This article is sponsored by Smartlinx. In this Voices interview, Skilled Nursing News connects with Brian Buys, RN, Chief Product Officer, Smartlinx, to explore workforce strategies that go beyond recruitment. From creative culture-building to practical tools that boost collaboration, Buys shares how SNFs can source top talent, optimize their existing teams, and sustain long-term retention. He also highlights the evolving role of technology in building destination workplaces where nurses want to stay and grow.

Skilled Nursing News: What life or career experiences have most shaped your approach to the work you’re doing today?

Brian Buys: My career has taken an interesting path: I started out in nursing and spent five years primarily in neonatal and pediatric ICU – at the opposite end of the age spectrum compared to where I am today. I then went back to business school and eventually found my way into product management, which is really about listening to people and understanding the need behind the stated solution.

I’ve spent most of my career looking at healthcare through the technology lens with a focus on understanding needs and applying technology to meet those needs. Having that richness of clinical experience, combined with a variety of roles in product and different parts of healthcare, has really shaped my approach. I’m the beneficiary of so many diverse experiences, all centered around healthcare and usually focused on listening and translating needs.

As a nurse, you’re focused on patient care, but you’re also constantly listening and translating needs as a key hands-on member of the care team. I see product management in a similar light. I’ve been in product for about 25 years now, always focused on healthcare, still listening, still learning, and still translating what I hear into ideas, needs, concepts, and solutions.

Across the country, long-term care organizations are still finding it hard to attract and retain staff. What are the main contributing factors to these staffing challenges you’ve seen?

We talk about these challenges a lot, but we don’t always break them down honestly. First, it’s the nature of the work itself: working in long-term care and caring for seniors is hard. Healthcare is demanding—physically, intellectually, emotionally—and senior care can be even more so. I like to joke that I couldn’t handle it as a nurse, so I moved into product, but there’s truth in that.

Then there’s competition, which varies depending on the role. For licensed professionals like RNs, there are many alternatives in other parts of healthcare. Almost ten years ago, I was exploring new opportunities — I had options at places like the Cleveland Clinic’s Innovation Center and an organization in Nashville focused on Blue Zones research. There was also an opportunity in senior care. It was the last option on my list, but for several reasons, I took it—and I fell in love with this industry. Caring for seniors is deeply meaningful, but it remains challenging work.

For nurses, there are always options. Health systems dominate many regions, and there are satellite sites like same-day surgery centers. That flexibility makes it challenging to recruit into senior care.

For entry-level caregiver roles like CNAs, the competition is different. Customers have told us they’re often competing with retail and convenience stores. These employers pay well and offer benefits. Their “We’re Hiring” signs are real competition.

Another factor is scheduling rigidity. Healthcare, especially senior care, has strict staffing requirements. If you’re hired, you’re often locked into a set rotational pattern—three 12-hour shifts a week, and every other weekend. Life changes, seasons change, but the schedule doesn’t. That lack of flexibility pushes people toward other jobs that better fit their lives.

When I think about the core staffing challenges, these stand out: the demanding nature of the work, strong competition across roles, and rigid scheduling models. At Smartlinx, these are the issues we focus on solving for our clients.

What role does workplace culture play in attracting talent, and what are some of the most innovative culture strategies you’ve used to create a workplace where qualified nurses desire to work?

Anytime you choose a place to work, people will tell you it’s about who you work with—not just what you’re doing or how much you’re getting paid. Culture is about people, and word gets around about how team members treat each other and what the organization’s culture is like. It may seem obvious, but culture plays a huge role in whether people want to join an organization and whether they choose to stay.

There are three things I see as critical when it comes to culture and attracting or retaining people. First is making culture the number one priority. In highly regulated industries, it’s easy to think about compliance first and then budget constraints. Questions like, “How many people do I need? What will that cost me?” come up before culture does. But putting culture first is essential.

Second, it’s about backing up that focus with action. We’ve heard from customers who emphasize doing this in tangible ways. For example, you might run a beautiful facility, but if the break room is a mess, what does that say to your team? Backing up your cultural values through simple, practical actions shows people that you care. Sometimes it’s about small things like maintaining spaces staff use every day; other times it’s about creative gestures that demonstrate appreciation. Either way, people notice when words and actions align.

Third is bringing in leadership with diverse experiences. I’ve had the benefit of so many different roles in healthcare, from being a camp nurse in college to working at Epic Systems and Welch Allyn. Each role teaches you something new. I’ve seen the power of hiring leaders from other industries who bring fresh ideas into healthcare or senior care. Often, these leaders are good listeners, and when they engage their new teams, you get an intersection of innovative thinking with the practical insights of people working on the front lines. That combination drives cultural growth.

In short, making culture a priority, backing it up with real, tangible actions, and fostering diversity of thought while engaging your workforce—those are some of the ways I’ve seen organizations build strong, lasting cultures.

How can long-term care organizations maximize the potential of their existing teams, and what are some practical steps or tools to improve staff performance and collaboration?

Across healthcare, we’re in a state of shortage — we simply don’t have enough people. The challenge is figuring out how to make the best use of the precious resources we do have without putting extra strain on them. Sometimes you hear about working at the top of license or scope of responsibility, which is important, but we also need to acknowledge that, from a logistical perspective, there will always be gaps. Schedules don’t line up perfectly like a puzzle. People call out, get sick, or have family emergencies. That’s just reality.

So we need to think differently. One approach is experimenting with flexibility in scheduling models. Instead of publishing a rigid schedule and then asking staff to fill in gaps, some organizations are trying a more open approach—posting an open schedule within guidelines and allowing staff to choose shifts to meet their required hours. It’s not about giving up structure, but offering enough flexibility so staff can build schedules that work for them, while leadership can then see where true gaps remain. It’s a shift in mindset, and not every organization is ready for it, but experimenting with this kind of flexibility can make a big difference.

