As aging services providers nationwide are grappling with workforce challenges — recruiting and retaining staff, managing overtime and staffing agency costs, while also promoting employee work-life balance —  The Morrison Communities, a LeadingAge member in New Hampshire, struck workforce gold in a new approach to scheduling and payment. Shannon Lynch, executive director, recently shared, on a LeadingAge member call, the details of her organization’s move to offer staff the option of working a four day work week at full-time (40 hour) pay.

It’s a deceptively simple change: all full-time staff have the option to work a four-day, 32-hour work week, and still receive their regular work week salaries. The outcomes are profound: dramatic reductions in overtime costs, agency costs, position vacancies, and call-outs. Morrison Communities are also receiving 150 job applicants a month for positions where there used to be none, and per diem staff are moving to full-time status. Staff morale has buoyed noticeably, with many commenting on how beneficial the change has been to their work-life balance. On top of all that, says Lynch, overall workforce costs have dropped significantly, particularly in turnover and recruitment.

So, how did they do it? Lynch shared that over the course of eight months, she and her leadership team did extensive research. They interviewed several employers, primarily in the technology sector, who have implemented similar changes. In addition, Morrison’s team also established an internal leadership committee led by a staff champion, and talked with staff about what contributes to their job satisfaction, engagement, and sense of appreciation.

While it initially took some convincing of the middle-management team to accept the change, the majority of folks love the flexibility, balance, and choice that the new workweek offers. The schedule change has been applied to all positions, including senior leadership; leaders are careful to schedule coverage for days off, and core meetings are held Tuesday through Thursday.

When asked about replicating their model, Lynch recommends that  organizations should take at least 12 months to do an extensive review, including core community culture changes that may be needed and some time to anticipate gaps that her team has managed on the fly. Lynch explained the key efforts made to communicate to staff the innovative nature of the workforce schedule shift required patience and flexibility as a “learn as we go” initiative. After all, so few employers–and just about none in the health care or aging services fields–have even attempted this shift, so it was undertaken with an entrepreneurial and a pioneering mindset. That bravery and vision has been recognized; The Morrison Communities, under Lynch’s leadership, was awarded the Innovator of the Year designation by LeadingAge Maine, New Hampshire.