Discover the top 5 reasons employees quit their home care jobs, and learn how to address these issues to improve retention and job satisfaction.
Overview
The home care industry is experiencing some of the highest turnover rates it has seen in a while. At nearly 80%, home care agencies can expect that 1 in every 4 employees hired will likely quit within the first 100 days of employment.
This number might not come as a surprise to home care agencies who are painfully aware of the costs of rampant turnover. However resigned to the issue supervisors and managers might feel, it is of the upmost importance that home care agencies understand why industry turnover rates are elevated and plan accordingly.
This blog will review the five most common reasons home care employees cite for quitting their home care jobs and suggest solutions home care agencies can use to reduce turnover in their own workplace.
Why Home Care Employees are Quitting
Activated Insights released its 2024 Home Care Benchmark Report, which came with key insights into the ever-growing turnover rate in the home care industry.
Some of the most common reasons that home care employees—primarily caregivers—gave for quitting are echoed in studies throughout the industry. Below are five reasons employees quit their home care jobs:
1. Disorganized Administration & Management
Caregivers aren’t the only ones quitting within the first 100 days of employment. Home care administrator and supervisor positions have also been lost to high turnover rates—and losing an employee in a management position is especially impactful.
When supervisors or managers who lack previous experience are subsequently hired, the disruptions are felt throughout the agency. One of the most common reasons home care employees cited for quitting was inexperienced or inattentive leadership.
Caregivers and office staff complained of a lack of communication or support when questions were raised, schedules were changed, or payments were delayed. They complained of disorganization that regularly affected scheduling, payroll, and documentation. Finally, caregivers often complained about a lack of integrity, citing multiple missed paydays and overscheduling despite verbal promises made by supervisors and managers.
2. Excessive Workload Leading to Burnout
High turnover rates create a widespread residual problem: a larger workload for remaining employees. Caregivers are most acutely burdened by this reoccurring issue.
When caregivers’ caseloads expand and change, caregivers spend extra hours reviewing patient documentation, more time providing care, and travel larger distances. When office staff quit, administrators and managers spend more time on administrative tasks and have less time to support field staff.
Unfortunately, this vicious cycle results in one thing for every home care employee: stress, no work-life balance, career passion lost, and eventual burnout.
3. Lack of Communication Around Compensation & Pay
Compensation and pay are tricky issues, no matter who you talk to. Where regulations have required many home care agencies to undertake the challenge of providing competitive pay, caregivers nationwide are still citing low pay and minimal compensation as one of their top reasons for quitting.
This discrepancy is highlighted by the rising cost of home care services. When caregivers become privy to information regarding costs, many begin to wonder where that money is being spent (and why it is not invested back into their caregiving).
Whether or not this notion is accurate, home care agencies must answer the unspoken questions, and plan to invest in their employees via higher salaries and competitive benefits.
4. Scheduling Changes & Inconsistencies
Inevitably, schedules must be shifted around when caregivers quit. This puts pressure not only on the scheduler, but on caregivers who must now take on new cases, give up current patients, and adjust their personal schedules to meet work requirements.
Caregivers cited a lack of scheduling consistency as motivation for quitting their home care jobs. Many caregivers recalled having their hours cut, being scheduled inconsistently, and being scheduled but not consistently paid for overtime hours.
Increased travel time is also a large factor in high turnover rates amongst caregivers. Travel reimbursement is not always provided, and caregivers more frequently face long commutes, undercutting their personal time.
5. Lack of Proper Training
Training for successful caregiving is rigorous already. When home care agencies add on their own documentation practices—whether it’s via paper, online, mobile app, or a mixture of all three—then caregivers find themselves struggling to keep up with an overwhelming workload, leading to lower satisfaction and a higher likelihood of quitting.
Caregivers who receive comprehensive training feel more prepared for their job than caregivers who do not receive high-quality training. Unfortunately, many caregivers note that they did not receive proper training when they first started their home care jobs.
Confident caregivers are ones that have received comprehensive training—not only medical training, but also training on the Home Care Software they use every day.
Conclusion
Home care industry turnover rates are not getting lower any time soon. Understanding the reasons home care employees quit is the first step to protecting your agency against employee turnover. Finding solutions to common problems is the second step.
Standardizing processes can reduce the impact of changes in management or administration and leave managers more time to communicate with field staff. Caregivers, back-office staff, and managers can benefit from Home Care Software with advanced scheduling features, integrated payroll, and robust revenue cycle management reports. Implementing training on best practices for both caregiving and Home Care Software can help agencies create and retain confident employees.
Actionable steps can be taken to give your home care agency a competitive advantage. If home care agencies take stock of why their employees are quitting, and address the issues caregivers and staff cite, they can encourage employees to stay for longer durations of time and improve operational efficiency.
FAQs About Why Employees Quit Their Home Care Jobs
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High turnover rates in the home care industry are often driven by factors such as disorganized management, excessive workloads, inconsistent scheduling, low pay, and inadequate training. Addressing these issues can help retain employees.
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Inexperienced or inattentive leadership can lead to miscommunication, payroll delays, overscheduling, and a lack of support for caregivers. These factors frustrate employees and drive them to quit.
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Burnout is a major issue caused by excessive workloads and a lack of work-life balance. When employees take on too much responsibility due to understaffing, they often experience stress, exhaustion, and eventually leave their roles.
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Yes, low pay and minimal benefits are common reasons caregivers quit. Even when home care agencies charge high fees for services, caregivers often feel their compensation doesn’t reflect their effort and dedication.
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Inconsistent schedules, sudden changes, and lack of overtime pay can make it difficult for caregivers to plan their lives. Long travel times without reimbursement further add to their frustration.
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Comprehensive training equips caregivers with the skills they need to feel confident in their roles. Poor training can leave employees overwhelmed, increasing the likelihood they’ll quit.
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Home care agencies can reduce turnover by:
Standardizing management processes.
Offering competitive pay and benefits.
Implementing user-friendly scheduling and payroll software.
Providing robust training programs.
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High turnover disrupts operations, increases workloads for remaining staff, and raises recruitment and training costs. Addressing turnover is vital for maintaining quality care and operational efficiency.
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Yes, technology like home care software with advanced scheduling, payroll integration, and training features can streamline operations, improve communication, and enhance employee satisfaction.
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Retaining employees improves the quality of care, reduces costs associated with recruitment and training, and creates a more stable and supportive workplace environment.
About CareVoyant
CareVoyant is a leading provider of cloud-based integrated enterprise-scale home health care software that can support all home-based services under ONE Software, ONE Patient, and ONE Employee, making it a Single System of Record. We support all home based services, including Home Care, Private Duty Nursing, Private Duty Non-Medical, Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), Home Health, Pediatric Home Care, and Outpatient Therapy at Home.
CareVoyant functions – Intake, Authorization Management, Scheduling, Clinical with Mobile options, eMAR/eTAR, Electronic Visit Verification (EVV), Billing/AR, Secure Messaging, Notification, Reporting, and Dashboards – streamline workflow, meet regulatory requirements, improve quality of care, optimize reimbursement, improve operational efficiency and agency bottom line.
For more information, please visit CareVoyant.com or call us at 1-888-463-6797.
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