Turnover is at a staggering 79%, with 72% of staff experiencing burnout monthly. Based on insights from home-based care experts, here are five actionable strategies to strengthen employee engagement, loyalty, and retention.
1) Prioritize pay and payroll accuracy
Why it matters: pay remains the number one motivator for care staff, with 75% citing higher pay as their top priority. But frequent payroll errors (reported by 81% of admins) break trust and cause dissatisfaction.
Action steps:
- Ensure pay accuracy by leveraging healthcare-specific payroll technology that can handle complexities like shift differentials and overtime.
- Maintain transparency by giving staff clear visibility into their pay calculations.
- Advocate for higher reimbursement rates at state and federal levels to enable competitive wages.
2) Foster trust and emotional connection
Why it matters: turnover often stems from transactional relationships. Care staff thrive on empathy and recognition.
Action steps:
- Regularly acknowledge and appreciate staff efforts, both privately and publicly.
- Encourage open communication between administrators and staff to create stronger alignment and trust.
- Fix systems or processes that erode trust, such as inconsistent scheduling or communication lapses.
3) Provide career growth and professional development
Why it matters: 21% of care staff identify professional development as a key motivator, and agencies that offer clear career paths improve retention.
Action steps:
- Implement small but meaningful career path programs (e.g., caregiver → team lead → scheduler roles).
- Offer training, certifications, and mentorship opportunities that connect professional development with higher pay.
4) Enhance scheduling flexibility and workload balance
Why it matters: many care staff experience burnout due to heavy workloads, with 72% feeling burned out monthly.
Action steps:
- Offer more flexible scheduling options to help staff manage personal responsibilities.
- Use workforce management technology to balance caseloads and prevent overburdening specific employees.
- Actively seek staff input on scheduling to give them greater autonomy.
5) Optimize technology and reduce administrative burdens
Why it matters: tech fragmentation and manual processes cause inefficiencies and errors that frustrate care staff.
Action steps:
- Audit your current tech stack and eliminate redundant or outdated systems.
- Implement integrated solutions for payroll, compliance, and scheduling to streamline operations.
- Leverage automation to reduce paperwork and free staff to focus on patient care.
Ready to reduce turnover in your home-based care agency?
Discover how Viventium’s payroll, HR, and compliance solutions are purpose-built for healthcare and proven to help agencies improve retention and engagement. Schedule a demo today to see how we can help you support your care staff and grow your business.