Competing for Talent at Your Agency?  4 Quick Wins That Can Help

I’m sure you thought that this would start with the words “pay more!” Many companies like Amazon and Walmart have boosted their minimum wages to $15 an hour, and home care and home health agencies may find that they’re losing caregivers to other industries, not just other agencies. While competitive pay is obviously important, there is much more to consider than just the almighty paycheck. So, let’s start at the beginning – where first impressions are made. 

Hiring Is All about the Caregiver Experience 

When hiring, it's critical that you find caregivers that fit your agency's culture. You need a team where everyone is on the same page when it comes to your agency’s purpose, vision, values, and growth. Look for caregivers that will stand out from the pack and stay long term. 

Ask yourself: 

• • How do I write compelling job posts that effectively communicate our agency’s culture? 
  • Why would someone want to work for us? 
  • What kind of technology do I use? What is the caregiver's experience while applying and interviewing? 
  • How do I maintain communication throughout the application process so caregivers are interested in next steps with my agency? 

All of these factors should be considered while assessing your caregiver recruitment experience. 

Onboarding 

It's no secret that there are a lot of job openings these days, particularly in the health care field, where there's always another position to fill. With so much demand for talent, retaining new employees is just as important as recruiting them – which is why a good onboarding process is vital for staying ahead of the competition. 

With onboarding, you want to give your new hires the best impression; however, if you have a very outdated, old-fashioned process, there is more room for errors, which may be costly in the compliance arena. Then there's also the problem of getting these forms into an electronic filing system where they can be safely preserved and quickly identified and retrieved in the future.  

Make sure you’re working with an industry-specific software vendor who can assist you and your new hires with the onboarding process before their first day so that life is easier for you and everyone else involved. Otherwise, there may be delays throughout the entire process, such as with payroll where new caregivers may not be paid properly or on time. 

Provide Educational and Developmental Opportunities 

Your ability to communicate, support, equip, and teach caregivers about crucial shifts in the health care landscape has constantly been put to the test thanks to the pandemic. To ensure your current and new caregivers are adequately prepared, provide educational and developmental opportunities for their skills to stay up to date. This will not only help them do their jobs better but will also help you stand out from other agencies. 

We all know that your staff are your most valuable asset, however, the following fact from LinkedIn might surprise you: 94 percent of employees would stay with their company longer if it invested in learning and development. That's why it's critical that you interact with new hires as well as existing employees to identify gaps that can be addressed through continued training and education programs. 

And in this day and age, there's no reason not to give your staff the choice of accessing learning materials from anywhere at any time since everything is digital and easily accessible online. 

As a result, your caregivers will be able to provide high-quality care to your patients, resulting in much happier clients. 

When thinking about what to provide you caregivers, here are a few tips: 

• • Keep it lighthearted: The effectiveness of gamified training has been proven. 
  • Engage the audience: As much as is feasible, involve your caregivers and include their perspectives. 
  • Allow it to be used right away: Your caregivers should be trained on issues that they can use with their clients right away. 

 Pay Flexibility and Transparency 

Your caregivers are most likely ABSOLUTELY working long hours since there is a high demand for expert care but a dearth of available labor. If you want to keep them, you must not only ensure that they are properly compensated but also offer flexibility in how and when they get paid. You want to make sure your caregivers are paid on time and without having to physically go to the office or bank, especially in times of crisis like the current pandemic. 

Paycards  

According to the American Payroll Association, roughly 10% of employees in the United States are "unbanked," meaning they’re unable to set up direct deposit. Paycards work similar to debit cards in that a company can deposit pay onto one, and employees can subsequently access their earnings at an ATM or by using their paycards to make purchases.  

Access to Earned Wages  

Aside from paycards, giving your employees the ability to access their earned pay earlier than pay day – just when they need it – is also a terrific perk. Today, there are options. Viventium brings you on-demand pay through our partnerships, which allows your employees to have access to their wages if and when they need to, enabling them to take charge of their finances. 

Pay Transparency 

Pay transparency – providing your employees with full transparency on how they are getting paid – is an essential practice today. Home care and home health agencies need to acknowledge how difficult it can be for caregivers to understand their pay stubs. With all of the competition for talent, it is now critical to not only have competitive wages but also an open line of communication about pay and how it’s calculated.  

Having a pay stub that breaks down all the confusing terms and shows how they are getting paid can be a huge help. You must remember that it is not enough just to pay them; your pay stubs should clearly spell out how much employees are getting paid. The last thing you want or need is for a disgruntled employee to register a complaint with the state department of labor claiming inadequate pay. 

Even if you have carefully reviewed all state-specific labor laws and are compliant in paying employees everything they’ve earned, if your pay stub does not itemize and disclose pay premiums properly, you can have major headaches in a labor investigation and potentially face fines for non-disclosure upon audit. 

With the highest level of transparency, you will eliminate unnecessary questions, increase your caregiver retention, and avoid labor investigations, preventing many problems in the long run. 

By considering and implementing the tips above, you’ll be on your way to attracting and retaining the best caregivers. For an even greater competitive edge, visit our Home Care and Home Health page to learn more about Viventium’s full suite of industry-specific solutions.