Identifying and implementing human resources strategies is a top priority for administrators in any organization, but it can be even harder in a challenging industry like home care. From trying to tackle the high caregiver turnover rate to staying in compliance and much more, administrators and HR pros have to put in the extra time and effort. 

Based on research, HR pros and administrators primarily need the ability and competency to connect human resources’ initiatives to strategic business initiatives and goals in order to succeed.

To be effective, leaders must manage several variables that impact their organization's ability to achieve its strategic objectives. They must also develop qualitative and quantitative approaches to effectively and efficiently attract, hire, engage, and retain the best human capital.  

Questions to Ask to Align Initiatives With Your Agency 

Here are some questions to answer in order to help you align your HR initiatives with your agency’s objectives: 

• What metrics will satisfy both C-suite and HR executives?
• What will get the best people on board? 
• How can our learning programs be linked with our business KPIs to improve a smooth transition to value-based care? 
• How can employee performance evaluation and management be used as a developmental tool? 
• How will we best plan and execute our HR strategy? 
• How will we measure and evaluate our results and make adjustments when needed? 

 Having the above in mind, we understand that it can be hard to choose your HR initiatives. Not only must you align them with your agency’s culture, but you must also consider all HR and industry-specific trends. After reading HHAeXchange’s Homecare Predictions for 2020, we’ve gathered a few current HR trends that you may not have focused on just yet and addressed how to best align them with these predictions. 

Human Resources Trends in 2020

Offering Flexible Work 

It’s no secret that flexibility at work has certainly been a main theme of the last year (or several), with flexible workspaces increasing in organizations, both large and small. Even though this might be more common among startups and tech companies, home care doesn’t fall far behind.  

It’s also probably no surprise that the top reasons home care employees leave includes a desire for different work hours and a more flexible schedule. Home care can be unpredictable, and caregivers often feel a lack of stability and clarity regarding their schedules and responsibilities from week to week. If you provide your caregivers the opportunity to customize and tailor their work environment to best suit their work preferences, it will help improve their productivity and satisfaction and help you reduce the high caregiver turnover rate. This will ease their worries about whether they’ll be able to get enough hours to make ends meet or get a schedule that corresponds with their personal responsibilities and any other jobs.  

 Getting all your caregiver data – from patient assignments and preferred hours to time tracking – centralized in one place can help you build effective schedules that work for you and your caregivers. You’ll also need to make sure your home care workers can access this information easily and as early in advance as possible. This maximizes clarity, minimizes stress, and enables room for necessary changes and conversations. 

Adopting Data Analytics  

The adoption of data analytics will continue rapidly in the years ahead. Using data analytics and big data, HR professionals and administrators can make data-driven decisions in order to attract and retain top talent as well as ensure a successful transition into value-based care. In human resources, leveraging a data-driven approach to people analytics allows companies to discover valuable insights on workers' performance, satisfaction, and the factors that influence their productivity, efficiency, and motivation at work.  

This year, your company will have endless opportunities to use analytics to identify patterns and trends on employee absenteeism, employee turnover rate, leave frequency, engagement level, and much more.  

Prioritizing Employer Branding  

Persuading the best talent to join your company is a challenge in today’s competitive labor market, but it is even more complicated in the home care industry (even though it’s the fastest-growing industry). Your agency not only has to boast a 5-star reputation to hire the finest members for your team but must also make sure to retain them. In 2020, companies and agencies have to invest in their biggest assets, and that includes investing in your employer brand. Take into consideration what sets your agency apart from others and the ways you will market yourself to prospective employees as a unique workplace.  

Whether it is a commitment to offering flexible work benefits programs, social responsibility, or something else, agencies that have identifiable traits and qualities in their value propositions to employees are likely to succeed in attracting the best new talent. 

If you haven’t incorporated the following HR programs into your agency recently, you may need to start with these: 

• Update your employee handbook. 

Does My Company Need an Employee Handbook? 

Personalize Your Employee Handbook This Year 

• Audit your HR forms for 2020. 

The Ultimate Home Health Care Audit Survival Guide 

• Evaluate your payroll software. 

The Impact of HCM on Your Home Care Agency’s ROI 

• Implement training for quality care. 

HR Best Practices for a Smooth Value-Based Care Transition 

• Enhance the onboarding experience. 

Creating a robust onboarding experience program can actually help you in the long by helping your new employees have a smooth transition into your agency. Listen to The Basics of Effective Onboarding to learn about the five elements of an effective onboarding plan, from paperwork to peer mentorship. 

• Assess your benefit offerings. 

5 Types of Voluntary Benefits Employees Want 

• Check out new pay options. 

5 Ways a Daily Pay Benefit Supports the Changing Workforce 

• Revise and update your job descriptions. 

Help! How can HR handle the new “Ok Boomer” trend in the Workplace? 

Final Thoughts 

HR professionals have to assess every action and initiative in terms of links to overall business objectives. These professionals should be honest with themselves and others about whether or not an activity is worth implementing. The rise of multi-generational and hyper-connected employees and the new value-based care model will push leaders to work closely with HR.  

Honesty and transparency are among the best ways to make sure human resources and business objectives align strategically.