better care for residents. Small changes to orientation can have a big effect on care!

Debi Damas is the senior director of regulatory compliance and content for Silverchair Learning Systems.