Caregiver agency hiring requires a strong focus on recruiting, interviewing and selecting the right candidates. Managing the caregiver candidate pipeline and reducing turnover are essential to successful home care agency operations. Fortunately, there are many tools and best practices available to help you improve the recruitment process, including leveraging an applicant tracking system (ATS). A superior ATS can quickly vet and identify top candidates from a large pool of applicants, saving your recruiters time and effort and helping to ensure that the highest quality caregivers are hired.
A high-quality, experienced caregiver is a huge benefit for both a client and his or her family. Unfortunately, caregivers often leave their agencies after just a few months because they are often unhappy with the pay, schedule, job duties and other factors. This turnover can add up to a significant cost for an agency. The best way to reduce the turnover is to increase the number of qualified caregivers and to provide a more attractive employment package.
One of the best ways to do this is to use a marketing strategy that emphasizes the value of the position and the company culture. This can be accomplished through local newspaper ads, community events and social media updates. You may also want to consider working with a third party, like Caregiver Advantage, that can provide marketing support and assist with recruiting for your agency.
An experienced home care agency will have a large, reliable pool of caregivers who have been thoroughly vetted by the agency. This is important because the caregiver will have passed a background check, medical exam, drug screening and been cleared to work. In addition, the agency will have liability insurance and worker’s compensation coverage. Independent caregivers who work directly for clients do not have these protections and may be held responsible in the event of a lawsuit.
Interviewing can be done by phone or in-person, with the care receiver present if possible. The care receiver’s goals and needs should be clearly defined to allow the caregiver to make an informed decision about the best fit. Behavioral interview questions can be an effective way to gain insight into how the caregiver will react in different situations.
The most common roadblocks to a smooth caregiver transition include the client or his or her family assuming responsibility for payroll taxes and withholding, or the agency being tasked with handling the burden of these tasks. These costs can add up to a considerable sum, and the best way to avoid these expenses is to work with a reputable home care agency that offers a full range of caregiver services. For example, a reputable agency can take on the management of all the tax payments and withholding, as well as manage the payroll for the caregivers. This can save you a lot of money and headaches and will give you peace of mind knowing that your loved ones are in good hands.
