By MaryLee Herrmann

You’ve got HR issues.

I know that because I’ve been spying on you.

Or maybe it’s because everybody has HR issues.

Meet your issues solver: Brett Landrum, founder and co-CEO of Procare HR (a Foresight partner) — an HR solution dedicated to the disability and senior living industries.

On Foresight TV, Brett answered Steve Moran’s toughest HR questions. Here’s his advice.

Problem 1: What if an ED isn’t giving me the full story — and I don’t realize it?

True story (from Steve):

An assisted living community got in hot water with the state — not to mention residents and families — after the overly controlling executive director had been insisting that everything was okay. The ED was fired, but the damage was done.

How do you prevent something like that?

Brett’s solution: 

  1. Look at how you’re measuring your ED. Be clear on what success and failure look like.
  2. Key point: Determine the stepping stones toward that success.
  3. Measure consistently and frequently. Watch out for concerning patterns, so you can head off problems before they blow up.

For details, see the full exchange starting at 5:07.

Problem 2: Our HR process stinks (or we don’t have one).

What if …

  • We don’t have a good way to evaluate team members?
  • I think I need to fire some people but don’t know how to figure that out?
  • We’re just not working very well.

What are the first couple of things to do?

Brett’s solution: Do a 360 HR review — an inventory.

  1. Interview the HR team about people, product, process: Who does what? What’s the process? What tools and systems are they using?
  2. Don’t stop with the HR leaders. Go to the supervisors, EDs, office managers. “That’s where the function really breaks down,” Brett said.
  3. Use the same questions for everyone, to get an accurate pulse.
  4. Prioritize what to work on when.

See the full exchange at 8:19.

Problem 3: We want to expand, but the HR considerations are daunting.

Brett’s solution: Outsource HR … specifically with a PEO (basically, a partner; more on that in a minute).

Pre-COVID, some communities outsourced HR, Brett said, but now, it’s a full-fledged trend.

Brett’s been talking to operators at conferences, and they’re telling him things like:

Say I’m bringing on 10 buildings tomorrow. I’ve got my hands full just making sure I can deliver. You know what I don’t want to figure out how to do? Payroll tax compliance in a new state — or figuring out whether I need to triple my HR team.

I want to just make a call and say, “Hey, Brett, I’m bringing on 10 buildings. You guys going to plug in? Okay, great, see ya’.”

“We’re starting to see a trend where a lot of really great, sophisticated, larger organizations are adopting and really excited about finding an HR partner,” Brett said.

Full exchange: 27:12.

P.S. What’s a PEO?

When you outsource to Brett’s company (Procare HR), you’re partnering with a PEO — a professional employer organization, meaning they’re a co-employer with the operator.

This arrangement can save you money on things like workers comp. Plus, they’ve got your back on compliance issues.

Get the full explanation at 17:00.

To learn more about how partnering with Procare HR works, check out their guide 3 Big Benefits of an HR Partner. They tackle the difficult HR jobs so you can focus on delivering the ultimate resident experience — you know, the thing you got in this business to do in the first place! What a relief.