Meeting the demand for additional workers will be one of the three most pressing challenges facing operators in the future, according to experts who spoke at Ziegler’s 18th Annual Senior Living Finance + Strategy Conference.
The other two threats also involved people: recruiting and training qualified workers, and fostering future leaders.
During a session on workforce development innovation, speakers Mark Vanderbeck of ACTS Retirement-Life Communities and Sean Kelly from The Kendal Corp. noted that competitive compensation would remain critical. But so too would be career-development tracks for employees.
In a session on trends, panelists John Kotovsky (Lutheran Senior Services), Larry Gumina (Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services) and Scott McQuinn (Life Enriching Communities) talked about how their respective organizations were meeting staff recruitment and retention challenges. Kotovsky noted that Lutheran Senior Services has created a corporate position for staff recruitment.
The general consensus among the panelists was that operators will need to make this a strategic priority, and that technological advances alone will not suffice. The invitation-only event was held in California.
