The senior-living industry is facing a staffing crisis. Over the next decade, a surge in the aging population will create unprecedented demand for residential care. Meanwhile, many providers report difficulty attracting new employees and retaining those they have.

According to OnShift, a long-term care labor-management company, the senior-care profession will need to add 2.3 million new workers by 2030. Making up for the shortfall will require senior living providers to rethink how they appeal to a new generation of employees.

Millennial and gen-z workers are drawn to careers that offer a strong sense of purpose and the opportunity to work collaboratively with others. They are creative and tech-savvy, with a keen appreciation for how smart technology can be used to automate and improve. They are goal-oriented, which means they become highly engaged when their efforts and creativity are rewarded, tend to live more active lifestyles, and place a high premium on health and wellness.

Creating a company culture that supports the needs of employees starts with design. A thoughtfully designed community can help attach employees to a sense of purpose and strengthen collaboration, using technology and design thinking to make the job less stressful and more rewarding. An employee-friendly workplace produces healthier workers who view their job as meaningful, treat their coworkers as teammates, and view their employers as supportive partners in their own future.

Emphasizing employee wellness
People spend 90 percent of their time in enclosed spaces. It’s no wonder that, according to a growing body of research, those spaces affect our physical and mental health. Design that makes accommodations for the health and wellness needs of employees is a great way to improve productivity, engagement, and retention, especially among young people.

The Well Building Standard is the first global rating system to create a set of evidence-based recommendations that address the intersection of design and health. The standard identifies 11 parameters of wellness in the workplace: air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind, community, and innovations. Whether or not a project is working toward WELL accreditation, there are several components of the standard worth highlighting in the context of senior living:

• Designing for nourishment. This means “creating food environments where the healthiest choice is the easiest choice.” By considering how staff accesses nourishment throughout the day, we can influence their choices toward healthy options, encouraging more mindful eating.

• Designing for movement. Using design decisions to “promote physical activity and discouraging sedentary behaviors” are important to staff well-being. Just as fitness centers have become a strong selling point for residents, fitness spaces for staff and connections to multimodal transit are becoming important workplace amenities.

• Access to natural light. This has a massive impact on the mental health, productivity, and sleep patterns of employees. Thoughtful design gives employees regular access to daylight and specifies lighting systems that respond to the circadian rhythms of shift workers.

• Sound management. Accounting for acoustics in senior living is critical, especially because many residents have hearing loss. Technological solutions such as hearing loops, which incorporate low-voltage wires embedded in the floor, furniture, or portable units to invisibly transmit sound to a resident’s hearing aid or cochlear implant, or low-cost treatments such as acoustic separation cut down on noise and create a pleasant acoustical environment for residents and staff.

A wellness-oriented workplace is helpful on several fronts—both as a practical way to improve the health and engagement of employees, and as a strong message to recruits about the type of company culture you hope to create.

Reducing on-the-job stress
Workplace stress has a direct influence on the morale and engagement of employees. Thoughtful design depends on the designer having a detailed understanding of the day-to-day tasks that take place in a senior-living community.

At the beginning of projects, it’s important to spend a day or two on-site observing staff workflow to understand their challenges. Designers should look for opportunities to reduce the number of steps staff members must take during the day and focus on finding find extra space that’s being eaten up by an inefficient process. More efficient spaces mean less stress and more time in the day for meaningful aspects of the job.

Layout also plays a big part in how easy it is for staff members to communicate. The easier it is for them to signal for help or see a problem developing, the more effectively they can work together, which contributes to a team dynamic that makes the job more rewarding. Designing spaces with clear lines of sight between critical areas allows staff to keep their eyes on multiple spaces at the same time and track ambulatory residents.

Giving staff members a place to relax away from patients or grab some fresh air where they won’t be bombarded by patients who just want to chat can also play a role in reducing on-the-job stress. However, break rooms are often the first thing to fall prey to value engineering, where items seen as non-contributing to revenue are cut from a design to save on space, materials, and costs. The truth is, replacing an employee is costly. Putting more attention into spaces for staff has an immediate effect on morale and quickly pays for itself in decreased absenteeism and increased engagement and retention.

Embracing technology
As millennials grow to take on leadership roles and Generation Z enters the workforce, smart technology will become more expected as a tool of the trade. Internet-of-Things (IOT) technology has several applications that can make residential caregivers more efficient. For example, wander-management systems assign wearable devices to residents and staff, creating a real-time picture of where everyone is within a community. The devices monitor for falls, track health metrics, give or withhold access to controlled locations such as back-of-house areas or private units, and allow residents to call for help when needed. Analytics can be used to understand incidents without having to rely on a resident’s memory.

Other IOT devices automate the day-to-day work of employees. Residents can use smart speakers to answer simple questions, listen to music, check in with caregivers, or get medication reminders. Other devices monitor bedding or garments for moisture, providing a more dignified way for both staff and residents to deal with incontinence.

Technology can also be used to improve the acoustical environment of a senior living community. Overly-amplified sound systems disrupt communication and are nerve-racking for those who aren’t hard-of-hearing. Hearing loops to invisibly transmit sound to a resident’s hearing aid or cochlear implant are growing in popularity as a solution. Unlike FM, Infrared, and Bluetooth, hearing loops require no additional action or technical knowledge from the resident while reducing ambient noise in a room and easing communication between patients and staff.

Design matters
Addressing the staffing crisis in senior living will require developers and operators to think about how to use design to appeal to a future generation of employees. By focusing on the employee experience, designers can create communities that emphasize employee health, encourage creative collaboration, integrate smart technology, and encourage a vibrant company culture. A workplace that meets those goals attracts, engages, and retains employees; offers meaningful careers; and expands the industry’s capacity to respond to the coming wave of seniors.

Michael D. Rodebaugh, AIA, NCARB, is market-sector leader for senior living at Leo A Daly (West Palm Beach, Fla.). He can be reached at mdrodebaugh@leoadaly.com.