Think “Inside” Your Box

K&K Health Care Solutions knows that finding clinical and caregiving staff is hard right now.  Many agencies have stepped up their recruiting efforts in big ways.  A close friend of mine shared that she saw an airplane banner flying over Rehoboth Beach with the message “90k sign on bonuses for RN’s.”  I am betting this was a hospital that could afford this kind of advertising, but I know HH agencies wish they could.

At K&K, we believe leaning into building your agency culture will reap benefits in retaining new and current employees in the new shortage environment.  Clinicians are looking for intangibles far beyond salary and benefits and when they find them, they will be loyal employees and attract others.  By building culture, you will enhance “word of mouth” recruiting.  I see this pay off every day on certain FB pages where home health clinicians gather, on various pages, and ask the question “who works at (insert agency name) and what can you tell me about it.”

Very rarely are they discussing money.  I know many of your reading this may not believe it, but it is a fact that is borne out in almost every employment study conducted.  Salary/payment rarely breaks the top 5 in reasons why people choose or remain at a job.

Therefore, we think, you need to think “inside” your box.  Inside your business box needs to be employee inclusive, consistent, and flexible.   You need good leadership in your management decision makers that does not rely on co-dependency and makes employees feel like they can succeed.  You need to create a culture of accountability.  This should not just be top-down but ingrained in the ethics of your agency.

Finding and training leaders that can motivate and value your staff is key to your success.  Utilizing the services and skills of experts is worth the investment.  Take the opportunity that this current environment offers to re-tool your agency and bring in the most modern technology that will make the tasks of Home Health easier.

Find out ways to mitigate the things clinicians most dislike about Home Health.  Above all, engage your current employees in answering key questions about what they like and dislike about your agency culture and lastly ask them what their “dream” agency would look like.

We think the answers will surprise you.