Most respondents to a new assisted living salary and benefits survey indicated that they provide fringe benefits to employees, although the size of and eligibility for those benefits varies widely by region.
And sign-on bonuses, which were used by 62.7% of participants in 2021 to attract new employees, no longer are popular, according to the 2022-2023 Assisted Living Salary & Benefits Report published by Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service. In this year’s report, only 25.71% of respondents indicated offering sign-on bonuses.
The amount of those bonuses also changed. Reported average sign-on bonuses for assisted living directors of nursing fell from $8,667 in 2021 to $6,644 last year, and bonuses for registered nurses in assisted living grew from $2,855 in 2021 to $3,629 last year. Bonuses also grew for licensed practical nurses (from $2,118 in 2021 to $2,917 in 2022), certified nursing assistants ($1,419 in 2021 to $1,720 in 2022), resident assistants ($1,040 in 2021 to $1,509 in 2022) and kitchen staff ($917 in 2021 to $1,016 in 2022) in assisted living.
Of the 98.8% of overall survey participants providing responses to fringe benefits questions, on average, management received nonstatutory benefits totaling 17.3% of their base compensation, whereas clinical staff members received 19.1% in benefits. In 2021, members of management received benefits totaling 21.7% of base compensation, and clinical staff received benefits totaling 22.8% of base compensation.
According to the report, 67.8% of participants indicated that they provided paid time off, whereas 32.2% provided vacation time.
The majority of respondents in the East South Central region (95.1%) — which includes Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee — and the West South Central region (86%) — which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas — provided paid time off. Participants less inclined to provide PTO were located in the Middle Atlantic region (27.4%), which includes New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Nationally, the majority (56.3%) of respondents said that they don’t include paid holidays in PTO for management employees, who received an average of seven paid holidays. And most participants (60.7%) said they provided no additional pay for management employees who work on holidays.
The New England region — which includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont — provided the fewest PTO days to management overall, with an average of 19 total days, whereas the East North Central region — which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin — provided the highest number of PTO days, at 191.
Most respondents (78.7%) also said they did not include paid holidays in PTO for clinical employees, who also received an average of seven paid holidays. For clinical employees who do work on holidays, 52.1% of participants indicated that they provide two times their base pay, whereas 47.1% said they provided one-and-a-half times base pay.
The New England region again proved the stingiest with clinical PTO days, with a total of 19 days, whereas the East North Central region provided a total of 190 PTO days.
Vacation time was less popular as a benefit among all providers, although 51.3% of participants in the New England region said they provided vacation. Only 4.9% of respondents in the East South Central region said that they provided workers with vacation time.
The majority of participants (76%) indicated that employees became eligible for PTO and vacation after 90 days of employment.
The majority of respondents (97.4%) provide educational assistance for college courses for management employees, averaging $3,279 in annual tuition reimbursement. A majority (62.1%) said they also provided assistance for non-college courses, with average annual reimbursement of $2,918.
Clinical employees also have access to educational assistance for college courses (97.6% of participants, with average annual college tuition reimbursement at $3,209). Non-college assistance also was provided by 85.2% of respondents, with average annual tuition reimbursement at $2,991.
The report, in addition to assisted living benefits, also covered paid excused absences, group life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, long-term disability insurance, health insurance, dental and vision insurance, long-term care insurance, retirement contribution plans, severance, mileage, cell phones, professional association dues, and educational and professional meetings.
The survey is conducted with LeadingAge and supported by the National Center for Assisted Living. Overall, more than 1,100 assisted living communities participated in the study, providing data on more than 71,200 employees.
Now in its 25th year, the report is available for purchase on the HCS website.
Read previous McKnight’s coverage of CEO salaries and turnover rates in assisted living.
