The holidays are upon us, and communities are finalizing menus, décor, and family visit plans. One item often gets less attention than the turkey: the team that makes it all happen. How your community treats its people in December can shape who is still on the team in January.

The Workforce Is Improving, but It Isn’t Stable 

The past year brought real progress. According to AHCA/NCAL’s January 2026 Nursing Home Workforce Report, nursing homes added more than 40,700 jobs in 2025, about 3,400 workers a month. In a May 2025 AHCA provider survey, 62% said their overall workforce situation had gotten better over the past year. 

The gains are fragile, though. Nursing homes still need about 26,500 workers to return to pre-pandemic employment levels, even as other health care sectors have already surpassed theirs. Ziegler’s 2026 CFO Hotline survey found average workforce turnover of 35.4%, so the typical community replaces more than a third of its team each year. RN turnover rose to 40.8% from 36.4% in 2025. One in four respondents (25%) said immigration policy changes affected their organization, and Skilled Nursing News reports that immigrants make up 21% to 25% of the nursing home workforce nationally. Holiday planning is a good moment to ask how resilient your staffing model really is. 

Make Holiday Scheduling a Retention Tool 

Holiday shifts are where team members decide whether they feel valued. A few practices help: 

  • Publish the holiday schedule early, and rotate holiday shifts fairly so the same people don’t work every year. 
  • Offer incentives that matter, such as premium pay, extra paid time off, or a guaranteed day off before or after. 
  • Make sure the team shares in the celebration, with a holiday meal for every shift, including nights. Dining teams carry the family-visit surge, yet dining staff turnover is 40.0% and 48.5% of respondents say dining roles are hard to recruit and retain. 
  • Say thank you in specific, visible ways. Recognition from leadership costs little and is remembered. 

Build a Flexible Bench Before You Need One 

Visitor volume peaks at the holidays, and winter illness can mean last-minute call-outs. Reliance on temporary staffing is growing: 24.8% of providers now use it often, up from 16.8% a year ago. Prepare ahead: 

  • Cross-train team members across dining, activities, and care support roles, within your state’s regulations and each person’s scope. 
  • Build a float pool of familiar part-time team members, alumni, and on-demand talent who already know your residents and routines. 
  • Set a clear call-out plan: who decides, who gets called first, and when to bring in outside help. 

Invest in Your Pipeline 

Pay matters, but it isn’t the whole answer. In Ziegler’s survey, 80.5% of providers said they focus on workplace culture, slightly more than the 75.0% using wage increases and bonuses. Wages are still climbing: AHCA/NCAL’s report shows pay for CNAs, LPNs, and RNs each rising about 3.4% in the latest salary data, and 92% of nursing home providers in AHCA’s May 2025 survey said they had increased compensation. Even so, 91% rated recruiting new staff as difficult, and Senior Housing News reports that senior living communities often lose nursing staff to health systems that can pay more. 

Growing your own talent helps. Ziegler’s respondents agree: 49.2% are expanding internal training and 46.1% are building career pathways. AHCA’s nursing home survey points the same way, with 60% of providers adding training and 55% clarifying promotion opportunities and career paths. 

Plan Your 2027 Workforce Now 

CMS repealed the federal minimum staffing standards in December 2025, but that doesn’t end the planning. State-level mandates remain a factor in some places, and Skilled Nursing News reports that providers are leaning on internal benchmarks to guide workforce decisions. Demand is also rising: Census projections cited by AHCA/NCAL show the 80-and-older population growing by about 8 million over the next decade. Use the quiet days of year-end to: 

  • Set your own staffing benchmarks by role, shift, and census level. 
  • Stress-test your plan: what happens if 10% of your team is suddenly unavailable? 
  • Budget for holiday coverage, training, and retention before the new year begins. Ziegler found that 90% of respondents saw staffing costs rise, and compensation averages 56.2% of the operating budget. 
  • Watch the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. The WOTC expired on Dec. 31, 2025, and Argentum, AHCA/NCAL, and LifeSpan Network joined 474 organizations urging Congress to pass the Improve and Enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Act (HR 6231 / S 3265) in a year-end tax package. It would extend the credit retroactively to Jan. 1, 2026, through 2030, raise the credit percentage from 40% to 50%, add a second level of credit for employees who work 400 or more hours, and eliminate an age cap tied to SNAP benefits, creating an incentive to hire older workers. Until it passes, treat any credit as upside, not a budget assumption. 
  • Identify backup talent sources now, not during a crisis. 

Make Your Team Feel the Season, Too 

Strong holiday staffing is less about covering shifts than about showing your team they matter. Plan early, share the load fairly, and build a bench that can absorb surprises. 

Contact your Member Success Representative to learn how Incite Workforce Solutions can support your community’s staffing needs. 

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