Another strategy is formalizing internal float pools. Many organizations do this informally, but creating a structured approach—intentionally hiring for float pool roles or identifying high-quality internal staff who can fill holes on short notice—helps cover both emergent and predictable needs.

Then there’s contingent labor. The pandemic left many with a negative view of agency staff, but the reality is that sometimes you need supplemental options. Managing those relationships proactively, beyond just budget and compliance, is key. Instead of saying, “I just need the cheapest person to fill this shift,” it’s about building relationships with agencies to ensure you’re getting high-quality people who provide continuity of care and align with your standards. Budget predictability is important, but so is quality. Unpredictability is often what creates the biggest headaches.

At the end of the day, we won’t fix everything overnight. But experimenting with flexible scheduling, formalizing float pools, and managing contingent labor relationships with a focus on quality are ways organizations can maximize their resources without overstretching their people. At Smartlinx, we’ve seen many customers finding success with these approaches, and we’re excited about our recent acquisition of StafferLink, which helps enable this kind of proactive staffing strategy.

What are the key elements of a positive work environment in post-acute care? What are some proven methods you’re using to enhance employee engagement and improve retention rates?

One of the most important elements I’ve seen is creating thoughtful on-ramps for new employees. The first 30, 60, 90 days are critical, especially for caregivers in senior care. It’s about ramping people up rather than just throwing them into the deep end. If someone is a brand-new nurse or CNA, how do we ease them in? Thoughtful pairings, mentoring, and scheduling can make a big difference. For example, if someone’s first day involves caring for a resident with an ostomy or managing tasks they’ve never encountered outside their certification program, that can be overwhelming. But if they start by getting water for residents, answering call lights, and working alongside a mentor or culture buddy, it builds confidence and sets them up for success.

Another key piece is recognition. People often choose to work in senior care because they feel deeply connected to its mission. Recognizing their contributions reinforces that pride in their work. One customer said recently, “We want everyone to clock out feeling proud of what they did today and the difference they made in the lives of seniors under their care.” Recognition doesn’t need to be expensive—simple, meaningful appreciation goes a long way.

The third element is creating career paths. Healthcare careers aren’t always about climbing a traditional corporate ladder, but growth still matters. For CNAs, that might mean becoming a med tech or eventually moving into nursing. For others, it might be shifting from a dietary aide role into something new. People want to know they have opportunities to grow, learn, and advance in ways that align with their goals.

This is where many traditional HR tools fall short—they’re built for corporate environments, not for the unique career trajectories in caregiving. Leaders need to think beyond “Is someone happy in their role?” to ask, “Are we giving them opportunities to grow in ways that keep them engaged and motivated?” That’s critical for retention. We don’t want to lose great caregivers to other industries simply because we didn’t create opportunities for them to advance.

Of course, if someone leaves for a great opportunity elsewhere, we should still support them. The hope is that we’ve built a culture strong enough that even when people exit, they leave as positive voices for the organization.

In the end, building a positive work environment comes down to three things: thoughtful onboarding, recognition that reinforces pride in work, and career pathing that gives people room to grow.

What role do you see technology playing in creating a destination workplace? How do you work with technology vendors to expedite the impact that technology can have?

For a long time, people have looked at technology as a silver bullet—thinking, “If I just buy the right software or tool, all my problems will be solved.” But we’ve talked a lot about culture today, and at the end of the day, people experience their work through three lenses: the people they work with, the policies and processes of the organization, and the technology they use.

It’s that combination that creates the magic, and you can’t have one without the others. When it comes to technology’s role, it doesn’t start with the tech itself. It starts with defining the culture and employee experience you want to create. From there, you look at the policies and processes needed to support that experience and then find technologies that align with that vision.

For example, if you want to offer scheduling flexibility, you need a vendor that understands the realities of the senior care industry and can support those needs. But simply signing up with a vendor that offers that feature isn’t enough. You also need the right policies and people in place to implement it effectively.

As software vendors, we see the most success when customers start with the end in mind. They know the culture they want, understand the policies and processes required to support it, and then look for technologies that are purpose-built for senior care that can enable that experience.

In the skilled nursing industry, 2025 is being defined by…

…change.

We talk about change a lot, and right now, we’re living in a time of immense change. We’re just reaching the early stages of a spike in demand for long-term care. Boomers are aging into the 84-85+ age group, where there’s a higher correlation with needing advanced care. At the same time, we’re seeing enormous technological shifts with AI and new tools everywhere.

My son, who’s a junior in college working in an internship, sent me something this morning. It was a quote that said, “If you don’t embrace change, you might have to embrace being irrelevant.” That idea of lifelong learning and perpetual curiosity has always been important, but now it’s more true than ever. We need to lean in, keep learning, and embrace change to create better outcomes.

In senior care and skilled nursing, we have a unique opportunity to do just that. Given the demographic shifts, technological advancements, and policy changes happening right now, the time is right. We need to get comfortable being a little uncomfortable, think creatively, and be bold enough to believe we can build a new paradigm moving forward.

It’s like the title of that book, The Audacity of Hope. We need that same audacity right now—the belief that we can make meaningful, significant change for the better. The opportunity is here, and the time is now.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

For 25 years, Smartlinx has provided workforce management solutions to enable the long-term care market to address the unique staffing challenges of our industry. To see how Smartlinx can help you source, optimize, and sustain more staff, visit us at www.smartlinx.com

The Voices Series is a sponsored content program featuring leading executives discussing trends, topics and more shaping their industry in a question-and-answer format. For more information on Voices, please contact [email protected].