CONTEXT

Within home care, caregivers are pivotal for the client's well-being. Yet, challenges like high turnover and variable care quality persist, urging a solution. In late 2019 Honor Recognized a gap, it was clear caregivers lack an efficient performance management system, and that laid the groundwork for overhauling our existing system. This is a culmination of work from 2020-2022.

PROBLEM

The absence of performance management impacted care consistency, care quality, and operational expenses.

QUESTION

How could we design a robust performance management approach that empowers caregivers, enhances client care, fosters continual growth, and improve operating costs?

SOLUTION

We developed a comprehensive performance management and incentives program that offered real-time feedback, coaching, and recognition mechanisms. We implemented the program with caregivers and supervisors such that they can engage in constructive discussions and elevate care dynamics.

OUR GOAL

Success meant helping Care Pros grow in their career and improving operational costs by systematizing performance management. We had to create incremental goals that laddered up to our future vision of performance management.

IDENTIFYING EXISTING PAIN POINTS

We worked with our operations and data team to understand what behaviors were strong indicators for performance, impact care quality, and operational costs. We aligned on 4 core metrics. Call-Offs, Client consistency, Timeliness, and App usage. During this time we experimented a lot with the makeup of each metric, visual representation, ux, and tone. We decided to A/B test a few versions to see which performed best. We landed on a modular design that resembled a credit score. It was flexible to apply to any future metric and modular enough that sections could be added or subtracted.

SKETCHING AND WIREFRAMES

Modularity was important for us because we wanted the design to be flexible with different asset types and types of workflows. We did some rough sketches and brought the wireframes into a lo-fi prototype to test proof of concepts.

SEARCHING FOR INVENTORY

In our pursuit of enhanced performance management, we prioritized transparent metric explanations and real-time coaching. Regular check-ins and milestone discussions reinforced progress and behavior change. This integrated approach not only elevated caregiver performance but also cultivated an environment of ongoing improvement.

INSIGHTS AT A GLANCE

After establishing foundational metrics and orienting caregivers, we collaborated with legal and ops teams to revamp performance management. We embraced a growth-oriented approach, enabling caregivers to improve their standing and focused on capturing qualitative feedback from families. We streamlined feedback collection, replacing manual client manager entries, amplifying direct feedback impact, and cutting operational costs.

COLLECTION CONTROL AND COLLABORATION

To incentivize and reward positive performance, we launched a benefits and coaching program for caregivers but faced complexity in metrics alignment and potential impact on expenses. We utilized AI models on existing data to determine reward tiers and coaching points. After an initial pilot, we conducted ux research with caregivers and ops. We found there was caregiver and ops confusion around how the program worked and how caregivers to progress to the next level. We had to reevaluate our designs, simplify our metrics, and create clearer progress tracking. We then rereleased it to a pilot in 4 active markets.

OUTCOME

There were visible gains from the product launch and found that we were able to improve performance behavior. We saw significant shifts in our core metrics, two of which were directly tied to operational expenses. Quantifiable data and feedback highlight reduced turnover, heightened client satisfaction, caregiver skill growth, and reduced operational costs.