Caregiver Recruitment and Retention | 10.1.22
Duration: 31m 23s
Description: Nikki Holles, VP of Human Resources at Right at Home, works with the corporate HR team who supports the franchisees and the Employee Experience team, which is 100% dedicated to supporting franchisees and their office staff in regards to caregivers and office staff recruitment, retention, and engagement.
Nikki and Jen Chaney, VP of Franchise Development, cover some frequently asked questions and challenges that franchisee have when trying to hire and retain caregivers. The following is summary of their discussion:
What are some of the things Right at Home provides franchise owners when they first start to recruit caregivers? Documentation, support, webinars, town halls and performance groups. In addition, templated job descriptions, sample job postings, all the steps in a roadmap for the posting through interviewing, making an offer, onboarding. Right at Home also knows the preferred vendors for applicant tracking systems and electronic onboarding systems, as well as recruiting texting platform. If you are not an HR expert, we have the processes and partners to help make your office successful. We can also help when you need to scale that in six month to a year or five years.
Where can a franchise owner find sample recruitment information to use? There is a central hub which houses all the information, such as templates, samples, sign up for webinars, etc. We have a legal partner that specializes in the home care industry, and they have a website available to everybody with compliance info, sample handbooks, policies, arbitration agreements for caregivers. Franchisees have unlimited access to all the tools on that platform.
Do franchise owners who hire their staff/caregivers offer benefits? Nikki commented that it is all over the board because caregivers may be strictly hourly. Some may offer additional benefits such as ACA compliant benefits like medical health, dental. The good news is Right at Home has preferred vendors that the franchisees can use to devise a plan that is best for your situation. You have the autonomy to do what you want.
Do I need to have an actual recruiting person on my office staff? The answer is yes. That may be one of the first of three office positions you will need: a recruiter, scheduler, and somebody who’s selling or getting referral sources. The recruiter is somebody who’s just loving on the caregivers, making sure everything is in place.
How many caregivers do you need right out of the gate? We recommend five to ten. You will need flexibility to meet the needs of your clients. You will always be hiring. Franchisees typically have a new hire orientation class per week.
Do you hire the recruiter position right out of the gate? It depends on the strength of the owner, as this is something they may decide to handle themselves. Or, they may determine they want to sell and then hire the recruiter.
How do you keep caregivers? You, as a franchise owner, have the flexibility to do whatever employment model that makes sense to you as a business owner. The majority of our franchisees only pay caregivers when billed, with exception training, new hire orientation, those items you’ve got to do to get the caregiver ready and oriented. Some franchisees may have a few caregivers with guaranteed hours so you have someone available if someone cancels. Nikki continues with ideas on how some franchisees retain caregivers.
Do owners offer signing bonuses? Some do. Bonuses can range anywhere between $50 to $500, depending on the market and time length from hire date.
What’s the outlook for caregiver recruitment in 2023? Nikki believes it will get better, but we’ll always be looking for caregivers. It’s been our model for 30 years. Be good brand ambassadors and provide a positive employment culture.
Do neighboring franchise owners ever share employees? Can they work for competitors? Caregivers are allowed to work. Nikki adds caregivers are allowed to work for whomever they want. There are many caregivers that work for multiple agencies.
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