Business transformation includes people, process, and technology. This vast topic can be approached from many different perspectives. I transformed when I became a business owner. I had decades of experience from my corporate career but nothing prepared me for the fast paced fluidity of the homecare industry. The client’s needs change, referral partners have a high turn-over rate, and caregiver availability and circumstances shift from one minute to the next. In this business, the demand from clients is high, and supply of caregivers can be challenging. Acceptance and willingness to make life better for our caregivers has been a key factor in my business success. Making life better for our employees makes life better for those we care for, and this is my vision for our company: Making Life Better.
I want to share how we transformed our attitude and beliefs about caregivers, the key points in the caregiver process, and technology that we use to support our caregivers. Transforming our attitude and beliefs is the people side of the change process. Our mission is to find, attract, hire, and retain superstar caregivers that align with our values, which are 1) the opportunity to serve, 2) lead with your heart, and 3) commitment, so that we can “Make Life Better” for our clients and their loved ones. Caregivers have a choice in who they work for, when they work, where they work, and how many people they care for in an hour. I’ll share how we take it to the caregivers.
In this industry we often hear, “We can’t find caregivers.” We recognize that it is our responsibility during the recruiting process to attract the caregivers. We have at least five or more applicants every day. This contradicts the statement that we can’t find caregivers. In our company we don’t say “We can’t find caregivers”, but rather we offer “How can I attract this caregiver?”.
Attracting a caregiver starts by recognizing that the superstar caregivers do it from the heart, which means we have to care for and about the caregivers deeply. We authentically welcome caregivers as if we are hosting them in our home. We offer competitive wages, health benefits (medical, dental, and vision), 401k matching, technology that allows them to access the client’s information, clock in/out, look for open shifts, and a gratitude bonus in November depending on company performance. Caregivers frequently ask during the interview process if we allow overtime and the answer is, “Yes.” As a side note, the Caregiver Experience Manager is responsible for both the scheduling and recruiting of caregivers. During the interview they consider which client to assign. The relationship between the caregiver and scheduler starts immediately.
A secondary mission of the company is teaching and learning. We have a professional trainer on staff supporting caregivers with orientation and the ongoing caregiver training plan. The caregivers’ training plan starts during orientation when we ask them about their past training and what skills they want to enhance. In addition, we offer specialty programs that have curated training curriculum that support specialties such as; Dementia, Parkinson’s, Hospital Discharge, and Stroke Recovery to name a few.
Retaining a caregiver continues by being aware that their lives are fluid, accepting that their availability changes, listening to them, and striving to keep them in their neighborhood. The key is recognizing their need and taking action to fulfill them.
The combination of our operational systems makes it easy for caregivers to communicate with the office, gain access to their client’s information, look for open shifts, and enhance their skills through training. We use a combination of the following technology – 1) Applicant Stack and Paradox Olivia using AI for applicant screening and interview scheduling, 2) Axiscare mobile app for access to client information, clocking in and out, and searching for open shifts, 3) textingbiz.com for constant communication, 4) Relias for homecare training curriculum, 5) Homecare Pulse for caregiver feedback, 6) Retain for the 15, 30, 60 and 90 day caregiver check-ins, and 7) the Visiting Angels Resource Center (ARC) for homecare operational resources. We are continuously working to streamline and automate our systems to best support the caregivers and inevitably the clients.
Becoming a homecare business owner meant more education for me. I learned early from industry experts that when caregivers interview they are concerned about pay and benefits, and once they start working, they want to know that you authentically care about them.
Caregivers need to know they are not alone in the field. Our Care Coordinator is dedicated to connecting with caregivers and giving them metaphorical hugs. During our daily stand-up meeting, there is one person who reviews all of the care notes and highlights anything that requires follow-up by the Care Manager. Caregivers appreciate that their notes are reviewed each day and that we follow-up.
Office staff play a crucial role within our company. Caring for a caregiver can be many things; from getting them a Lyft, moving a client schedule to accommodate daycare, gratitude bonus in November, providing PPE, or listening to all sides of a situation that occurs. Caregivers need to know that everyone in the office is fair and as the leader, I hold my office staff accountable to behave as coaches and mentors to our caregivers. They must gather information and hear from everyone involved in any situation that arises and then discern where the truth lies. We are all teaching and learning, and the roles of coaching and mentoring show up for each of us.
How do I know this is working and effective? Our turnover rate for caregivers in 2023 was 40.6% and our YTD 2024 rate is 38.1%. In addition, the things that are difficult to measure include; laughter from the orientation room plus comments from the orientees like “You all are so nice here,” and sharing that they heard if you get a job at Visiting Angels in Kirkland you are going to love it…
Keep in mind with each new office team hire we help them understand the culture of our company and what is expected from them where our caregivers are concerned. By holding the perspective that it is our job to attract caregivers, provide them with streamlined technology, mentoring and coaching from the office, excellent benefits, training opportunities, and truly caring for them, caregivers rise to the rank of superstar caregiver. Superstar caregivers provide the best care to our clients!
Caregivers do a heroic job every day. They go into the home of a complete stranger and care for them with heart and great love. I am truly grateful for the service these amazing Angels provide our clients. Caring for the caregivers is an honor, and we strive to make life better for everyone every day.