Augustana Care’s commitment to making life better for employees just got a boost from Leading Age Minnesota, which awarded $25,000 to Augustana Care Moose Lake to provide a better work-life balance for employees. The grant will address employee retention in Moose Lake, where many caregivers at home are taking care of relatives while being professional caregivers at work.
This phenomenon is not confined to Moose Lake and can have a broader impact on the dynamics of the workplace. In her book Leadership and the Eldercare Home Sector: Personal Life vs. Work Life of Nurses, author Nadeem Moiden writes the following:
“An increase in the elderly population as a whole mean(s) that health care workers are more likely to be involved as a primary caregiver both in and out of work situations.”
With the LeadingAge Minnesota grant, Augustana Care Moose Lake can address work/life balance and its relationship to employee recruitment and retention. An investigation of the Fortune 500 “Best Places to Work” reveals employers with the highest employee satisfaction ratings offer employees benefits such as subsidized day care on site, a grocery store or other amenities.
The grant enables Augustana Care to hire an employee resource connector to help staff members at Augustana Care Moose Lake receive discounted, accessible goods and services. Augustana Care Health and Rehabilitation in Moose Lake’s administrator has initially identified businesses that might be interested in working with the campus, including an auto body shop, laundromat, bakery and grocery store.
The employee resource connector will work with various businesses to negotiate discounts and added incentives on services identified by Augustana Care staff. For example, if employees are interested in bringing in a Pilates instructor, the resource connector would identify a provider and negotiate the service fee. If employees identify other needs or issues, the resource connector will work on finding solutions.
The employee resource connector is, in sum, a go-to resource for Augustana Care employees. The first step is to interview staff to more fully understand work/life balance issues, as the program is designed to be tailored to employee priorities.
With this program, we can help hard-working employees achieve work/life balance through a variety of benefits that address their needs. Results will inform Augustana Care’s next steps, which remain focused on recruiting and retaining employees who play significant roles in the lives of those we serve.
