How to Improve Caregiver Retention
Five Strategies That Really Work
How To Improve Caregiver Retention – Five Strategies That Really Work
Caregiver retention is always a challenge for home care agencies. According to the 2023 benchmark study by Home Care Pulse, the median turnover rate soared from 65% in 2021 to 77% in 2022 – the highest in five years. In this blog, we’ll look at a few steps you can take to improve retention, reduce turnover, and deliver better care with top strategies for keeping your best Caregivers.
Aim For Retention from The Beginning of The Hiring Process
Improving Caregiver retention starts from the ground up. Start with the hiring process. Make sure you find Caregivers who are interested in working with your company for the long term. You want to hire workers who fit your company’s culture, are willing to work toward its long-term goals and have the experience to handle the challenges that come their way.
You also want to ensure it’s easy for Caregivers to start. Difficulties with onboarding can contribute to early turnover and lower Caregiver retention rates. With the training and onboarding tools that CareConnect offers, it’s easy to hire new workers and work faster, reducing turnover.
Always Communicate Clearly with Your Workers
Communication is key for Caregiver retention. You need to schedule workers consistently during their preferred work hours, communicate client information and details promptly before shifts, and make your expectations clear for each Caregiver. Clear, consistent communication helps reduce frustration and improve overall worker satisfaction, so be sure to prioritize it. Tools like CareConnect can facilitate better communication since it’s easy for workers to take shifts and communicate with agencies directly on their smartphones.
Ask For (And Listen To) Feedback
Communication is always a two-way street. If you are looking for ways to reduce turnover and improve Caregiver retention, your current Caregivers are an excellent resource. Consider implementing a survey system or other ways of gathering their feedback.
What’s working for them? What could use improvement? What suggestions do they have? Asking these kinds of questions and getting worker feedback allows you to improve current and future Caregiver retention.
Pay Competitive Wages
Wage discrepancies can play a part in turnover, too. If your competitors pay more, workers are likely to leave for a bump in pay, even if they’re happy with the work you’re giving them. While only some agencies will have the budget, do what you can to pay competitive wages and offer valuable benefits that do not cost much out of pocket, and your workers will be less likely to leave.
Look For Warning Signs of Churn – And Take Action
Caregivers don’t usually quit or stop picking up shifts out of nowhere. Often, there are warning signs – clocking in late, cancellations, poor overall punctuality, and unresponsiveness. If you notice these or similar warning signs of turnover, speak directly with the worker in question. If they are interested in continuing to work with your agency, take steps to open communication with them and discuss your concerns and their needs, such as changing their schedule, moving them to a new client, or taking other similar actions. As mentioned earlier, communication is key. Let them go depending on the situation if needs are not fully and mutually met.
Better Caregiver Retention = Better Home Care for All
Reducing turnover and improving Caregiver retention is a long-term but beneficial process. With tools like CareConnect, managing employees, communicating, onboarding new staff, and scheduling shift assignments is easier. Our team is dedicated to your success, so we are always looking for new ways to help improve Caregiver retention.
Interested in seeing how your agency can thrive? Meet with the CareConnect team today.