27 Months. No Shortcuts.

Every explorer’s map has a spot marked “unknown.” Those who make the discovery aren’t the ones who move fastest, but instead the ones who stay out long enough for the terrain to reveal itself. They chart the same ridge across every season. They wait through the storm that hides the pass or drought that dries the river they need to follow. The “shortcut-ers” turn back with an embellished story. Those who stay diligent come back with a map of real value to others.

We set out over 27 months to answer a question senior care has asked for decades: does hiring speed for hourly, frontline roles actually make impacts that matter? Does it save overtime and reduce the cost per hire or just feel better? A study like this doesn’t yield to a quarter of data, or even a year. It demands year-over-year comparison of hourly hiring in 24/7 care settings across the seasons, staffing cycles, and ordinary churn of real communities staffing real shifts. Anything less than the full arc would result in a snapshot mistaken for a truth.

So, no shortcuts. We’ve tracked recruiting for the same roles, in two buildings of different sizes using several metrics. Month after month, over 27 of them we resisted the pull to call it early on a promising quarter. Patience is the point. A finding from 90 days may only be directional. Findings that endure 27 months of real operating conditions have yielded insights operators can use to build sustainable strategies.

We’re close to publishing what those 27 months revealed in real dollars of real comparisons with proof of what speed is worth in hourly care recruiting. The map is nearly finished. We’re just double-checking the coastline before we hand over the details.

Stay tuned. The results will be exciting!