Quarter 3 2026
EKLEGO WORKFORCE INSIGHTS
LEADERSHIP. CULTURE. TALENT.
Welcome to Eklego Workforce Insights, where we share actionable strategies and impactful stories that are transforming the Senior Care Workforce!
This edition offers a mid-year check-in for healthcare leaders, providing practical insights to help you intentionally strengthen recruitment, retention, leadership, and culture—and finish the year with confidence and momentum.
Keep Your Workforce Moving Forward
You're Halfway Through the Year. Keep the Momentum Going.
January brings fresh goals, ambitious plans, and a vision for what your workforce can accomplish.
By the time summer arrives, priorities have shifted. Hiring needs evolve, unexpected challenges emerge, and the demands of day-to-day operations can make it easy for workforce initiatives to lose momentum.
The good news?
You're not starting over.
Think of this season like halftime in a game. It's not about dwelling on the first half—it's an opportunity to pause, evaluate your progress, make adjustments, and move forward with renewed purpose.
The strongest organizations aren't the ones without challenges. They're the ones that remain intentional about where they're headed and continue investing in the people who will help them get there.
Before diving into the second half of the year, take a moment to ask yourself:
"Are we making meaningful progress toward the workforce we set out to build?"
A Mid-Year Workforce Pulse Check
Take a moment to evaluate where your organization stands today:
| Focus Area | On Track |
Needs Attention |
| Recruitment | ☐ | ☐ |
| Retention | ☐ | ☐ |
| Leadership Development |
☐ | ☐ |
| Culture | ☐ | ☐ |
Wherever you checked "Needs Attention" is where your greatest opportunity may lie. The following insights are designed to help you identify your next step.
Building a Recruitment Strategy for Long-Term Success
Contributed by Tony Coccitto, President of Recruitment Marketing and Branding
For organizations seeking workforce resiliency, it is essential to build a recruitment function that aligns hiring strategies with workforce needs and long-term business goals. A strong recruitment strategy begins with thoughtful workforce planning, intentional sourcing, and a compelling employer brand that attracts candidates who align with your mission and culture.
An effective recruitment infrastructure is built around four key components: people, process, tools, and metrics. Skilled recruiters and hiring managers should collaborate through standardized hiring processes while leveraging technology, such as applicant tracking systems (ATS) and sourcing platforms, to improve efficiency and enhance the candidate experience.
Equally important is measuring success. Metrics like time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, and quality-of-hire provide valuable insights that help organizations continuously refine their recruiting strategy.
When these elements work together, organizations are better positioned to attract, assess, and hire the talent needed to build a mission-driven workforce that can thrive well beyond today's hiring needs.
Eklego Insight
A strong recruitment function isn't just about filling positions—it's about the infrastructure that supports long-term workforce success.
Creating a Workplace Worth Staying For
Contributed by Meg Mooney, President of Workforce Partnerships
Bringing talented people through the door is only the beginning. Creating an environment where they choose to stay is what builds a resilient workforce.
Competitive wages may attract employees, but their day-to-day experiences determine whether they'll build their career with your organization.
Healthcare leaders must implement strategic measures to encourage team members to stay.
Where should leaders focus?
- Invest in leadership coaching. The relationship employees have with their direct supervisor remains one of the strongest predictors of retention.
- Conduct Stay Interviews. Don't wait until an exit interview to learn what's working—or what isn't.
- Strengthen onboarding. The first 90 days lay the foundation for long-term engagement and success.
The essentials for creating a magnetic culture are:
- Trusting, caring communication between leaders and staff
- Employee recognition and appreciation
- Encouraging professional growth and development
- Prioritizing employee well-being and work-life balance
Organizations that intentionally invest in these areas don't just retain employees—they cultivate teams that are engaged, connected, and committed to the mission.
Eklego Insight
Employees may accept a job because of compensation, but they stay because of leadership, relationships, and culture.
Leading with Intention
Contributed by Mark Fish, Leadership Development Speaker, Trainer, Coach
As a former college soccer coach, I learned that halftime was one of the most important parts of the game. It wasn't about dwelling on the first half—it was an opportunity to regroup, refocus, and prepare for what came next.
The middle of the year offers leaders that same opportunity.
Many of us began the year with goals to invest more intentionally in our teams, coach and encourage others, delegate effectively, or prioritize our own professional growth. Yet, as John Maxwell teaches in the Law of Intentionality, good intentions don't produce growth. Interntional actions do.
As you begin the second half of the year, identify one leadership commitment you've been putting off and schedule it this week.
Invest in someone on your team.
Delegate a new responsibility.
Set aside time for your own growth.
Remember, halftime isn't simply a break in the game. It's the opportunity to make the adjustments that determine how you finish.
Eklego Insight
Leadership growth happens through intentional action—not simply good intentions.
Building a Culture that Moves People Forward
Contributed by Joe Stirpe, CEO
Culture is often described as an organization's greatest asset.
It's what employees experience every day.
It's reflected in the conversations leaders have with their teams.
It's revealed in how change is communicated.
It's reinforced through recognition, accountability, and trust.
As you move into the second half of the year, consider these questions:
- Are we communicating often enough—not just when something goes wrong?
- Are we celebrating progress as intentionally as we discuss challenges?
- Do employees understand where our organization is headed?
- Do they know how their work contributes to that vision?
- Are we creating an environment where people genuinely want to stay?
Employees don't experience culture through your mission statement.
They experience it through meetings.
Through coaching.
Through feedback.
Through transparency.
Through the way leaders respond during difficult moments.
One of the greatest responsibilities of leadership is creating clarity. When people understand the "why" behind decisions, trust grows. When leaders communicate consistently, engagement follows. When employees feel seen, heard, and valued, culture becomes more than an aspiration—it becomes the foundation that supports organizational success.
Eklego Insight
Culture is strengthened every time leaders communicate with clarity and care.
Five Ways to Finish the Year Strong
1. Celebrate the progress you've already made.
2. Identify your greatest workforce opportunity.
3. Choose one priority instead of trying to improve everything.
4. Communicate that priority often.
5. Take one meaningful action this week.
Your Leadership Challenge
Before the week is over, commit to one action:
| ☐ | Schedule a Stay Interview. |
| ☐ | Publicly recognize a team member. |
| ☐ | Meet one-on-one with an emerging leader. |
| ☐ | Review your hiring or turnover metrics. |
| ☐ | Share a workforce update with your staff. |
| ☐ | Other |
Small, intentional actions today create meaningful progress tomorrow.
The Road Ahead
Every healthcare organization will face workforce challenges.
The organizations that thrive won't necessarily be those with the biggest budgets or the fewest vacancies.
They'll be the ones that continue investing in their people, communicating with intention, and making steady progress, even when the path isn't easy.
Whether your next step is strengthening recruitment, improving retention, developing leaders, or cultivating a thriving culture, remember that meaningful change happens through consistent, intentional action.
If you're looking for a partner to help evaluate where you are and identify opportunities for what's next, the Eklego team is here to support your journey. Together, we can help ensure your workforce remains strong. Not just for the remainder of this year, but for the years to come.
