Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | August 16, 2021 | Worcester Business Journal 7 Voted Worcester's Best Bank for Business in 2021. Connecting all offices: 800.578.4270 • www.unibank.com Member FDIC/Member DIF • UniBank NMLS #583135 Visit us online or call today. Michael Welch, CEO Leader in Commercial & Industrial Loans and Commercial Real Estate Loans with $2.3 billion in assets. (as of March 31, 2021) unibank.com 508.849.4335 Large enough to serve all your business banking needs, but still small enough to know you by name. "e thing that bothers us the most in this field is the fact that our job isn't looked at as important as it is," said Kim Price, a direct support professional at the Arc of Opportunity nonprofit in Fitchburg. "We take care of living, breathing human beings. I think people forget that until they're in the position where they need to be taken care of." Pandemic problems COVID-19 presented new challenges as most caregivers were unable to work from home, and some isolated from their own families to care for individuals who were unable to wear masks. Many workers with a second job or with children home from school were forced to leave human services, accounting for the significant drop in part-time employees, said Weekes. Now, the increase in job opportunities and wages at supermarkets, restaurants, and retail stores has pulled caregivers into other industries, said both Weekes and Rose. e patients "are not inanimate objects. You're dealing with their trials and tribulations every day that you wouldn't with a box of Rice-A-Roni," Price said. Along with nationwide staffing shortages in almost every sector, the human services industry is most challenged to recruit, retain, and develop its workforce, said Weekes. Retention is particularly challenging among part-time caregivers, who have a 44% turnover rate, according to the NCI report. "Part of the treatment is to try to keep some consistency between those who are helping and the people that are being helped," said Weekes. "Some of our programs, unfortunately, appear to be like revolving doors with people coming in and out. at's not fair to the clients." Solutions: Professional development & wages rive collaborated with Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester to provide training and development opportunities for staff, as well as extensive COVID-19 training to help them in future healthcare roles. Professional development and growth opportunities are vital for retention, as well as helping workers make a career in the industry, said Rose. It's an area organizational leaders can control, unlike wage rates. Executives of human services institutions are at the mercy of the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services to fund their organizations and set employee wages. "We need to compensate these folks properly, not just in a pandemic, but we need to compensate them properly overall," said Rose. "We just don't pay our staff really enough for them to survive, frankly." It's not for lack of trying. Rose was forced to collateralize one of rive's group homes in order to compensate employees with additional isolation pay and overtime during the pandemic. e DDS budget increased 2.3% this year up to $44.6 billion, but people like Weekes are advocating for more systemic change to address the crisis. is year, a team of human services organizations negotiated $160 million from the Chapter 257 Reserve to go toward caregivers' wages. "ere is money available. So, it's not a matter of can we do it – it's a matter of will and priorities," said Weekes, who was a leader in negotiating the $160 million. Weekes' organization has been instrumental in pushing forward legislation promises to eliminate the pay disparity between state workers and human services workers by 2027. e bill was referred to a joint Massachusetts legislative committee in April. 2020 median pay $27,080 per year $13.02 per hour Typical entry-level education High school diploma or equivalent Work experience in related occupation None On-the-job training Short-term on-the-job training Number of jobs, 2019 3,439,700 Job growth outlook, 2019-2029 34% (much faster than average) Employment change, 2019-2029 1,159,500 Quick facts: Home health and personal care aids in the U.S. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics W

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