Category: Uncategorized

According to the My Aged Care Website, there are currently 33 homes with current notices of non-compliance and 7 homes with current sanctions across Australia. The majority of these are in QLD, NSW and SA.

The reports are damning, and they consistently show that Management and staff do not have access to accurate and appropriate information to help them perform their roles. It also highlights that care plans are not reflective of the care recipients care requirements and changes to care recipients’ clinical needs are not being communicated. There are significant failures in the way that important information is distributed to all members of the team so there is a shared understanding of care recipients’ current needs.

How do we make communication simple, transparent and effective?

Communication systems such as Importal distribute all the important information such as clinical guidelines, updated procedures and changes in care recipients care requirements. It provides managers with complete visibility into who has received, opened, downloaded the message and also acknowledged they have read and understood the information.

If your information system is fragmented, inconsistent and insufficiently monitored, please Contact Rhonda on 0438 748 846 or via email rhonda@thehdrgroup.com.au

Pic Credit: The Advertiser

Failings in our Aged Care System have been something that has been widely reported in the Media this year including serious breaches of employee practices, facility processes and serious non-compliance with AACQA accreditation standards.

In response, numerous Aged Care providers are said to be taking immediate action to address processes and staff practice failures by implementing a range of immediate changes and improvements. So, it begs the questions:

How do you improve Resident care and reduce harm from communication failures?

How do you improve quality and standards and by providing levels of governance and visibility that protect residents, clinicians and the organisation as a whole?

I am really excited about a new Software Service called Importal. It makes communication simple, transparent and effective. Importal distributes all the important information such as clinical guidelines, updated procedures, lessons from losses from managers to front line staff. It provides managers with complete visibility into who has received, opened, downloaded the message and also acknowledged they have read the information. To find out more, you can Rhonda Withers on 0438 748 846 or register your details here:

 

 

Working in Aged Care is Tough. It is hard work. It is shift work. It is often thankless work. The wages are abysmal, and staff are often on call 24 hours without being remunerated….

I find it very disappointing when an Aged Care targeted media story (this week it is food cost/per resident/per day) hits our TV screens that it always inevitability turns into an industry bashing news story about the Aged Sector as a whole.

Yes, sadly, there are facilities that do not reach the standard of care that we expect for older Australian’s. This is, of course, is simply unacceptable. However, there are also thousands of hard-working and dedicated staff working in the industry to provide the best possible care to all residents in their facility.

It is also easy to sometimes forget that in Australia we have an aged care system, where every older Australian will receive aged care services if they require it despite their ability or inability to pay for their care. We also have an Aged Care Complaints Commissioner – a free service that residents, their families and friends can use if they have a concern or complaint about any of the care their loved one is receiving in a government-funded facility.

I don’t think our Aged Care System is broken. Is there room for improvement…always!

Today, I say thank you to all those that dedicate their working life to taking care of older Australians. Without you, we do not have an Aged Care System….

What is a Social Media Influencer?

The Business Dictionary defines it as:

“Individuals who have the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of their (real or perceived) authority, knowledge, position, or relationship. In consumer spending, members of a peer group or reference group act as influencers. In business to business (organizational) buying, internal employees (engineers, managers, purchasers) or external consultants act as influencers.”

In short, A Social Media Influencer that is social media user that has established credibility in a specific industry. A social media influencer generally has access to a very large audience and they can persuade others by virtue of their authenticity and reach.

Why do organisations engage Social Media Influencers?

Companies engage with social media influencers as apart of their marketing strategy primarily to assist with relationship building. Influencer’s audiences can be small or large and they can reach consumers via social media networks that your brand may not have been able to. This strategy is becoming the focus of many brands and organisations looking to optimize the social space. If executed correctly, influencer marketing really does has the ability to reach niche audiences and create a greater impact than traditional advertising methods.

Mistakes:

Engaging with the Wrong Influencers:

Brands must remember that the influencers that are hired will be representing your brand. It’s not just about the number of followers the influencer has. You need to consider interests, demographics, market segments, and more abstract variables such as attitudes, self-image and expertise in a particular field. Like anything, it is really important to your research!

How to Choose the Right Influencers:

You have to have clearly defined boundaries about the types of influencers that you want to represent your brand. The first step is identifying the “who” For example, you are B2B brand focussed on technology in the Aged Care Sector. The next step is all about finding those in that space that have the most influence. Consider the influencers community, followers and engagement just to name a few.

Be careful of social media accounts that are lacking in authenticity. I recently came across a social media account that has a very large social media following and their Bio simply indicated that they were an ‘Ambassador and Influencer’. Not a mum. Not a Celebrity. Just an influencer. An influencer of what I wondered? The account promoted every product known to man and in fact, the products promoted opposed each other (e.g. some healthy gut products and some hangover cures?) When you examine the post engagement, you could see it was poor and the number of comments was notable across the account. This type of account does not have any real influence in any specific or targeted area. Relationships happen when the brand thinks about building real connections with real people that are influential in their defined space.

