Caregivers are dedicated to helping others, but that doesn’t always outweigh the disadvantages of the profession, which means turnover rates can often be high. In fact, a study from 2019 showed that the caregiving industry saw turnover rates reach as high as 82%.
During the global pandemic, turnover obviously became a larger problem. More precautions had to be followed, and some caregivers quit in order to keep themselves safe.
Luckily, there is plenty one can do to improve caregiver satisfaction and reduce turnover. Here are some ideas to try.
1. Improve Work Culture
Companies love to use the word “culture”, but what does it mean?
Culture is simply the values, beliefs, attitudes, habits, and similar matters that a team or company has.
For example, a positive company culture might be one where members of the company support each other, competition exists (but it’s friendly), collaboration is encouraged, and managers don’t micromanage.
Strong agency culture makes caregivers enjoy their work more and feel valued. It reduces turnover and attracts more of the best talent.
2. Communicate More
Good communication is vital to a smooth-running home care agency with low turnover. Bad communication leads to a host of problems (such as scheduling conflicts or frustratingly unresponsive staff) that can cause caregivers to quit.
When in doubt, overcommunicate. Most caregivers would rather hear too much from you than not enough. Any minor annoyance from over-communication is much better than high turnover because caregivers don’t hear enough from management.
3. Support Caregiver Career Development
Room for growth is a big motivating factor for people in almost any industry, including caregiving. If your caregivers can advance up the ladder, they’re more likely to stay with your organization.
In a similar vein, you should be helping your caregivers grow and develop their careers and talents wherever possible. You can do a few things, such as:
- Offering tuition assistance
- Partnering with local institutions of higher education to offer classes
- Caregiver mentor programs
- Providing resources like books, webinars, and other forms of content
4. Recognize Hard Work and Achievement
Caregiving is a tough job. Your caregivers deserve recognition for putting their all into their work.
This is especially true because those who become caregivers aren’t necessarily the most open about how hard they might be working. They tend to err on the side of humility, and thus probably don’t get a ton of recognition.
You can show your appreciation for their hard work with something as simple as a thank-you. You could provide handwritten notes if you’d like. Increasing pay or benefits is a good idea, too.
5. Relate to and Advocate For Your Caregivers
Caregivers and staff will feel more satisfied with their work if you do your best to relate to them and try to understand their perspective. To be the best leader possible, you should try to talk regularly with your caregivers and understand what struggles they face. Doing your best to alleviate these will go a long way for job satisfaction and turnover.
Angels On Call offers an excellent work environment for caregivers. With perks like weekly and next-day pay, flexible scheduling, bonuses, and plenty of room for advancement, you’ll love working here. Contact us today if you’re unhappy with your current agency.
