Recent surveys show that staff retention is a prime concern for long-term care providers, and workers have noted that more training and learning opportunities, rather than a salary increase, would improve their personal job satisfaction. Acts Retirement–Life Communities is one operator trying to combat workforce challenges by offering a variety of training and degree programs to help staff members advance in their careers.
“Continued professional and personal development training initiatives can play a significant role in employees’ growth, which in turn positively impacts employee performance, motivation and dedication,” Jo Anne Hartman, managing director of Acts Corporate University, told the McKnight’s Business Daily.
In addition to signing up for training programs, employees can obtain advanced business and healthcare degrees in partnership with other higher education entities.
“It has certainly helped with retention, as our turnover rates are far lower than typical healthcare providers,” Corporate Communications Director Michael Smith told the McKnight’s Business Daily.
“Our university partnership agreements provide discounted tuition rates to employees, and many also provide discounts to employee family members as well,” Hartman said. Participating colleges include Capella University, Chamberlain College of Nursing, Delaware Valley University, DeVry University, Eastern University, ECPI University, Lynn University, Strayer University, Walden University and Wilmington University, she said.
The company provides tuition reimbursement to help offset the costs of the courses, Hartman said, and ACU also provides several different scholarships to employees.
Internally, ACU offers a variety of options for employees to access training, Hartman said. All ACU trainings are available to all staff members, she added.
“We conduct live trainings at our education center, located at our corporate headquarters in Fort Washington, PA, and use Microsoft Teams for those needing to attend virtually,” Hartman said. “In addition, when travel restrictions are not a consideration, we travel to the various locations to provide onsite community specific training. We also use a Learning Management System to house recorded trainings that employees can view asynchronously.”
Among topics covered are conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, implicit bias, business writing, connecting and collaborating, hospitality and customer service, interviewing skills, time management, team building; communication skills, public speaking and DiISC (Dominance, Influence, steadiness and conscientiousness) assessments, Hartman added.
Hartman said that approximately 1,000 staff members take part in ACU offerings each year; certain training sessions are mandatory for staff members through the company’s learning management system.
“Many Acts staff have obtained advanced MBA degrees through assistance from ACU, leading to promotions within the company. In addition, we have a very diverse workforce and have even had staff obtain their citizenship through ACU,” she said.
