AI Tool TeamEngage Reduces Turnover for Griswold by 20%

Turnover rates in the home-care industry have been increasing nationwide, according to Michael Slupecki, the CEO of home care franchise Griswold. Slupecki told Business Insider that, in the past few years, Griswold’s turnover rate had reached about 80% annually in its Pennsylvania-based locations.

“There’s a high correlation between consistency in the caregiver workforce and client satisfaction, which goes to your reputation, which goes to the strength of your business in attracting more clients and more caregivers,” Slupecki said.

The franchise wanted to improve caregiver experience, reduce turnover, and predict which helpers were most likely to quit. In 2023, Griswold started using TeamEngage, a system created by WellSky, a health and community-care tech company, and powered by Ava, an artificial-intelligence platform. TeamEngage incentivizes and rewards caregivers for finishing activities and achieving goals.

Griswold’s Chief Financial Officer, Katherine Schiavino, worked alongside Griswold’s HR team to determine which metrics would be used to recognize caregivers. Metrics included being on time for work, taking extra shifts, and referring new caregivers. A point system for rewards was also implemented.

The AI tool automatically assigns points to caregivers for completing activities or achieving goals, such as clocking in on time or accepting extra shifts. Caregivers also earn points for their birthdays and work anniversaries. These points can be redeemed for gift cards or a preloaded Mastercard.

Rewards are announced on a community platform where colleagues can see and congratulate them.

Slupecki says that employee recognition was previously a manual process that office staff often couldn’t manage consistently. The AI tool now automates recognition, reducing administrative workload and ensuring caregivers’ efforts are acknowledged.

The AI platform also tracks and analyzes factors contributing to caregiver turnover to help the company find retention solutions. It identifies issues like caregivers not receiving recent rate increases or being assigned clients who live far away. Since adopting TeamEngage in October, Griswold has reduced turnover by about 20% in its locations.

Schiavino credited this to the reward system and the tool’s ability to identify caregivers needing extra encouragement. For example, if a caregiver arrives on time but doesn’t clock in immediately, the system notifies both the company and the caregiver, then incentivizes timely clock-ins.

“It’s really worked well for our caregivers,” she said. “They’ve really connected with this.”