Secrets to Outstanding: Care Home Manager Ben Miller Shares His Tips for Achieving Great Employee Retention in Care Homes

You might be curious why a freelance copywriter is delving into employee retention in the care sector. Well, let me take you back to a chapter in my career when I was all about internal communications for a large care group. My focus was on helping to keep everyone well-informed and motivated and, in doing so, encouraging them to stay in their roles for as long as possible. 

It’s an area still close to my heart, so I’ve teamed up with 💚 Ben Miller 💚 a care home manager, to give us the inside scoop on how he has such great team retention in his home. 

Ben's home gained an "Outstanding" rating from the CQC and was also honoured as "Care Home of the Year" at the Care and Support West Awards 2022. 

Since starting as a healthcare assistant in 2006, Ben has had a meteoric rise in the private healthcare sector. After completing his NVQ 2 in Health and Social Care in 2008, he embarked on a Mental Health Nursing degree, qualifying in 2012. Returning to the same care home in 2013, Ben's leadership skills quickly shone through, earning him a promotion to deputy manager in 2014, and then to manager in 2016.

Ben's deep commitment to care quality and his understanding of the importance of employee engagement are fundamental to his philosophy: happy employees lead to exceptional resident care. 

Ben, thank you for joining us. Let’s start with something you emphasise a lot: the importance of first interactions. 

How do you make new employees feel welcome?

Thanks for having me. First impressions are crucial. We ensure every new team member’s initial moments are as warm and inviting as possible. For example, on the first day, the person only comes in for a couple of hours and isn’t put straight to work - we just go through paperwork, get them on the payroll, walk around the building, and meet their team in an informal setting. The aim is to reduce first-day nerves. This sets a positive tone right from the start, immediately making them feel part of our team.

Speaking of team, are you big on celebrating milestones?

Absolutely, celebrating both professional and personal milestones is key. We acknowledge all events - birthdays, engagements, educational achievements, even passing their driving test. It’s about showing appreciation for the whole person, not just their work contributions. This approach sprinkles joy into everyday life and helps maintain high morale.

Recognition plays a big part in your ethos. How do you implement this?

Our ‘Outstanding Contribution’ scheme isn’t just a pat on the back - it’s a significant recognition. We use it to spotlight team members who exemplify our values and go beyond their duties. This boosts morale and creates a ripple effect of motivation throughout the team. Each winner receives a certificate and a gift voucher and is recognised on social media. 

Health is another big theme in your approach. How do you support your team’s well-being?

We’ve found that a happy carer gives the best care, so we focus heavily on both mental and physical health. We provide wellbeing cafes, confidential spaces where team members can confidentially meet a mental health first aider and discuss their worries and maybe be signposted to a relevant professional if need be. 

We also provide a “Giving Box”, where team members purchase food items that go in the staff room and anyone in the team who is struggling can take these items free of charge (although they can provide a small donation if they are able) to support themselves and their family. 

I find that being really understanding about things like illness or family problems is also a massive boost to people - I know that sickness in social care can be a big issue, but if you get huffy when someone calls in sick and make them feel that they’re to blame, it can create a negative a toxic atmosphere. Yes, it’s frustrating for you and for the team, but I find that reaching out to them after they have called in sick with a message to check in on them can go a long way. A simple “hey, I heard you’re off today because your daughter is sick. I’m sorry about that, I hope she gets better soon. Do you need me to do anything for you?” can go a long way. Obviously, follow your protocols and deal with it accordingly, but you don’t come across as someone who doesn’t care and, also, it might even reduce sickness in the long run.

How do you gather feedback from your team?

I talk to them. It’s the best and easiest way to go about things. Try to get ‘small’ or ‘quick’ wins to boost morale. During my time in leadership, I’ve realised that picking my battles is crucial to success. Going around and declaring that “I’m the manager so what I say goes” is not a good way to elicit positive or honest feedback or encourage people to be constructive with their criticism.

 An example of this is, during the pandemic, I changed our uniform policy so that people had to change all their outer clothes before and after shifts. This carried on after the pandemic, but some of the team complained because our changing facilities were small and they were taking to changing in front of each other making some people uncomfortable. I felt inclined to tell them that this was protocol and I wasn’t going to change it, but instead, I did some research and spoke to the infection control team to find out best practice and compromised and said that they still had to change their shoes and their tops, but could wear their work trousers to and from work if they wished. It showed that I had listened and was willing to change where I could. It made those people who raised the issue happy. 

