Dutch homecare provider improves quality, productivity and employee satisfaction
The Client
A large homecare provider in the Netherlands
Care is provided for essential personal care and clinical tasks – Assistance with tasks such as meal preparation, companionship and shopping is provided by other organisations, as is usual in the Netherlands
Zero-hour contracts are prohibited in the Netherlands, so guaranteed hours contracts are used
A large number of contract types were used for the varying number of hours required by the carers
Carers are paid for client contact time and travelling time only
Challenges
Shortage of staff and difficulty coping with workload
Staff were dissatisfied with work patterns
Uneven distribution of workload, fragmented shift patterns
Some shifts were too short, while others were too long and fragmented
Poor work/life balance – Not many free days for carers
Decentralised planning was time consuming and inefficient. Quality of planning was inconsistent between teams. Planning was generally basic and not focused on quality or efficiency
Approach and findings
Starting in a pilot area with 125 workers, Strategic Optimisation was performed with R² used to model alternative scenarios and ways of working – A collaborative approach was used to involve all levels of the organisation as well as clients and works council in the review and decision-making process to develop a solution accepted by all
Integrated teams were in use but were operating inefficiently – Scenarios were modelled to demonstrate the benefit of changing mix of skills and share of responsibilities within teams
Team sizes and boundaries were limiting efficiency of routes and productivity – Modelling showed that merging some teams had a significant impact on productivity and travelling
Care plans had been created based on time-task and organisational habit – Large portion of visits had fixed or very small time-windows and had negative impact on productivity. Scenarios were modelled to demonstrate the benefit of widening some visits’ time-windows
Changes made
Team areas redefined. Some teams/regions merged
Skill levels and share of responsibilities in the integrated teams was adjusted
Fixed 5, 6 and 8 hour work shifts introduced – Although guaranteed-hours contracts were used, workers were treated as if they were salaried shift workers
Some fixed and very narrow visit time-windows were widened by 30 minutes
Quantifiable benefits
25% fewer staff needed each day: Productivity increased and unpopular shift patterns eliminated
Travelling between visits (time as well as well as distance) reduced by 45%
Travelling to/from home reduced by 25%
Time spent on planning reduced by 85%
Non-quantifiable benefits
Improved staff satisfaction: Fairer conditions for workers and better work-life balance
Improved quality and stability
Staff, works council and clients supported the changes
Easier to handle absences as there are 25% staff free each day