In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack sits down with Amber Monroe, VP of Customer Experience at Paradigm, to dive deep into the challenges and triumphs of hiring in the home care industry.

Amber shares her journey from making critical hiring mistakes early in her career to becoming a leader who knows how to navigate the complexities of team building. The conversation touches on the importance of behavioral-based interview questions, the impact of company culture on employee retention, and the often-overlooked need to professionalize the caregiver role.

With a mix of humor and serious insights, this episode is a must-listen for anyone in the home care industry looking to improve their hiring practices and build a stronger, more resilient team.

Lesson Takeaways:

1. Focus on asking questions that reveal how candidates have handled situations relevant to the role they are applying for.
2. Hire candidates who align with your company’s culture, even if they lack some technical skills.
3. Elevate the status of caregivers by creating clear career paths and recognizing their critical role in the business.
4. How you respond to criticism, whether from employees or clients, sets the tone for your organization’s culture.

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Introduction to Amber Monroe and her role at Paradigm

[00:03:00] Amber’s restaurant-picking skills and the anxiety of making group decisions

[00:07:00] Discussing Amber’s biggest career mistake: hiring the wrong candidate

[00:12:00] The pivotal moment when a bad hire impacted Amber’s career progression

[00:17:00] Behavioral-based questions and their importance in hiring

[00:24:00] Professionalizing the caregiver role and creating career paths

[00:29:00] The importance of focusing on caregiver and staff experiences

[00:34:00] Amber's win of the week: launching a successful customer satisfaction survey

Quotes

1. Amber Monroe: "I think it was pretty clear to me when my boss's boss sat me down and said, 'This situation is the reason why we're not moving forward with your promotion.' That was a pivotal moment in my career."
2. David Knack: "An angry customer is not somebody you're going to lose. An angry caregiver is not necessarily somebody you're going to lose. It’s about what you do with that energy."
3. Amber Monroe: "At the end of the day, people just want to feel heard, valued, and appreciated. And there are ways to do that in any circumstance."

Resources:

1. Paradigm
2. Amber Monroe’s LinkedIn - Paradigm Senior Services
3. Home Care Pulse's Benchmark Study
4. Electronic Visit Verification (EVV)
5. Ava
6. Ava on LinkedIn
7. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn
8. Subscribe to Ava on YouTube