Hopefully you have heard by now, that National Caregiver Appreciation Day is coming up. We have decided at Senior Care Business advisors, we would spend the month talking about Caregiver appreciation. The topic of caregiver retention seemed appropriate to highlight.
Recruiting and retaining caregivers is currently one of the most important tasks that your personal care agency has. According to a benchmarking study done by Home Care Pulse, caregiver turnover rates were at 65.2% in 2021.
Caregiver turnover rates were at 65.2% in 2021. It is estimated the cost to hire and train a new caregiver is about $2,600.
Home Care Pulse
So What Can we do?
So now what? How do we improve caregiver retention. Oftentimes when it comes to this, people automatically think about how much is paid per hour. While yes, that is a component to it, retaining any of your employees is about much more than that. It is about how you treat them too! Furthermore, the best part is, most of these tips won’t cost your agency more money, they just require more time and effort.
The Golden Rule
Think about the Golden Rule, treat others the way you want to be treated. We’ve all heard this rule from the time we were in elementary school, and it’s a theme in all major religions. Sure it can be cheesy, but it is really important to use it as a mantra in your workplace. Treat your caregivers how you would want yourself to be treated. Put yourself into their shoes, and ask yourself what you would want out of a job, and go above and beyond to provide that for them.
Using the Golden Rule at work can positively impact your company in many ways. Caregivers who feel respected and have empathetic managers are more likely to work at your agency for a longer period of time. In the long run, the more you can retain your staff, the less expensive they are.
Extended benefits of Caregiver Retention
There are also more benefits of working on caregiver retention than the simple, retaining caregivers. Like previously mentioned, keeping your staff longer means your staffing costs will be much less. Hiring and training new staff will always cost you more than retaining the ones you have.
Additionally, a happier workforce will provide better care for your clients. Better care for your clients, can lead to clients adding on additional services and hours to their schedules. Your entire staff will also benefit from working together as a team, instead of feeling separated into admins vs. caregivers.
Ways To Highlight and Appreciate your Caregivers
Now here are some excellent ways that your agency can begin to appreciate your caregivers (and the rest of your staff).
- Implement a caregiver of the month award!
- Check in on your caregivers, at regular intervals. Communication is so important!
- Have snacks and drinks (coffee, soda, tea) available for them when they stop by your office.
- Send them holiday cards.
- Recognize them each time they receive a client compliment.
- Ensure the office staff and caregiving staff are communicating.
- Provide a safe workplace, and provide a system where someone can feel comfortable to speak up when its not
- Properly train your caregivers, and check in to make sure they feel comfortable with their knowledge.
- Ask for positive and negative feedback frequently
- Any other ideas? Let us know in the comments!
(P.S) If you are looking for a super easy way to recognize caregivers, enter into our $100 giveaway! We are highlighting a caregiver this month, and they will win a $100 gift card! All you have to do is email us at info@seniorcareba.com, their name, and details of why you think they deserve this award. Check out more information here!
We do all of this, because we care! Do you need help finding specific caregiver retention tactics for your agency? Set up your free Consultation, call me at 678-340-3649 or email me at twest@seniorcareba.com. My team and I are excited to help you thrive in the home care space!
