When it comes to hiring caregivers, many home care providers unfortunately hit the panic button. This panic is caused by the ever-increasing threat of caregiver shortages and caregiver turnover, combined with the pressure to fill a shift quickly for a brand-new client that just called. These quick hires are often not vetted properly and can frequently hurt the client experience you’re striving so hard to provide. Furthermore, based upon our research, over 80% of those who leave within the first 12 months, do so in the  first 90 days, which leaves your clients unhappy and you hurting for more caregivers.

Data taken from the 2017 Home Care Benchmarking Study. (Rounded to the nearest percentage point)

There are no guarantees when it comes to hiring a new employee, as some plan to keep the job and others continue looking for a “better” one. So, what can you do to help your caregivers be happy with their job and stay past their first 90 days? Here are a few hiring tips to consider:

1.Identify Your Why

Many home care providers start their home care agency because they are driven by a desire to make a difference. When you started your home care agency, you did it for a reason. Whether it was personal or business related, you started it because you wanted to make a difference in senior care. At Activated Insights, we are big advocates of knowing your WHY.

Identify your WHY and make sure those you hire share a similar WHY. It must be more than a job in order for them to want to stay longer than 90-days. Make sure your job ads connect to your WHY, and stress that this job is only for those who have a passion for working with the elderly. When you hire caregivers who connect emotionally to your WHY, they are more likely to stay for the long term.

2. Recruit Quality Caregivers

When recruiting, begin by analyzing the traits, characteristics, and attributes of your best caregivers. Once you’ve created a profile for your potential caregivers, create a job ad that is centered around those ideal characteristics.  Along with hiring a quality caregiver from the start, investing in ongoing training and recognition programs will motivate them to stay for the long term.

Read: How to Successfully Recruit and Retain Caregivers

3. Hold a Weekly Open House

Consider having weekly or bi-weekly open houses. Through open houses, you can see how potential caregivers interact in a casual environment. Advertise these open houses in the same way you would a job ad. At these open houses, provide job applications, ask questions, interview, and eat food; all the while taking the time to identify your top candidates. This also saves your team disruptions throughout the week from other applicants.

4. Ask the Right Interview Questions

Studies show that interviews predict job performance; however, not all interviews are created equal. Carefully selected interview questions can make the difference between hiring an employee who’s rehearsed versus one who’s actually ready. The questions you ask in the interview are critical to getting to know if they are the right fit. Asking questions that require them to respond to how they would handle specific scenarios keeps them honest and thinking on their feet. These questions go beyond typical questions about their background and experience.

Read: 4 Types of Questions to Ask in a Caregiver Interview

Getting caregivers to stay past the first 90 days is difficult, but it can be done. Hiring caregivers who share your WHY, are passionate about elder care, and have the right qualifications will aid you in reducing caregiver turnover. For more tips and strategies on how to retain your caregiver past their first 90 days, watch the replay of the CORE Webinar “Why Caregivers Stay: Retaining Caregivers Beyond 90 Days” with Activated Insights CEO Aaron Marcum, and ClearCare CEO, Geoff Nudd.

Best,

Aaron Marcum

CEO and Founder of Activated Insights