New Study for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Identifies Strategies to Retain Experienced Workers

PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new study supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and coordinated by The Lewin Group finds that health care agencies and other companies can improve morale, reduce turnover and save money with a variety of cost-effective initiatives targeted at experienced workers. From flexible schedules that accommodate “snow birds” in Arizona and seasonal employees in Maine to efforts to encourage employees to participate in the administrative decisions that affect their lives, the “Wisdom at Work: Retaining Experienced Nurses” study identifies effective strategies that strengthen work environments and benefit employees. While the study focused primarily on identifying ways to retain nurses in health care settings, its findings are transferable to a wide variety of workplaces, both inside and outside the health care arena.

“At a time when organizations everywhere are looking hard at their bottom lines, the ‘Wisdom at Work’ evaluations demonstrate the economic benefits of retaining experienced workers, which can improve productivity and workplace morale”

Companies that have successfully retained veteran workers cite the following reasons for their success: sustained commitments by corporate leadership to keep experienced staff on the job; innovative approaches to staffing; employee health and wellness programs; corporate cultures that value aging; and compensation packages that cater to older workers, offering benefits such as phased retirement options and flexible work arrangements. Retaining experienced workers makes good business sense, saving employers costs associated with hiring and training new staff. Veteran workers also provide valuable experience-based insight, maintain institutional memory, and mentor less experienced employees.

“Wisdom at Work” includes seven in-depth case studies examining strategies used by health care and non-health care organizations that have received recognition for their success in retaining experienced workers, as well as findings from 13 separate research projects conducted from January 2007 to December 2008 to explore the impact of interventions aimed at retaining experienced nurses in hospitals. It is a follow-up to the groundbreaking white paper, Wisdom at Work: The Importance of the Older and Experienced Nurses in the Workplace, commissioned by RWJF in 2006. The lessons learned from the evaluations and case studies are applicable to a wide variety of work environments.

“At a time when organizations everywhere are looking hard at their bottom lines, the ‘Wisdom at Work’ evaluations demonstrate the economic benefits of retaining experienced workers, which can improve productivity and workplace morale,” said Susan B. Hassmiller, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., RWJF Senior Advisor for Nursing. “We found examples of many cost effective measures that organizations can implement that will help create better working environments for employees of all ages and experience levels, whether they work in the health field or not.”

Although the study identified no single initiative that was successful at retaining experienced workers at all institutions examined, many companies were successful in implementing a set of initiatives that met employee needs at individual institutions.

The “Wisdom at Work” study gives human resource professionals real-life examples of simple, affordable and easily replicable strategies to keep employees on the job. Examples of successful initiatives include:

• Flexible scheduling options at L.L. Bean in Maine that allow senior employees to work on a part-time or seasonal basis and swap shifts with fellow workers.
• Flexible work arrangements at Carondelet Health Network in Tucson, Ariz., which has a “snow bird” program that allows registered nurses to work for three, six or nine months at a time—a particularly attractive option among experienced nurses who are in Tucson for only certain parts of the year.
• A mentoring program at Bon Secours Richmond Health System in Virginia that allows experienced RNs to provide clinical and leadership mentoring to new nurses, which has contributed to a consistently low turnover rate among experienced nurses.
• Continuing education opportunities at Pitt County Memorial Hospital in North Carolina, where experienced nurses were offered the opportunity to spend three days off site re-envisioning their practice at the hospital.
• The creation of a “Leadership Cabinet” at Scripps Health in San Diego, where nurse leaders advise administrators on important decisions and act as a conduit for employee concerns.

The Lewin Group served as the National Coordinating Center for this initiative and provided coordination, technical support and data collection and analysis for the “Wisdom at Work” evaluation. The Lewin Group also developed the seven in-depth case studies of high performing organizations. To view both, visit www.rwjf.org/goto/wisdomatwork.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, we work with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years we’ve brought experience, commitment and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those we serve. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, we expect to make a difference in your lifetime.