The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly presented new challenges for the caregiving industry and cast a harsh light on existing issues. It’s no secret that most long-term care facilities, home health agencies, and other health service providers are in a hiring frenzy right now. Turnover rates seem to be at their highest. New caregivers are demanding higher wages while others still haven’t returned to work. Healthcare providers everywhere are struggling to fill shifts and keep long-term, dedicated caregivers on their teams, which raises the question: why? And what are the solutions?
We at Jobs4CNAs have identified two main problems contributing to high turnover rates and low caregiver retention. These problems are two sides of the same coin with both finding their roots in the recruiting and hiring process. We’ve labeled one as a “Staffing Problem” and the other as a “Hiring Problem.” In this article, we’re going to outline the differences between these two main problems facing the industry and provide some solutions.
So, let’s jump in!
What is a Staffing Problem?
At Jobs4CNAs we like to keep things simple. Life is already complicated enough as it is. So, we define a staffing problem as the urgent need to fill shifts without the necessary number of caregivers to work them. This could happen due to a variety of reasons: good and bad.
A good reason could be that your facility has been doing well. So well, in fact, that you are now expanding into new territories and thus need more staff. For a home health agency, it could mean that your services have been so appreciated that your clientele base is growing faster than you anticipated.
As for the bad, well, what’s a better example than COVID-19: an unexpected circumstance that affected nearly everyone in its own unique way. A more common occurrence that negatively affects staff numbers, however, is a caregiver quitting at the last minute without prior notice. This could be because of personal reasons, like a family emergency or something else.
It can happen on a Friday night at 11 p.m. when the overnight staff doesn’t show up for their shift. Or at 7 a.m. on a Monday morning when a state surveyor just happens to be in the building.
The point is that it happens. Frequently. And it’s never at the right time.
We call this a staffing problem.
What’s a Hiring Problem?
A hiring problem is the constant need to “re-hire” for a particular position time and time again. When this happens often, it’s time for some reflection on upper management’s part. Ask yourself, as the manager, and your team: what are we doing wrong?
As the saying goes, insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. If you continuously find yourself hiring for the same position while your clientele numbers remain the same, you have a hiring problem.
This most likely means that there is a recruiting or staff management issue that’s not being addressed. Maybe important details about your staffing needs are not being communicated during interviews or throughout the recruiting process. Maybe you’re simply not looking in the right places to hire top-quality caregivers. Either way, you want to rectify these problems as soon as possible. You don’t want to wait until after the new hire’s drug screening test, background checks, or worse, orientation, to learn that this wasn’t the job for them.
After all that, you’re back to square one. It is a very time-consuming problem, and as we all know, time is money.
You need a solution.
How to Solve Your Staffing Problem
If you have a staffing problem, as we defined it earlier, you’re probably used to relying on your team for backup. There is always that one caregiver who is looking for extra hours or willing to help out. For last-minute call-ins, some facilities have a mandated policy that requires another caregiver to stay when someone else does not show up for their shift.
At Jobs4CNAs, we are not in favor of employee mandates. Forcing any caregiver to stay long after their shift is over can ruin your team’s morale. We say “force” because if a caregiver refuses to stay under the mandated policy, it may result in a disciplinary write-up or even a termination. That’s a lose-lose situation, especially when you are already short-staffed and if that happens to be one of your best caregivers.
Instead, we advise every health facility or agency to have an on-call team. What’s an on-call team? It’s a team of caregivers willing to cover last-minute open shifts in exchange for incentives. In our next article, we’ll touch on this more and provide a detailed explanation of why every employer needs to have an on-call team and how to create one.
Another solution to a staffing problem is to call a staffing agency. This might be expensive, but it will get you out of a pinch and prevent your company’s reputation from being damaged. If you are a nursing facility, sometimes this might be your last resort. If you are a home health company, collaborating with another local home health company might be another option worth exploring.
How to Solve Your Hiring Problem
If you have a hiring problem, we suggest that you begin by identifying the real issue causing your new hires to leave. Maybe your new hires are getting overwhelmed easily. In that case, you might want to extend their training period and provide extra guidance. Ask them if they have questions or even suggestions on how to make their training easier and more useful. Have them train with or shadow your best CNAs on different shifts if possible. (A side note on training: make sure the person training them is actually interested in training new hires. Not everyone enjoys training new hires, and oftentimes, forcing it can lead to a frustrating experience for both parties.)
Another question hiring managers should ask themselves is this: are you hiring for the exact openings and needs you currently have? Hiring managers are often too flexible when hiring so that they can fill the position as soon as possible.
If you need to hire someone to work weekends, make sure you center the hiring conversation around weekends. It’s okay if the new hire is only available to work every other weekend. That is understandable. Plus, it means you’re closer to getting your weekend shifts completely filled. It just needs to be stated clearly during the interview process.
A candidate who is vague about their availability and says something like “I may be able to work weekends every now and then” should not be hired if your specific need is weekends. Stick to your hiring needs to prevent a staffing problem from becoming a hiring problem.
Lastly, research your competition to see what they are doing differently. Caregivers work where they feel appreciated and valued, so make sure no one is outdoing you when it comes to workplace culture.
To gauge your employee culture, spend some time reflecting on these questions:
- Are your managers and directors approachable?
- Do your caregivers feel like you have their backs?
- Do you listen to their concerns and give them feedback?
- Do you know the staff working the overnight shift? Have you taken the time to stop by one night just to say hi, or do they only see you during the day when something is wrong?
These are things that really make a difference in the workplace. Compensation matters, of course, but many caregivers often cite a poor working environment and lack of respect as reasons for leaving a position.
A Helpful Resource for Hiring Managers
Once you know exactly which problem you’re facing, it’s easier to find the appropriate solution. We hope we’ve offered some useful advice for tackling these specific issues and highlighted the importance of hiring for the right reasons.
Jobs4CNAs.com is an industry-specific job board based in Omaha, Nebraska. We make it easier to find dedicated CNAs and caregivers by connecting you with a pool of eager, qualified candidates looking for their next position. We link interested applicants directly to your application portal so that you can track applications using your own tracking software and limit applications to serious candidates only.
