Kevin Hansen
After conducting thousands of interviews with caregivers for home care agencies, we have discovered what they look for when seeking employment.
Are you one of the 63% of home care providers reporting caregiver shortages as the single greatest threat to their growth? Rather than stressing over this issue, get ahead of it by reevaluating your business structure and learning what caregivers are seeking in an employer. After conducting thousands of interviews with caregivers for home care agencies, we have discovered what they look for when seeking employment.
Positive Work and Family Balance
Juggling work life and family life can be challenging and lead to burnout for employees who cannot find a balance. By offering flexible schedules which meet their needs, you are more likely to retain caregivers and appeal to potential caregivers. Show your caregivers and office staff you value their family life and personal time. A balanced approach as an employer will attract more potential caregivers, as well as increase satisfaction and retention with caregivers already employed with you.
Good Reputation
It is natural for people to want to work for a well-liked company. Whether it comes from your clients, office staff, or current caregivers, a negative reputation will affect the quality of caregivers you attract to your agency. Often, home care agencies don’t know how the public perceives their business. Home Care Pulse alleviates the stress of trying to manage a positive reputation with our quality management program. The reviews and feedback we provide can also be included in online reviews to help with reputation management. If you qualify, earning a Best of Home Care® award that you can display on your website and other marketing materials offers proof of quality to potential caregivers. Once you have gained and can maintain a positive reputation, you’ll find more success in receiving applications from quality caregivers.
Benefits and Training
Benefits can include any combination of offering paid time off for certain holidays, vacation accrual, health insurance, and retirement plans. Your business size will determine which you benefit(s) you can extend, but doing what you are able will show appreciation for those working at your agency. A proper caregiver mentor program> and regular training classes can help your business thrive. It shows your caregivers you are eager to help them grow within your agency and you value their learning. Training develops your caregivers into more capable employees, reducing performance issues and frustrations, and adds value and quality to your agency. A good phrase to remember: If you want to hire the best, you need to offer the best.
Recommendations from Friends and Family
Word-of-Mouth often brings the best candidates for you to hire. By having a positive impact in the surrounding communities and taking a personal interest in your employees, your agency will get solid referrals from current employees. Your staff will confidently let their friends and family know how amazing their employer is and refer them to your company for employment opportunities. When the recommendation comes from a reliable source, it is a quality reference. For more resources, check out our guide to creating employee referral program to encourage more employee referrals or our Ultimate Guide to Caregiver Recruitment for a top-to-bottom look at how to revamp your recruitment.
Focus on creating a culture revolving around the satisfaction of your caregivers, and you will invite high-quality caregivers to apply to your agency. Our quality management programs work with you to improve quality of care, decrease turnover, grow revenue, and provide proof of quality. To learn how these benefits can positively affect your hiring and retention efforts, schedule an overview with a member of our Business Development team.
