Unlocking Efficiency: How Advanced Workforce Planning Transforms Home Care Operations

Australia’s in-home care sector is on the cusp of transformation, facing unprecedented changes driven by an ageing population, chronic workforce shortages and increasing compliance challenges. The soon-to-be-implemented Support at Home program and the new Aged Care Act are reshaping the landscape by mandating more personalised care within sustainable funding models. This push towards higher-quality, client-focused services while keeping costs manageable places immense pressure on providers already grappling with resource constraints.

Advanced workforce planning is emerging as a vital strategy to streamline operations and meet growing demand with efficiency and agility. 

Understanding the Role of Advanced Workforce Planning Software in Efficient Operations

Advanced workforce planning software goes beyond the basics, empowering in-home care providers with cutting-edge capabilities to optimise their workforce planning. Unlike standard tools, these solutions leverage smart technology to significantly enhance planning outcomes while reducing the effort required to achieve them.

Key benefits include:

• Improved Planning Efficiency: Advanced algorithms streamline rostering and scheduling, enabling faster, more accurate workforce allocation.
• Enhanced Plan Quality: Smart tools create better plans by balancing fluctuating client demands with resource availability, ensuring a smoother operational flow.

Supplementary to WFM Suites:

WFM Suites typically offer a host of handy functionality, such as Leave Management, T&A, Award Interpretation, Employee Self Service and more. While off-the-shelf workforce management (WFM) suites can often include workforce planning functionality (and even some smarts), the functionality is often engineered to support standard or generic use cases (such as retail or generic field forces). For complex and unique operational use cases, advanced workforce planning software can often serve a better fit-for-purpose. By integrating an advanced workforce planning software with a WFM suite, organisations can leverage each software for what they do best, resulting in outsized benefits.

Supporting Workforce Retention and Well-Being

Retaining skilled carers is an ongoing challenge in an industry where burnout and high turnover are common concerns. In 2020, the aged care sector in Australia experienced a staff turnover rate of 34% in the in-home care sector, significantly higher than the national average across all industries of 7.5 %. Furthermore, a study by Ariia found that between 30 and 50% of aged care staff have experienced some form of burnout. 

Biarri’s workforce planning software goes beyond traditional scheduling. By aligning rosters with each care worker’s preferences, availability, and contractual conditions- including weekend shifts and public holidays,  staff gain more control over their work-life balance, reducing burnout and turnover. By considering factors like a fair distribution of shift types and travel times, Biarri creates a balanced and fair roster . In a sector with chronic workforce shortages, this unbiased  approach to rostering has proven to improve job satisfaction and retention rates, making it easier for providers to maintain a stable workforce.

Enhanced Quality of Client Care

For providers in the in-home care sector, personalised and consistent care is crucial to ensuring client well-being and satisfaction. Biarri’s advanced optimisation algorithms focus on pairing clients with caregivers who match their care needs and personal preferences, providing familiarity and allowing carers to anticipate and meet their clients’ needs. By minimising travel time through efficient route planning, the software enables carers to dedicate more time to providing care rather than commuting.

Consumer feedback studies show that this reduction in travel time not only increases the time spent with clients but also improves care continuity and satisfaction. Leading in-home care provider Australian Unity partnered with us and have been able to achieve a 15% reduction in travel time, enabling their carers to focus more on delivering high-quality, client-focused care.

Cost-Effective Operations

In the Australian in-home care sector, operational efficiencies cause significant financial challenges, with providers struggling to manage rising labour costs and resource constraints. Without advanced workforce planning tools supporting efficient rosters and schedules, inefficiencies often lead to an over-reliance on outsourced agency staff, inflating budgets and disrupting service continuity. 

Biarri’s technology tackles these operational inefficiencies by dynamically adjusting according to demands and availability. For instance, if a carer requests leave, the system can immediately reallocate their clients to other available staff while minimising disruptions. This adaptability ensures that staffing resources are used in the most efficient way, reducing reliance on costly agency staff or overtime. By improving scheduling efficiency, in-home care providers are able to manage labour costs effectively without compromising service quality, a critical advantage in an industry facing tight budgets and growing demand.

Minimising Hidden Costs

Those working in the in-home care sector know how quickly Hidden costs associated with unplanned overtime, unused contracted hours, excessive travel, and inefficient shift allocation can soon stack up, eating into already tight budgets. Biarri’s workforce planning software is built to identify and eliminate these inefficiencies through mathematical optimisation. By creating balanced, well-structured schedules, our platform reduces unnecessary expenses while still allowing you to factor in staff needs and requests. 

Research confirms that improved scheduling can lead to significant cost savings and enhance staff retention, helping in-home care providers achieve both financial sustainability and operational excellence.

This was demonstrated in our work with Australian Unity, who saw a massive 15% reduction in costs associated with servicing home visits. 

Flexibility and Adaptability with Biarri’s Workforce Planning Platform

In the dynamic field of in-home care, where client needs and staff availability can change unexpectedly, flexibility and adaptability in workforce planning are essential. Biarri’s solution addresses these challenges by enabling providers to seamlessly adjust schedules, ensuring minimal disruptions to care delivery. This adaptability allows for efficient reallocation of resources, maintaining consistent and high-quality care even amidst unforeseen changes.

To explore how Biarri’s Workforce Planning Software can optimise your in-home care operations, book a discovery session with our team today.