Biggest Mistakes Influencers Make:

As an influencer, you’re your biggest asset is your audience. It is really important to safeguard your channel carefully. Nobody knows your audience better than you do.

Don’t be afraid to say no to brand deals. This can actually help your success in the long run. Think about this: if I say yes to this, what I am saying no to. If you don’t believe in the product and you feel like you could jeopardize the trust built with your audience, just say “no.”  You do not want to build any level of untrustworthiness with the audience that potentially enables your influencer income. You also don’t want to end up on a Biggest Social Media Fails list!

There are some great examples of the good and the bad of influencer marketing here: https://relate.zendesk.com/articles/good-bad-influencer-marketing/

 

References:

www.grouphigh.com

www.pixlee.com

Brendan Gahan

www.convinceandconvert.com

LinkedIn really is an essential personal branding tool. It has never been more important to build and maintain a polished LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is a very powerful virtual professional network that really has become complete personal branding resource. It is professional social network and it really can be an invaluable tool in many ways, but only if you use it correctly.

LinkedIn has millions of members and it really is assumed that you will have a LinkedIn profile. You may not be taken seriously as a career-minded executive if you don’t have a LinkedIn profile. When someone googles your name, it will most likely show up in the first or second spot and this is important because most Google users click on the first page results.

LinkedIn is where all companies and recruiters are now searching for exceptional talent. Like never before, Linkedin really does give you the opportunity to connect with a company or a person within that company directly. LinkedIn really does gives you the opportunity to control what people learn about you and your strengths and you need to be highly visible.  You need to have a complete and polished profile that is just packed with the right keywords.

LinkedIn allows you to update your status regularly and it instantly lets everyone in your audience know what’s new in your world and where to find you. Recruiters are looking for YOU, so you had better stand out from the crowd.

LinkedIn provides one of the best opportunities to increase your visibility and credibility with members of your brand community. It lets you stay connected to large networks of contacts.

Let’s have a look at your profile:

• How is your Profile Picture? Is it professional? Up-to-date? One of the biggest mistakes made with profile pictures is having a personal picture (with alcohol in hand, at a party or pets jumping all over you etc) rather than a professional picture that represents you as a polished candidate. A LinkedIn profile without a picture is also more likely to be overlooked
• Is your headline up-to-date? Write this yourself. Write about you. Don’t speak in the 3^rd person
• Is your career summary and experience up-to-date and reflective of your achievements?
• Can you increase your recommendations?
• Are you a member of relevant groups and discussions?
• Status updates: One of the biggest mistakes that LinkedIn users make is using it like it is Facebook. “If you’re going to post something, make sure it’s relevant to your occupation and, most importantly, is professional.” Chris Bryant, creative director and principal, Empire Studios

“LinkedIn should never be used to criticize an employer or potential employer, even if you were just fired or didn’t get the role you were interviewing for. Nobody wants a sore loser on their team, especially one who makes it public for all their followers to see.” – Emilie Mecklenborg, social media strategist, Alexander Mann Solutions

“Quality is definitely more important than quantity when it comes to LinkedIn. Adding everyone and anyone to your network as a connection isn’t going to give you an edge. Build your network with people you know, want to know and want to work with or for. Don’t accept everyone that requests you solely to increase the connections on your network.” – Samantha Lambert, director of human resources, Blue Fountain Media

If you would like a free analysis of your LinkedIn Profile, we are here to help.

References:

• William Arruda
• Chris Bryant
• James Innes
• Emilie Mecklenborg
• Samantha Lambert

Ever wondered what an exclusive arrangement is? Well, it means you grant a recruitment organisation exclusivity – much like if you were selling your home…..

Exclusive:

Pic Credit: http://www.thebalance.com

Non-Exclusive:

Pic Credit: http://www.thebalance.com

THE HDR GROUP will become an advocate for you in the Marketplace and we will work with the organisations best interests at heart to get you the best candidates for your organisations.

Why Work Exclusively with The HDR Group:

On the surface, a sending out a current job vacancy to multiple agencies may appear to be a better option. An exclusive arrangement gives you advantages you have not have thought about:

• You have a genuine working relationship with our organisation that will provide a tailored targeted approach
• We will work harder on your behalf
• We will work with you to make sure you get the best talent in the marketplace for your organisation
• Exclusive arrangement tends to attract better candidates than open listings that are listed with multiple agencies

In short, when you work with The HDR Group, you will have a professional team working on your behalf. With an open recruitment process, where multiple agencies are involved, recruiters will compete against each other instead of acting on your behalf. They may present any candidates (often unqualified) and try to convince you to accept it. Your genuine recruitment need will not be their priority…their priority will be trying to secure a fee for the other agencies. We like to call it the dog and bone scenario…