A three–part series by Stephen Tweed, CEO of
Leading Home Care … a Tweed Jeffries company
Part III: The Solutions to Scheduler Frustration, Burnout, and Turnover
In this three-part blog series, we began by exploring the challenges of scheduler frustration, burnout, and turnover in the first article, followed by an examination of the root causes in the second.
Now let’s look at some solutions that you can apply in your own company to help your schedulers. Our panel of experts has some great ideas that they have used in their own companies, and these are very doable, practical solutions. Outlined below are the top 10 solutions to scheduler frustrations in home care.
10 Solutions to Scheduler Frustrations in Home Care
1. Hire Better Caregivers
The source of frustration and burnout for many home care schedulers is that you have caregivers who are not reliable, do not respond to being contacted, do not treat the schedulers with respect, and do not want to work the hours or shifts that are available.
We know from the industry benchmarking data that caregiver turnover was 79.2% in 2023, and 57% of turnover happens in the first 90 days. The number one cause of 90-day turnover is bad hires.
To ease the stress on schedulers, do a better job of recruiting, selecting, onboarding, and training caregivers.
2. Reduce PRN Caregivers
A significant number of caregivers are what we call part-time intermittent. These are often referred to as PRN, or “as needed”. They work as needed, and they want to work with companies that have improved the scheduling process, hire more full-time professional caregivers, and more half-time professional caregivers. These are individuals who love this work, are committed to their clients, and want a consistent schedule.
3. Change the Role of the Scheduler
The top tier companies who have made major improvements in reducing frustration and burnout of schedulers have created new roles and new titles that go beyond just scheduling. These new roles, such as “Client Experience Manager”, “Staffing Manger”, or “Area Manager” include setting and communicating the schedule as part of larger role of coordinating the care of the client, driving recruiting, and communicating with caregivers.
4. Send a Clear Hiring Message
When recruiting and hiring new people to work in a role that includes the scheduling process, make sure you are very clear about the expectations of the job, the pressures of the job, and the support available. As one leader told me, “We don’t provide flexibility. We provide stability. We need to be here to work with clients and caregivers, and we want to build a stable, steady process that is consistent.”
5. Provide Better Training
Everyone we talked with in this survey told us that training is important for schedulers, and they don’t get enough training. We talked about the types of training, and how best to provide it.
The training needed falls into three buckets:
- Training on your company’s scheduling system, and how your system works using your software.
- Training on the software itself, and the best workflows to use in making the process work. This training includes helping your scheduler know the shortest and quickest steps to get the task done.
- Training in communication, teamwork, and company values. This includes being clear about the promises the company makes to clients and caregivers, and how to fulfill those promises.
6. Provide a Better Physical Environment for Schedulers
The space where your schedulers sit, and the tools they have, make a huge difference in overcoming the silo effect, reducing decision fatigue, and addressing the demands of the job. Having your schedulers sit in an open “bull pen” where they can see each other, listen in to each other, talk with each other, and support each other. Several home care COOs and Directors of Operations told me that they have their desk in an open cubicle or have their office right next to the scheduling bull pen so they can overhear what’s going on, help make decisions and provide support and encouragement when things get crazy.
7. Provide Internal Tech Support
Have someone in your company, or with whom you contract, who understands the ins and outs of your scheduling software and knows your computer and phone systems. This person needs to be readily available to the schedulers to help them improve their speed and consistency by understanding the quickest way with the least number of steps to get tasks completed.
8. Have a “Process Enforcer”
Schedulers need to follow the process, make sure each step is completed, and document everything. You need to have someone who can give them very specific and real examples of how missed clicks or missed documentation affects client care. The more accurately the schedulers follow the process, the more accurate the outcomes, and the smoother the system runs. It also means that the data and information you get out of your system will be complete, accurate, and timely.
A big source of frustration for schedulers is technical issues. Either the software is not working as it is designed to work, or the person has not been trained to use the system efficiently and effectively.
9. Create a Positive, Engaging Company Culture
Company Culture is “the way we do things around here.” The culture is based on four elements:
- The leadership style of the CEO
- The core values that guide actions and decisions
- The behavior we expect
- The behavior we permit
Part of the culture is how you recognize and rewards performance, and how you have fun in the workplace. Your entire team, particularly your schedulers, need to feel that this is a great place to work, that what they do makes a difference, and that they are valued and appreciated.
10. Define Your Company Values, Boundaries, and Expectations
Part of crafting your culture is to define the core values in the company that guide decisions and actions. Then, it is important to be clear about the behavior we expect and the behavior we permit. It is important to help people understand the boundaries of what is permitted and what is promoted. This then links to the promises the company makes to clients and caregivers, and how team members fulfill those promises.
Time to Take Action
None of this is easy, but these are steps you can take to make your agency a great place to work for schedulers, and for other team members. These steps will reduce the frustration, burnout, and turnover of schedulers. With those outcomes, you will have happier clients, happier caregivers, and a more effective home care operation.
Here are three things you can do to take action on this information:
- Talk with your team and identify the issues and concerns that cause them frustration and burnout.
- Identify the causes of their frustration and burnout.
- Select solutions and take action.
Just DO it!
Stephen Tweed is a home care industry strategic advisor, researcher, and thought leader. He is the CEO of Leading Home Care … a Tweed Jeffries company based in Louisville, KY, and the Founder of the Home Care CEO Forum, based in Federal Way, WA.
