TuesdayTalk: Caregiver Recruitment and Retention with Nikki Holles
Duration: 27m 58s
Description:
Caregiving and recruitment are big parts of a Right at Home operation. Jen Chaney, VP of Franchise Development at Right at Home, and Nikki Holles, Sr.VP of People Strategy and Governance, discuss caregiver recruitment and retention strategies. Nikki emphasized the importance of building a strong company culture, leveraging digital job boards, and using an applicant tracking system. For new franchise owners, hiring caregivers first is crucial, even if clients aren’t immediately available. Retention strategies focus on fair treatment, frequent communication, and leveraging recognition technologies like Caribou Care. They also highlighted the significance of the Caregiver of the Year award and the importance of peer support within the franchise network.
Caregiver Recruitment & Retention
At Right at Home, caregivers are the lifeblood of your business. Employers need to be the best that they can be. It comes down to the culture that you build in your business and the training given to your caregivers on how to provide services to your clients. It’s also about knowing and understanding recruitment tools, as well as providing great communication and training.
Caregivers or Clients: What Comes First?
Nikki explains that many prospective franchisees often ask what comes first -the caregiver or the client. Unequivocally, it is making sure you hire your caregiver first, but you must also be honest with them that you are just starting, and you don’t have active shifts right now. Communicate to the caregiver that they get to be part of this business from the ground up. The majority of caregivers work with multiple agencies and know the industry. As an owner, you will be able to leverage their talent and experience when you are recruiting new clients.
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Franchisees with Right at Home are required to use an applicant tracking system. An applicant tracking system is designed as a one-stop shop for businesses. You post your jobs, to hundreds of different job boards, and when people apply, they enter your ATS. You are then able to communicate (text, email, call) with your applicants from one spot and manage the communications. Tracking through the ATS is possible all throughout the hiring process, such as background checks, and into your payroll software.
Strategies for Attracting Caregivers
Right at Home leverages the knowledge that has been gathered throughout all the different regions and seniorities for creating job posting templates. Nikki adds that proven messaging strategies that resonate with potential caregivers are provided to franchise owners. These strategies and best practices include establishing an interview, messaging to the applicant following receipt of the application, timelines for communications, as well as what the application should look like. Right at Home also provides owners with all the resources and tools to train their caregivers. Based on your type of certification and the state your business is located, you will need to decide what type of training your caregivers require to qualify for employment.
Info on Caregiver Certification/Training
Home care licensing requirements depend upon the state the business is located. Training on Dementia and Alzheimer’s care, for example, might be required before an employee can start taking shifts with clients. There could also be training based on the state levels, such as infection control, proper hand washing, and when to wear a mask. Owners want to make sure that caregivers are trained in how to lift a client, transfer a client from a chair to a bed, bathing, and proper personal care techniques, etc., within the first 30 days or first shift.
Retaining Caregivers & Measuring Satisfaction
“Never before has caregiver retention been as important as it is today,” states Nikki. Retaining caregivers is very important and is unique for each office. Caregivers need to have a fair living wage, and there needs to be some equity there. Nikki adds that what really is important is that they are treated fairly. Do you as an owner ask for their opinion? A caregiving position is a lonely position. They are not in a facility where they have coworkers to laugh with and take breaks with. Frequent touch points, check-ins, and communication with them and their feedback/input is valued. First and foremost, you, as an employer, need to make sure your caregiver feels that you care about them.
Ways of Engaging Caregivers through Recognition
Nikki added that every franchisee has a unique way of doing things. Some follow-up with caregivers with phone calls and note cards. Others leverage technology. Right at Home has one of the best vendors that uses technology to engage caregivers. Caribou Care, Right at Home’s vendor, understands what motivates a caregiver, knows what makes them tick, and how to engage with them. They provide a preset engagement and rewards program for employee referrals, and they have an app to create rewards and use gamification of engagement for picking up shifts, etc. They are rewarded with gift cards, company swag, or simply shout-outs. It really depends on the budget of the franchisee.
Right at Home also works with Activated Insights for both clients and caregivers. Once franchisees have a certain number of employees, there is automatic surveying of clients and caregivers measuring satisfaction levels, such as training, the office, and relationships within the office staff. The software is able to benchmark scores and look at subsets of satisfaction. We also work with Great Places to Work, certification surveys, and the insights received from that data. We also use retention as a measurement of satisfaction, as well.
Franchisees also have some intentional touch points with caregivers, such as after the first shift, the first 7 days, 30 days, and 60 days. Franchisees can review the responses, which can allow the owners to reach out to caregivers and get their feedback.
Caregiver of the Year Award
There’s just never a dry eye in the house when we award our Caregiver of the Year award at our yearly conference, Home Improvement. Nikki noted that owners submit caregiver nominations. It’s important to recognize caregivers. They do this because they care about the clients. They are compassionate and really care about what they do. Caregivers want to make a difference in the lives of their seniors. Franchises routinely get testimonials from the clients and family members who have been impacted by the help of their caregiver. Franchisees from across the U.S. are part of the vetting process. They know what these caregivers are going through. Then an external panel selects the final winners. There is a cash prize, and the offices receive local and national media attention because of the award results. At the conference, the caregiver is presented, and the families and the client’s family may also attend. It is truly a heartfelt moment.
Right at Home also recognizes caregivers throughout the year, called Mission Moments. This is for special moments and day-to-day recognition. These moments are shared with the entire franchise network on our national town halls.
Final Thought
Nikki added that if you decide to become a part of the Right at Home franchise network, one of the biggest benefits is surrounding yourself with peers who have the same objectives as you and the same mission.
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August 12, 2025 at 2 pm CST
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https://rightathome.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CT5quJ71Tjyh49dlbJzASw
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