Корпоративная культура стала ключевым фактором удержания персонала в сфере ухода за пожилыми

Retention starts with culture Survey findings show that workers stay because of teams, relationships, leadership and purpose, writes Zoe Lewis. The aged care sector has been talking about workforce challenges for years. Recruitment pipelines. Visa pathways. Wage reform. These conversations matter. But there is one part of the puzzle that still does not get enough serious attention: What happens after someone joins? Why do people leave? And what makes them stay? Caring for others is a demanding job. There are days when teams are short-staffed and still expected to deliver the same standard of care. People may be managing their own challenges, yet they show up, often with a smile, to make someone else’s day brighter. It is a high-pressure role and that is not always acknowledged. What makes the difference on those harder days is culture. That is often what keeps people showing up, supporting one another, and continuing to deliver compassionate care. This has been the consistent thread across every role I have held over the past 12 years working across aged care in the United Kingdom and Australia. When the culture is right, people stay. When it is not, no amount of recruitment fixes it. The Fair Work Commission’s recent decision to raise award wages by 4.75 per cent from July is a welcome step and pay absolutely matters. Workers in this sector have been undervalued for too long. But our own data tells us that pay is not what keeps people. When we ask our employees why they stay, the answers are about teams, relationships, leadership and purpose. Culture does the work that a pay rise alone cannot. Our most recent employee engagement survey at Medical and Aged Care Group shows what can happen when culture is treated as a strategic priority rather than a nice-to-have. With a 78 per cent participation rate, the data carries weight. Among them, 72 per cent of our employees are positively engaged, well above the aged care sector benchmark of around 55 per cent. Our retention rate is 77 per cent against a sector benchmark of 63 per cent. And 85 per cent of our people describe MACG as a truly great place to work, compared to an industry benchmark of 74 per cent. But the figure that stays with me most is 96 per cent – the share of our employees who say their work is meaningful and purposeful. Having come into this role relatively recently, seeing that result confirmed what I had already felt when I started: this place has been built with care. The survey comments bring all of this to life in a way the numbers alone cannot. One person wrote that they enjoy making a positive difference in residents’ lives and being part of a supportive, caring team. Those words speak to a deep connection, not just to the work, but to each other and to the people they care for. That sense of belonging does not happen by accident. Support to grow Annabelle Murfet’s story captures what this looks like in practice. Starting as a team leader in our dementia support area over 10 years ago, she has grown into executive management as the general manager of clinical systems. “There was a lot more support and a lot more opportunities for professional development and education and just growing within ourselves,” she says. Our CEO Cameron McPherson championed her development, pushing her beyond her comfort zone and backing her potential. Today she stays because of the company’s values and the fact that even in an executive role she can still walk through a home and feel close to the residents and care she loves. Her story is not an outlier. It is what culture-building looks like over time. This matters particularly in aged care, where our teams are among the most diverse in the country. A large proportion of our workforce has come from overseas, bringing different backgrounds, languages and lived experiences. That diversity is an asset, but only when the environment supports it properly. People need to feel respected, included and valued regardless of where they come from or what role they hold. Our survey shows 87 per cent of employees feel valued, 88 per cent feel treated with respect, and 87 per cent feel included. These are not numbers that appear overnight. They are the result of consistent leadership, investment in career pathways, meaningful recognition and feedback channels that drive change. This year, we established an employee engagement and wellbeing manager role. This is my role. My focus is to listen closely, understand what matters most to our people, and translate those insights into action. Even with strong results, we know there is always more to do. That is the point of the role. Support to connect Looking ahead, we are focused on closing the feedback loop more visibly so employees can see how their voice is shaping the organisation. We are expanding our wellbeing work with a specific focus on psychosocial safety. And we are continuing to build career development and progression opportunities across the organisation. The connection between how employees feel and how residents experience care is direct and powerful. When our people feel supported and want to be there, they are more present, more attentive and more willing to go above and beyond. That might be taking extra time to sit with a resident or supporting a family member through a difficult moment. Residents and families benefit from seeing familiar faces and building trust over time. That continuity creates comfort and stability, which matters enormously in an aged care setting. Wage reform matters. Recruitment matters. But the providers who build a workforce that holds together will be the ones who understand that culture is the foundation everything else rests on. When you invest in it seriously, it shows up in every number that matters: engagement, retention and the quality of care residents receive every day. Because when people want to stay, everyone benefits. Zoe Lewis is the employee engagement and wellbeing manager at Medical and Aged Care Group Read other workforce stories here Follow Australian Ageing Agenda on LinkedIn and Facebook, sign up to our newsletter and subscribe to AAA magazine