Can emotional loyalty training improve workforce retention rates in social care? A case study of four provider organizations in rural Cumbria

Abstract

This article describes what progress is being made in rural Cumbria to tackle the recruitment and retention crises in social care, focusing on the delivery of a leadership training programme that aimed at informing social care managers about the ways in which they might engender ‘emotional loyalty’ among front-line staff. We draw on the findings of a small-scale evaluation of the training scheme and its subsequent implementation within four provider organizations to describe some of the difficulties associated with transporting the emotional loyalty process from marketing to social care. We conclude that any future management training targeted at improving retention rates should look towards developing more mainstream approaches to staff supervision and appraisal, acknowledging the potential therein for a much greater focus on relationship and emotional competency issues.