You’ve likely started to see a shift in headlines. No longer focused on what we have been through, the new emphasis is on what’s to come. After several stressful years, employees in healthcare-related fields, including senior care and long-term care, are looking for stability. So too are organizations – and that means shifting your talent strategy to retain top talent, not just attract it.

What Drives Turnover?

Lotis Blue’s 2025 Health Care Workforce Retention Study surveyed over 1,000 clinical healthcare professionals about their plans to stay or leave their jobs. The results include some data we can’t ignore:

  • 19% of respondents reported quitting a job in the past 12 months. Turnover rates are higher among those who had been with their employer for less than a year, with 45% of that group quitting.
  • 47% of quits were driven by core job-related factors, rather than personal factors.
  • “Feeling the work is meaningful” is the top reason clinical professionals choose to stay. Factors that support feelings of safety, stability, and community are also important.
  • At 58% each, emotional stress and feeling overworked are the top reasons for quitting.

What do we deduce from this? What kind of culture will inspire and retain the best? How can employees get involved and feel part of something bigger than themselves? What is the right balance of virtual and in-person interactions?

These are just a few of endless questions that should be asked within the senior leadership of an organization. Consider though, that the answers aren’t found at the top. What matters to “people” in general isn’t the key to retention. What matters to the individual is.

It’s time to stop theorizing. It’s time to start asking.

Servant Leadership

If you had to name the names of your most important clients, who would immediately come to mind? If the answer is anyone other than the names of your employees, it’s likely time for a paradigm shift. Your people are your most valued asset, and they should feel as though

you are dedicated to serving them the same way you do your external ones. A culture of care comes from within: when your team feels supported and cared for, they’re better able to care for your clients.

As a leader, if your intent is to genuinely serve those around you, you have begun to create a relationship of authenticity. Work on asking purposeful questions and perfecting your active listening skills, and share responses and professional recommendations that are rooted in the intention of serving those you lead. If you truly believe in what you say and the intent behind why you are saying it, others will as well.

At Aspen, we focus not just on hiring senior care leaders who have impressive resumes, but those who have a clear, people-first approach to leadership. Our approach focuses on delivering value, aligning their strengths with your needs.

Inquiring Minds

As it relates to professional purpose and fulfillment, there are two critical elements that are highly intertwined but distinctly different: the responsibilities and the relationships. Retention cannot happen without constant care and feeding around both.

Here are some questions that leaders can ask:

The responsibilities:

  • What’s going well? What wins are you experiencing?
  • What challenges are you facing? What do you need help with?
  • What is making your job harder than it needs to be?
  • How are you feeling about the work itself that you are doing? How would you describe your morale?
  • What have you not been involved with yet, that you would like to be? (types of projects, clients, meetings, responsibilities)
  • Do any of our processes seem inefficient? How can we fix them?
  • Wave a wand – what would you love to fix or change about our department? Leadership? Team?  Company? Commute? Hours?

The relationships:

  • On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you that you’re in the right place, doing the right things, with the right people? What can be done to move us higher up on the scale?
  • What’s a 7 that could be a 10? Every company does things well, but what’s good that you believe you could help make even better?
  • Who do you work with (me included) frustrates you, and why?
  • How can I be better for you as a leader? What should I be doing more of? What should I be doing less of?
  • What can I do to help make you more successful?
  • If you were ever to be open to an opportunity outside of our organization, what would it look like and how can we create that here together?

Confidential surveys are good for disclosing issues that people don’t feel comfortable sharing. But confidential surveys do not lead to retention; candid conversations do.

Aspen Associates doesn’t just look for senior care leaders who can fill an immediate need. We’re experts at long-term thinking, helping you find the leaders who will drive lasting, positive change and create a culture where employees feel like they can stay, learn, and grow long-term. Talk to us for more information!