As the leader in home-based care payroll and HR, we conducted a comprehensive study surveying caregivers and admins across the United States to provide a deeper insight into the state of onboarding within the home-based care industry. The report uncovered many fascinating takeaways, more than what can be covered in a single blog article, but it confirmed our suspicions that a good onboarding experience has a direct connection to both employer brand (caregivers’ view of their employer) and employment perception (caregivers’ view of their day-to-day work)
In short, this means that a good onboarding experience correlates to a better employee–employer relationship, which third-party research has confirmed drives greater employee engagement, reduced absenteeism, and higher retention. To highlight this, we measured seven key of employer brand and employment perception and compared Onboarding Leaders (those who’s caregivers had a positive onboarding experience) to Onboarding Laggards (those who’s caregivers had a negative onboarding experience). The good news? Many of these are simple changes that can be easily implemented by your agency in order to make a large impact on your organization.
1) Job Security
When asked about their perceived job security, 83% of caregivers at Onboarding Leaders reported feeling “secure” or “very secure” in their employment. This was almost twice as many as those at Onboarding Laggards, where only 44% said they felt “secure” or “very secure” in their employment. Caregivers who feel as though they don’t have secure employment may be more likely to be on the lookout for new job opportunities as they arise, hoping to find something more stable.2) Career Advancement
Opportunity for career advancement is critical in retaining your top caregivers long term because it gives them something to work towards and a reason for them to stick around with your agency. When asked on a 5-point scale whether caregivers felt as though they had ample opportunities for career growth and development within their organization, those at Onboarding Leaders had an average response of 3.78 while those at Onboarding Laggards only had a 2.80. Clearly communicating opportunities for career advancement during onboarding is a great way of incentivizing new hires to stay with your agency for longer.3) Work-Life Balance
Caregivers at Onboarding Leaders are more than twice as likely to rate their work-life balance as “somewhat good” or “very good,” with 90% of respondents selecting one of those two options compared to only 44% of caregivers at Onboarding Laggards. Caregivers with a poor work-life balance may be more inclined to look for work opportunities that fit their lifestyle needs better, like increased scheduling flexibility or time-off policies. Communicating policies that support work-life balance during onboarding can educate your caregivers on the options they have available to them.4) Leadership Support
Feeling as though they are supported by their leaders is important for creating a positive work environment for staff. It was no surprise that caregivers at Onboarding Leaders are 36% more likely to feel as though they have support from their immediate leaders when compared to Onboarding Laggards. Implementing mentorship programs, check ins, and basic introductions during the onboarding process is a great way of establishing a work environment people want to be a part of.5) Recognition and Rewards
Caregiving is a tough role. Recognizing the hard work that your caregivers put in day in and day out can completely change the way they feel about you as an employer. 84% of caregivers at Onboarding Leaders reported that they felt they are “always” or “sometimes” adequately recognized and rewarded for their contributions to their organization compared to only 49% at Onboarding Laggards. By setting clear expectations during the onboarding period and then rewarding those who meet them, you can increase motivation, engagement, and loyalty within your agency.6) Communication and Transparency
As hinted at by the previous key drivers, clear communication and transparency during the onboarding process is often the largest differentiator between an Onboarding Leader and an Onboarding Laggard. Caregivers at Onboarding Leaders are 2.75 times more likely to rate their company communication and transparency as “excellent” or “good,” with 80% of respondents selecting one of those two options. On the other hand, Onboarding Leaders only had 29% of respondents rate their company’s communication and transparency positively. With clear communication during onboarding, new hires won’t feel lost at your agency, struggle to feel as though they are performing well, be unaware of employee benefits that could make their employment more positive, and ultimately begin searching for another job.7) Job Commitment
Of course, the final key driver is job commitment, which we measured by asking caregivers whether they were searching for a new job. At Onboarding Leaders, 41% of caregivers said they were not searching/satisfied with their current employer in stark contrast to Onboarding Laggards who only had 13%. This clearly shows that organizations with strong onboarding processes that caregivers have a positive experience with will have an easier time retaining caregivers compared to those who had poor onboarding.Onboarding Makes a Difference
By examining these seven key drivers and evaluating the impact they have on their organization, it’s clear that a positive onboarding experience leads to long-term benefits for both caregivers and employers. Simple yet impactful tweaks like clearly communicating expectations during onboarding can have a significant return on investment. If you’re interested in diving deeper into the numbers of these seven key drivers or learning more about the many other takeaways we gathered during our study, such as what makes for a good onboarding experience, common onboarding shortcomings found throughout the industry, easy ways to tweak your onboarding process, and more, you can find all of that in our free study here.
And for a summary of these seven drivers in an easy-to-view format, download our infographic 7 Drivers of the Employee Experience You Can Control.
Forever in it with you, Viventium.
This information is for educational purposes only, and not to provide specific legal advice. This may not reflect the most recent developments in the law and may not be applicable to a particular situation or jurisdiction.