Team surveys are also great for uncovering underlying issues sometimes, but you should know your team and know when people aren’t themselves. It’s so important to recognise when they’re struggling, take the time to talk to them, get that immediate feedback and respond to it.

Flexibility is crucial in today’s work environment. How do you accommodate this?

Flexibility can be difficult in social care because you have shift patterns and if you’re offering everyone flexibility you can end up with chaos. But I give options to people who aren’t able to commit to our shift times - I build a group of bank team members who, for whatever reason (usually childcare) are not able to commit to our shift times. They are able to pick up shortfalls at shifts to suit them. So, for example, if we need someone to work 7-7 and nobody can do it, but someone can work 9-3 because of the school run, it’s better than nothing. 

I have seen social care settings turn their noses up at “school run mums” and say that they won’t hire them because of their working hours, but that’s the wrong way to look at it. I took on someone who worked 9-3 shifts for years until her children were old enough to take themselves to school and now she’s a stable member of the team and a senior carer. Thinking outside the box is crucial for these situations - why turn away a potentially excellent team member just because they have children and specific circumstances that impact when they can start and finish?

The little things often make a big difference - do you find this? 

I’m a stickler for little things. Lots of little things create big things. We use an app called Slack and we have a channel called “Shoutouts, emotional support, and positivity," where people can express the good and the bad. It’s usually things like “We had a great shift today, everyone pulled together, and I’m grateful for all your help.”. Things like that make people smile and feel grateful. 

One of my interview questions for all new potential people is, “How do you like management to show they appreciate the work that you do?” Every single answer, without fail, has been a version of “thank me when I do a good job.”. People want to be thanked and know that their manager appreciates them and what they’re doing. Especially when things aren’t going so well, they want to hear, “It’s been hard today, but thank you for trying your best.” 

Team members also want to know that you care. One of my team members is going through a difficult time at the moment and has lost a lot of weight. So I bought her an “eat out” gift voucher, telling her to treat herself, family, or friends to a meal out. She was touched and grateful that I hadn’t just listened to her; I had gone out of my way to show that I understood.

Training and development must be ongoing. How do you manage this?

We’re always looking to the future, offering tailored training sessions and opportunities for growth. It’s crucial to keep the team not just up-to-date but ahead of the curve. We invest in external training courses and encourage peer-to-peer learning and reflective sessions, where team members can share their expertise with colleagues. This is especially true when someone passes away. It’s important to sit down with people and reflect on the care we provided, how they made us feel, what went well, what didn’t go well, what more we could have done, and how we are going to remember them. Training doesn’t always have to be either online or sitting in a room with someone teaching you - it is especially valuable with colleagues, looking at how things have gone and what more you can do to make improvements.

Lastly, you’ve mentioned the importance of team culture. Can you tell us more?

Culture is everything, but it changes depending on the needs of the residents, the people in your team, and other factors that, sometimes, can’t be predicted.

However, I have tried to encourage a culture of transparency and honesty. I use the expression “It’s better to be kind than to be nice.” “Nice” is when someone makes a mistake and you go, “They’re a lovely person, I don’t want to upset them, so I will cover for them, won't say anything, and hope they don’t do it again.” “Kind” is when someone makes a mistake and you sit them down and say, “I don’t want to offend you, but you did this thing and, unfortunately, it was wrong. Here is what you did, here is where you went wrong, here is the impact it had/could have had, and here is what you can do differently to prevent it happening again.”

I want to work with people who are dedicated to supporting others through making mistakes or when they are not sure and support them, constructively, to be better versions of themselves. And if that person does not respond to this response, then they are more than likely not the right person for the role. Another expression I’ve heard, love, and say very often is “I’d rather have a hole than an asshole.”

Final Thoughts

It’s clear as day that Ben’s incredible track record and fresh approaches to keeping employees engaged aren't just talk; they truly transform the whole atmosphere of a care home. It’s a recipe for success where both residents and staff flourish. 

Thanks so much for sharing your strategies with us, Ben. I’m sure many of us will be taking the expression “I’d rather have a hole than an asshole” with us from now on - right? ;-)

Here’s to making every care home a thriving community! 

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Ready to see how strategic copywriting can revitalise your care home's communications? Contact me today to start our conversation. 

Visit me at www.thefullstory.co.uk to learn more.

Becky