Turnover has long been the bane of many a home health agency administrator, and in 2019, rates had increased. Cue in the COVID-19 pandemic and fears raged as turnover rates were projected to soar. Imagine the surprise to find that rates remained flat for 2020, – less than a 1% year-over-year increase! – a marvelous feat considering COVID. Insights are summarized in the 2021 Home Care Employee Retention Survey Report, which conveys 2020 perspectives from 850 home care providers.
Legendary workforce challenges last year included widespread anxiety over the virus, child care needs due to school closures, unpredictable shifts from clients canceling visits, lack of PPE – an almost endless list. Caregiver shortage was the biggest area of concern for home care agencies, dwarfing the next most significant concerns of COVID business impact and caregiver churn by 56% and 58%, respectively. Although 60% of providers said the pandemic increased caregiver churn, more than 40% improved retention by focusing on training and development, followed by scheduling (26%) and communication (22%).
Last year, nearly 84% of the survey respondents provided some form of caregiver benefits, up from 81% in 2019. The most common forms of benefits were travel reimbursement, paid time off and health care. The last interesting factoid from the survey is the conclusion that though convenient, internet-based recruitment (including through social media platforms) were not the most effective. The best retention rates are for those employees recruited from an employee referral program, which in light of staffing issues plaguing our economy in 2021, seems like a word to the wise.