As home health care companies struggle to keep reduce employee turnover rates and compete to attract clients, one element is at the heart of an agency鈥檚 success: training.
Ongoing training programs for employees to advance their skills can reduce costly turnover,听said听Sharon Brothers, founder and CEO of the Institute for Professional Care Education, during The Home Care Pulse Vantage Online Leadership Summit.
鈥淭raining gives [employees] the opportunity to get better at what they do,鈥� Brothers said, noting that many employees want to take pride in honing a special skill, such as specializing in dementia care.
Despite home health care being among the fastest-growing sectors in the U.S., turnover for home health and personal care aides is around听 each year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
And some providers are having to听 due to turnover challenges.
鈥淲e think turnover is one of the most important things you can look at,鈥� Brothers said.
A five-year study conducted on a control group of caregivers who were not offered advanced training and another group who were found that training led to a 16.4% percent lower turnover rate, Brothers said, adding that those agencies that implemented training also grew two times faster than those in the control group.
Ongoing training not only helps to retain employees, but is also a boon for business.
Increase Home Health Referrals
Client-focused training can help increase referrals, Brothers said.
For caregivers who are working with a client for the first time, letting that individual or his or her family members know that you鈥檝e had training and understand the specific needs of that person reflects well on the agency.
鈥淓very time my mom鈥檚 caregiver couldn鈥檛 come I used to just go there myself,鈥� Brothers said a client鈥檚 daughter once told her. 鈥淲ith this new training program I can breathe easy knowing that everyone caring for my mom is trained to her specific care needs.鈥�
鈥淪o, if you can say, 鈥榃e have a training program so if your caregiver calls off we鈥檝e got somebody trained who can come in and you don鈥檛 have to worry about it,鈥� you鈥檝e set yourself a part from the competition.鈥�
In addition, asking clients and their famiies what they think should be included in training programming helps to strengthen the relationship between the client and agency.
鈥淕etting customers involved with training plans can change the customer experience and get [the agency] referrals,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 unique.鈥�
Attract Qualified Candidates
Training opportunities not only help to reduce turnover, but it also helps attract qualified candidates.
Eighty-five percent of caregivers want more paid training opportunities and 71% of caregivers say they must be learning to stay with a company source, she said, citing a 2014 MyCNAJobs survey.
鈥淪et career ladders in training,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 building more speciality skills as a caregiver, being a mentor or moving up into the nursing field. It helps caregivers visualize professional growth opportunities.鈥�
Allowing employees more flexibly with their schedules can also help retain qualified workers, and help them to feel like a valuable member of the team.
If someone can only work three days a week because they have to care for that family, but are passionate about the field, then it鈥檚 worth only having them work when they can, she said.
Overall, 鈥渋ncreased training increases confidence in care,鈥� she said.
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