A company is only as good as the people who work for it. That sentiment is particularly true in an industry like home care where employees work directly with clients in their homes. Maintaining a full staff of high-quality caregivers is essential for an agency; it is also an increasingly difficult task. The average turnover rate for a company should be around 10% according to Business.com. Caregiver turnover rates, however, are much higher than that, around 65% according to the 2021 Home Care Pulse Home Care Benchmarking study.

So why do caregivers keep jumping ship? The 2021 Home Care Benchmarking study surveyed care providers about that very question and the answers are pretty revealing.

The top 10 job complaints that caregivers had when leaving an agency were:

1. Poor communication about things like scheduling, information needed to do their jobs, and what is expected of them in their role
2. Low wages
3. Lack of consistent scheduling and hours
4. Lack of appreciation and support
5. Disorganized management where everything is a last-minute rush
6. Inadequate benefits
7. Insufficient PPE supplied and/or unsafe working conditions
8. Lack of trust in management
9. Not enough training
10. Travel time

Given this information, along with the plethora of opportunities available to caregivers, the ongoing challenge for agencies is just how to keep caregivers from fleeing to greener pastures. These tips from Caregiver Jobs San Diego, a top home care recruitment site in the San Diego area, offers the following tips for caregiver retention. 

●       Talk to, and more importantly listen to, your current care staff. The list of complaints from the Home Care Pulse report are a good jumping off point. But the key is knowing which of them are applicable to your agency. Talking to your caregivers about what they value about your agency as well as what they feel needs improvement is very important when it comes to making changes that will improve employee loyalty. Consider conducting an anonymous caregiver satisfaction survey to empower your staff to open up and speak honestly about their experiences. Also, conduct exit interviews with caregivers who are leaving to gain insight into what made them look for employment elsewhere. Be open-minded and really hear what they have to say. Some of the comments might sting, but they will help your agency grow and provide a better environment for caregivers.

●       Hone in on the needs of your caregivers. Once you know what your caregivers value, focus your energy on improving those parts of your agency. If caregivers are saying that they need more benefits, like health insurance, that is something that you’ll need to consider offering if you’re hoping to keep them. If lack of training has been making caregivers feel insecure in their roles, it’s time to work on that aspect of onboarding and consider more ongoing training programs.

●       Address complaints and pain points. Finally, hold a meeting with your staff to address complaints and pain points that have come up either in exit interviews or employee satisfaction surveys. Let your caregivers know that you hear their concerns and that you value their feedback. Not everything will be able to be fixed right away. You may not be in a financial position to add benefits or raise wages, but let your staff know that you are dedicated to working on what you can change in order to make your agency a place where they want to work. 

Recruiting and retaining caregivers is essential to the growth and longevity of a home care agency, and Caregiver Jobs San Diego’s senior care staffing experts can help you find the best employees. As the ONLY job search website dedicated to the home care industry in San Diego, CA, we can help you improve your search for more caregivers. Contact us today to learn more.