Retention Strategies

Research shows there are many ways aged care services can create a positive workplace culture that supports staff and keeps them committed. The aged care workforce is made up of people with different roles, including:

• Nurses and allied health professionals
• Personal care workers
• Administrative and managerial staff
• Hospitality and catering teams
• Maintenance workers
• Education and pastoral care providers

Each role requires different skills and levels of education. To attract and keep staff, organisations need to focus on strategies that meet the unique needs of each role, while also supporting the overall workforce and the entire employee journey.

Research studies suggest that both individual and organsational factors need to be taken into consideration when seeking to retain staff:

Individual factors

Retention of aged care workers depends on several key factors. Job satisfaction plays a major role, along with positive relationships among leaders, staff, families, and older consumers. Understanding workforce demographics is also crucial, as different age groups may have varying expectations and priorities for their roles.

Other important considerations include:

• Location and its impact on commuting or work-life balance
• Labour market conditions, including pay, benefits, and job security
• Flexible work arrangements, such as part-time or casual contracts
• Ongoing availability of work to ensure stability

Workers are more likely to stay when they feel supported by peers and supervisors, have sufficient time to provide person-centred care, and can build meaningful, compassionate relationships with residents. Reducing stressors, such as high workloads or unclear expectations, further enhances retention and promotes a more engaged workforce.

Organisational factors

Organisational strategies that enhance workforce retention and satisfaction include fostering a positive leadership style and offering staff greater control over aspects such as rosters, shift lengths, and split shifts. Flexible and fair roster management is highly valued by workers.

Key organisational practices include:

• Strong workplace health and safety measures to protect staff from harm
• Access to training and professional development to build skills and confidence
• A positive workplace culture, characterized by open communication and mutual respect

A supportive organisation also boosts psychological capital, fostering hope, resilience, and self-efficacy among staff. Additionally, thoughtful job design is critical—it should ensure workloads are manageable to prevent stress, anxiety, and depression, safeguarding the well-being of nurses and care workers.

Managers and services should also consider specific circumstances that can affect the attraction and retention of the workforce such as rural and remote locations or providing care for specific populations or older people with high care needs. Retention strategies need to also address the reality of an overall shortage of staff in the aged care sector. Awareness of government initiatives around workforce is also important.

Technology

Aged care services can improve the workforce environment by leveraging technology to enhance efficiency and care delivery. Digital systems can streamline administrative and HR processes, making it easier to monitor, report, and manage workloads. Examples include:

• Roster performance management
• Financial reporting and bookkeeping
• Audit and quality indicator management

Technology can also enhance communication within the organisation and with external providers, supporting collaboration and continuity of care. Advanced tools for clinical monitoring help improve care delivery while freeing up staff time, allowing them to focus on engaging meaningfully with clients and residents. This not only boosts care quality but also fosters a more positive workplace culture.

A Checklist of Ideas for Workforce Retention

• Build engagement:  Appreciate staff feedback and welcome suggestions. Offer opportunities to try new roles.
• Acknowledge performance: Think about quality and/or excellence awards for social recognition of doing a good job and about incentive schemes that may provide monetary rewards.
• Support wellbeing and self-care: Review your HR policies and check that staff are making use of leave entitlements. Think about self-care activities and encourage staff to take their breaks.
• Recognise and celebrate diversity: Having staff with different backgrounds and views can lead to new initiatives in service design and delivery. 
• Reduce staff burnout: Montior workload and think about job redesign to provide manageable workload and offer satisfaction and career opportunities. Provide staff with the time to do meaningful work.
• Facilitate flexibility: Support flexible scheduling and staff involvement in rostering. Recognise and accommodate work life balance.
• Consider digital systems: HR and audit systems can reduce the workload associated with data entry, reporting and compliance.
• Provide development opportunities: Investing in staff helps them see a future with your organisation.
• Emphasise teamwork: Provide time for teamwork and team activities. Facilitate peer support and team learning.
• Share the vision: Be positive and build a workforce that is respected for the work they do.

Find out more

1. ACCPA has outlined career pathways across some of the diverse employment areas in aged care. Helping people see a future with career progression can be a powerful motivator for commitment to the sector.   
2. The Department of Health and Aged care has put together a list of initiatives and programs relating to the aged care workforce.
3. Check out the resources in our Technology in Aged Care priority topic.
4. You can browse the Workforce Retention resources
5. Look for research evidence within the PubMed database by using one of the PubMed searches provided here. PubMed contains brief information (‘citations’) on millions of research studies. It can therefore be challenging to search. Our librarian has made finding highly relevant information on this topic as simple as a click of a button. Click on All to see everything in the database on the topic or choose Full text to view only articles immediately available to you free of charge in full text.