You don’t have to look far to find someone in home care recruiting talking about the challenges of retaining Caregivers and CNAs. According to Home Care Pulse, the turnover rate in home care last year was over 63%. With a national shortage making hiring CNAs more difficult, it becomes all the more important to retain them as well. With this ever-changing market, what does a good retention strategy look like today?
Above all else, retention needs to be an everyday strategy. Gone are the days where a company get together around the holidays is enough to bring the whole crew together. With 96% of Caregivers always being on the job market, staying constantly engaged and building relationships is key. Here are a few suggestions of things to help engage your current staff that you might not be doing today.
30, 60, 90 Day Reviews
The first 90 days are the most important time when building relationships with new hires. Having scheduled performance reviews at the 30, 60, and 90 day benchmarks can help show Caregivers and CNAs how committed you are to their success. This open line of communication allows them to ask questions and voice concerns they may have as well. Knowing they’ll have the opportunity to improve and specific feedback to work with empowers them in their career choice to care for seniors.
Newsletters and Social Media
You can utilize company newsletters and social media accounts to keep constant engagement with your current staff as well as the candidates you're courting. Keeping everyone up to date on the latest news and achievements of their peers helps create a network of employees who care and are invested in each other’s success as well as their own. You can also use these channels to help with the next tip.
Recognition Programs
Recognition among peers is a huge motivating factor for many Caregivers you hire. By recognizing and praising exceptional care, you can motivate your staff while making sure they know their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. You might also want to start a Caregiver of the Month club which you can use not only to reward top performers, but also to advertise the quality of care your staff provides to clients.
Special Events to Bring the Team Together
Caregivers and CNAs who form relationships with their fellow care staff tend to be longer term employees. Home care in particular can be very isolating for Caregivers - by organizing special events that bring them together, you can promote community within your staff while having a positive impact on retention. This can include cookouts, holiday parties, group field trips to local events, and more!
When it comes to combatting the Caregiver crisis, recruiting and retention are critical for growing home care agencies. If you’re looking for help recruiting Caregivers you aren't reaching today, we'd love to have a conversation about how we can help with Caregiver recruitment.
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