More proactive workforce strategies needed for aged care
Australia has a rapidly ageing population with one in 6 people now aged over 65. This is expected to increase to one in 4 by 2066 which will bring significant implications for those in the aged care sector. Building a highly skilled and engaged workforce is essential if Australia is to provide high-quality care for our older people in coming decades.

Need for a new strategy to address shortfalls
The fact is too many workers are now leaving the industry. 

The Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) predicts that by 2030 there will be a major shortfall of more than 110,000 direct aged care workers.  However, recruitment of new carers can be difficult due to:

• increased competition from other sectors
• lower rates of pay for aged care workers
• an increasingly casualised environment
• perceptions that it is low status work
• aged care being emotionally demanding (without support) and can often result in burnout and stress. 

Amid increased regulatory requirements for aged care providers, it is vital that the sector addresses these issues as a matter of urgency. 

The key is to develop proactive acquisition and retention strategies aimed at motivating, attracting and keeping the current and future workforce.

Why do aged care workers leave?
Studies have shown that working conditions, leadership, organisational culture, opportunities for career progression and a sense of empowerment are all factors that influence staff decisions to stay or leave.

Influencing workplace retention is very much in the hands of the provider and there are effective changes that can be made quickly if employees are invited to be part of the solution.

Investing in employee education and professional development is one area that will improve retention while also improving the quality of care. Building capacity and innovation in dementia care, palliative care and wound care will be essential in the future, especially with the growth of home care options.

Formulating workforce solutions and listening to feedback
Improving employee engagement means leaders need to ask questions and listen to what employees say they need to do their jobs well. 

Surveying staff members, running small focus groups and discussing findings under key themes is a good approach. 

Recommendations can be integrated into organisation wide changes that may result in better training programs, new management approaches, revised working conditions, better feedback processes, and wellbeing initiatives.

Long term benefits 
Developing more effective workforce strategies will improve quality of care and reduce the burden and costs of constant staff turnover. 

This isn’t something that can be put on the backburner. Improving the conditions and pay of aged care workers will ultimately help raise the status of caring work and will provide valuable recognition for workers.

Want to find out more? Explore the Workforce Retention section of our Knowledge & Implementation Hub. 

Victoria Cornell, Research Fellow, ARIIA

‘Continuous transformation is here to stay’ (Korn Ferry, 2024)
 

Constant change can lead to ‘change fatigue’, a condition characterised by lingering mental and physical tiredness associated with change. It’s a feeling that too much change is taking place and can lead to exhaustion, burnout and high staff turnover. In the aged care sector, we’re experiencing not one transformation, but many different changes on a near-constant basis, so change fatigue is a real and current issue. 
 

Who is impacted, and how?

Individuals

• Exhaustion – dealing with multiple changes and uncertainty is emotionally, physically and mentally exhausting
• Apathy – easier to ‘switch off’ than remain engaged
• Ambivalence – why bother? Another change will come along to undo this last one…
• Job Stress – additional workload, fear of job security
• Frustration – at the process, at the lack of process, at the constant need to ‘keep up’.

Organisations

• Strained relationships – between staff and managers, and between teams
• Staff resistance – change in the status quo/ accepted processes and norms, change seems pointless/ nonsensical
• Staff cynicism – belief that the change is driven by someone’s own agenda
• Poor work culture – distrust of managers, distrust within teams.
   

How to minimise the effects of change fatigue

Individuals

• Acknowledge your own discomfort, and what that looks like – potential additional workload, potential change in duties, potential change in hours, potential blame if the change does not go to plan
• Ask questions – not understanding the reasons why change must happen causes angst
• Remember your ‘why’ – remember ‘your story’ and values that brought you into working in the aged care sector
• Self-care – prioritise all those things we know are important – good sleep, good food, exercise…and fun!

Organisations

• Acknowledge staff discomfort - recognise that change is uncomfortable
• Provide role clarity – hours, duties, expectations during change
• Communicate – often, even during ambiguity, to retain trust
• Co-design, identify champions – harness enthusiasm of some to lead others
• Support staff – emotionally, professionally, logistically
• Celebrate wins - after each project stage and at end, set aside time to recover, reset, and rebuild cohesion within the team.
   

Key Takeaway #1

Communication is critical. Communicate:

• A lot – bad news is better than no news
• About the need for change – is it regulatory? Financial? Board-driven?
• About your intended process/ timeline
• In various formats – team meetings, Town Halls, online options for remote staff
• Two-way, not just top-down – give your staff genuine opportunity to be involved and ask questions
• Impacts on staff – will there be:
• Change in roles?
• Change in hours?
• Change in location?
   

Key Takeaway #2 

Be authentic and lead with integrity:

• Self-Awareness - understand your own strengths, weaknesses, values, and emotional responses
• Transparency – be open and honest with team members, create a sense of trust and understanding
• Vulnerability - share your concerns, foster a sense of connection and empathy
• Empathy – understand the perspectives and concerns of others
• Respect diversity - appreciate the unique strengths and contributions of each team member

Remember…while constant change is inevitable, change fatigue doesn’t have to be. 

The views and opinions expressed in Knowledge Blogs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of ARIIA, Flinders University and/or the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.