Workforce challenges are top of mind for care at home providers. During an education session at the 2025 Axxess Growth, Innovation and Leadership Experience (AGILE), Eric Scharber, Executive Vice President of SimiTree, David Totaro, Chief Government Affairs Officer for Bayada Home Health Care, Tarrah Lowry, COO of Empath Health, and Tammy Ross, Executive Vice President of Professional Services at Axxess, shared strategies that leaders can implement to improve their recruitment and retention efforts.
Generational Shifts
Scharber opened the session by emphasizing the importance of paying attention to the generational shifts in the workplace. He urged organizations to shift their policies and culture to meet the needs of the majority of the workforce, helping them stay relevant and appeal to younger workers.
“The global workforce is made up of 75% millennials,” Scharber said. “Gen Z is right behind them. Are you still leading your organization for boomers and Gen X?”
The panel noted that traditional avenues to recruitment like sign-on bonuses and a healthy benefits package may not be as effective in recruiting younger generations of workers. The group argued that these groups of workers are more focused on flexibility, the meaning of the work they’re doing and feeling connected to the organization.
“As we start to look at Gen Z, it’s really about does my work have meaning,” Ross said. “If we’re not branding ourselves so that our work has meaning, we’re just not going to attract people.”
Speaking to employee connections, Totaro noted that employee advocacy has become a key component in his organization’s retention and recruitment strategy, highlighting it as one of the top reasons employees choose to stay.
“We discovered that what they [caregivers] told us is that this is a very lonely job,” Totaro said. “And it is really comforting to know that there’s a company that has my back.”
Professional Development
During the discussion, the panel emphasized the importance of employee autonomy and professional development, highlighting that leadership trust and growth opportunities are crucial to workers and can boost retention.
“I think one of the biggest things we can do with our colleagues is say, listen, we trust you,” Lowry said. “I’m giving you this autonomy. They want to be supported but give them autonomy in their work.”
Ross emphasized that professional development is a driving force for the clinical workforce.
“They’re expecting growth,” Ross said. “They’re expecting to be able to know what their career path is, their career ladder.”
Lowry and Totaro echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that training programs and leadership classes are an essential piece to retaining staff.
Ross added that providing personal support systems for employees is just as important as offering career-focused opportunities. She highlighted that mental and emotional health groups, along with employee resource programs, give staff the chance to connect outside of work, fostering interpersonal relationships and ultimately leading to higher retention.
Company Culture
When discussing company culture, the panel noted that all employees value a positive company culture, emphasizing that it helps them understand and connect with the purpose of their work.
Ross noted that ensuring employees are a good fit for the company culture is a key aspect of recruiting. She emphasized that leaders need to make sure new hires are properly integrated into the culture.
“Many come for a job, but they stay for the culture,” Totaro added.
Scharber noted that leaders must effectively communicate the company culture, stressing that to recruit and retain the right candidates, they themselves need a clear understanding and definition of the organization’s core values and operations.
The panel added that leadership must actively support and drive the company culture to keep employees engaged.
“Culture starts at the top,” Ross said. “No matter the size of the organization, it’s a matter of attention, you have to prioritize.”
With more than 550 attendees, more than 50 sponsors and countless connections made, AGILE 2025 was a massive success for everyone. Click here to register for AGILE 2026, May 4-6 in Dallas.
