Healthcare workers are notoriously prone to burnout, and home health aides are no exception to this. COVID-19 has only exacerbated the situation.

In fact, in April 2021, a survey of over 1,300 frontline healthcare workers found that 55% of care workers felt “burned out.” That figure rose to 70% among those under 30.

Burnout leads to medical errors and causes healthcare workers to leave the profession. It is a major issue for home health agencies, especially in an environment in which record numbers of healthcare workers are quitting.

Fortunately, home health software can support home care service agencies and caregivers alike by reducing burnout and improving the quality of care. Here’s how: 

1. Give Employees Greater Control Over Their Schedules

Study after study shows that employees quit when their schedules aren’t flexible enough. Giving staff control over their schedules allows them to balance their work with their other priorities: family, school, informal caregiving, and hobbies. In this way, it reduces their stress levels and allows them to come to work with more energy and enthusiasm.

Of course, healthcare agencies also need control over schedules. Your priority is planning shifts around care receivers’ needs, while also ensuring your business is profitable. However, home care software allows you to do this while also giving your staff the flexibility they want.

With home care software, you can input your needs into the program and invite workers to add their availability. You can then assign available staff to care receivers and create a schedule in just minutes. 

Plus, when staff members want to take days off, they can simply do it via the app — you just need to establish the minimum amount of required notice, and everything else will be done automatically.

2. Ensure Employees Have Everything They Need to Do Their Job Well 

When employees have everything they need for a shift, they are both empowered to work well and are more likely to find the job rewarding.

Conversely, when they don’t have the information or tools they need, their work becomes stressful and confusing. The constant anxiety over whether they are doing their work well can lead to them becoming burned out.

Fortunately, home health software automates the entire process for you and your team. You can upload the care receiver’s information to the secure app, which staff can then access on the go. Care plans and other process documentation, care receivers’ goals, progress updates from other caregivers: this will all be available at the tap of a button. 

3. Facilitate Quick Payments for Hours Worked and Expenses 

It’s a common claim that pay doesn’t affect job motivation, but that’s not always the case. In fact, one recent study of medical practitioners showed that those with higher incomes and better household economic well-being were more likely to experience job satisfaction and, consequently, were less likely to become burned out. It’s not the only study that’s linked lower incomes with high levels of burnout, either.

You may not be able to offer higher pay rates to your staff, although that would be one way to improve job satisfaction. You can, however, use home health software to ensure staff get paid correctly and on time.

Home health software will enable accurate timekeeping and expenses, with no need to chase up missing receipts via email. You can also integrate it directly with your accounting and invoicing software, ensuring that all your employees get paid fully and on time. 

In doing so, you can reduce staff members’ financial stress and help them feel positive about their work.

Discover How Home Health Software Can Help Your Home Care Service Agency

Preventing employee burnout is key to providing high-quality care and improving your bottom line. Motivated staff are less likely to make mistakes and are more likely to create a positive experience for care receivers.

They are also less likely to quit, which means you can rely on a motivated, experienced and qualified team of caregivers who know what they are doing. You won’t lose organizational knowledge through rapid turnover, and you won’t waste time constantly training new recruits.

Plus, just like how burnout is contagious, so too is job satisfaction. When your staff members are motivated and work well, they create a positive domino effect. Their well-written progress notes help other staff members perform well; their willingness to cover shifts means other workers feel supported and have the work-life balance they need.

Home health care software has long been recognized for its ability to improve the quality of the care you provide, while also ensuring you comply with all regulations through document management. 

It can also help you improve the employee experience. Software like ShiftCare is purpose-built to meet home health care agencies’ needs. Its scheduling functions allow staff to input their availability, so you can create shifts in minutes. Plus, the ability to duplicate schedules gives stability to the workers who want it, while also cutting down on your workload.

Your back office will appreciate the accurate timekeeping and expenses, while employees can rest assured that they will always be paid the right amount on the right date.

What’s more, with ShiftCare, you can store all required documentation in one secure location. From care plans and shift progress notes to caregivers’ vaccination details, you and your team will have immediate access to everything they need (and nothing more). In this way, caregivers will never experience unnecessary delays in being assigned shifts, and they’ll also be empowered to provide quality care. 

To discover how home health software can improve your employees’ job satisfaction, try ShiftCare for free today.