Where to begin...? First off, this company advertised you could “make your own schedule.” Most of the people hired have another job at nursing homes and were just getting this job because they wanted to be able to pick up extra shifts. Then, at orientation they tell you you must work weekends and any other shifts they ask you to take. They also advertise that they have insurance and pay your gas mileage that you use while running errands for your clients. More lies.. For whatever reason this company thinks it’s okay to advertise complete lies. They do inform you at your interview that you will have to pay $75 for your background check. But then at orientation they give you a list of other things that will be coming out of your paycheck. Random charges such as “sexual predator check, drivers license check, etc.” So that’s another $100 taken out of your next paycheck. Do background checks not check for those things already?? You will be forced to take shifts that are not in your availability. All day, everyday they will send everyone threatening texts. If someone quits or calls in sick it then because your responsibility to cover their shift or you will be “reported to HR.” Also, they regularly remind you that if you can’t go to a shift or you leave if a client becomes violent that you will be put on the “elder abuse list.” At orientation they tell you that you will be with someone when they first introduce you to your clients. That never happened for me. I was just on my own e
ProsBecome a health aide quickly and gaining people experience
Flexible hours&schedules,but poor pay and general lack of appreciation
I have worked for HISC for two years almost three and have never been given a raise even though I have been elected CG of the month multiple times and am one of the "favorites." They are very passive aggressive. They'll try to not pay you accurately for your mileage(and will act like you're lying about it) and when you are not scheduled to work they will harass you to accept last minute shifts(which causes a lot of anxiety and makes it so you can't enjoy your day off.) If you decline then you will be punished by having your hours dramatically cut(even though you are not an on call person etc.) so then you feel obligated to accept all shifts possible and work yourself to the bone for very little pay. They pay LESS for overnight shifts even though you are likely dealing with severe dementia patients who have severe sundowners. They promised they were increasing the pay rate on overnights to try to keep me in them. After waiting a couple months I told them I wouldn't do overnights anymore. Almost a year later the pay has still not increased as they had said it would. They have told me I'd be getting a new position and then it would not happen. They will try to bribe you to take a shift by giving you a $5 gift card or $5 for gas(what is $5 going to do?) and a lot of times they will place you with inappropriate clients(a 110lb CG with a 200lb client who cannot bear any of their own weight and has no hoyer lift.)
They tend to not keep up to date on their clients and will desper
A typical day is caring for seniors on various shifts in their home. You can work first, second, third shift and even weekends. They have a special need for people to work weekends and third shift. Management/Staff gives the appearance of being helpful and nice but they are very jealous of employees that have other employment. They also have a need for CNAs as well as caregivers (without a CNA license). There is a high turnover for both caregivers and staff because management does not treat employees fairly. Employees are targeted for termination while others are favored. Employees that kiss up to management tend to be treated better by management. I would not recommend this agency for anyone to work as a career or to have as their one and only job. This job would be good for someone that is retired, in school, or just looking for supplemental income. I say this because I would not rely on working here as my main source of income because it is likely that you will be terminated if someone in management does not like you. Management tends to target and terminate employees that do not work hours that match their needs. When an employee declines work three times it is grounds for having "a conversation" with a supervisor or manager. This can lead to being targeted for termination. They have prizes and caregiver of the month awards but it seems that the same employees and/or the employees that kiss up to management get the prizes. The hardest part of working for this agency is th
ProsCan work weekends and overnights.
ConsVery LOW pay rate. Jealous and hateful people in management that will target you to get terminated, The staff is fake, smile in your face then will stab you in the back
Great job for students and parents of school-age kids
I have worked here for almost 2 yrs and generally enjoy it. I've enjoyed the majority of the clients I've been assigned to, as well as most of the staff. The pay can be frustrating and will ultimately be the reason that I leave (no raises), comparable to working fast food places. The benefits are of no value to me as I have better through my spouse. On the flip side of that, we get holiday pay when working, including Mother's Day, which is nice. I also really value the flexible scheduling.
Since I don't use any of the offered benefits, and neither do most of the other staff I've spoken with, I wish they'd offer other small perks here and there. Maybe a paid day off for your birthday if you've been with them for over 6 months, or a gift card for exceptional performance/attendance/etc. Whatever, just a thought.
Another frustration has been poor communication between the office and the caregivers. I've learned to not trust anything that's not in writing and it often seems that the office staff don't communicate amongst themselves as well. While they require you to send in your availability every two weeks, they will try to schedule you outside of what you tell them. Be prepared to either be flexible and just do it or stand your ground and risk irritating them. I understand that they have to make sure the clients have coverage, but when I say I'm "unavailable", I truly am unavailable. I am a parent, student, and work another/more stable job for guaranteed hours.
If one
ProsFlexible schedule, have enjoyed working with the clients and coworkers (at shift change)
ConsNo raises in sight, no guaranteed hours, high turnover at times, work meetings are not paid.
Worst Management and People I've ever experienced! San Antonio, TX.
So almost two weeks ago (10/16/12) I was hired by Home Instead Senior care company that called me right away after applying online. So I was really excited when they asked me to come in to fill out paper work in the office (that was all the way across town from me) and hired me to come into orientation a week later.
I went to buy scrubs for the care giver position and was there with three other people who were hired with me.
They told us they'd go over all there many clients in need of help to match us with and call us when they found something.
But they had never called me into start working! Nor any of my other fellow new employees, not one of us was called into start working! One man that was hired with me had to find new work and was hired by a new care giver company that put him to work right away with clients.
I am astounded by this carelessness for its own care giver's!
This whole time they were supposed to find myself a client I could give care to, after all their long speeches of how so many of their client Seniors need care Immediately and how they have limited care giver's on call.
Yet here I am WAITING and they never call me back with work no matter how many times I'd call them, only the sickly rude little girls over the phone and handling the books would totally blow me off every time.
WHY WOULD YOU HIRE PEOPLE AND NOT GIVE THEM A JOB TO DO?!?!?!?!!? SERIOUSLY THAT IS SO INCREDIBLY IRRESPONSIBLE AND UNPROFESSIONAL THAT IS SOMETHING YOU COULDN'T DO ON ACCIDENT,
Prosnone for employees nor clients!
Conshorrible management, rude office clientele, very limited services and district in the resided town!
So lets start off with the good:
The office staff is very nice, every body I encountered was friendly and helpful. They let you decide which days you cant work so you have at least some time guaranteed off and they do 2 full days of training, something that is very helpful for those who haven't done home health care before. The clients are great, a lot of them are happy to have help and are easy enough to care for.
So that's the good stuff.
***************************************************************************
Onto the bad/frustrating things.
The hours are very unreliable. I had fairly open availability but still had my schedule changed almost daily. I've had a few clients cancel at the last minute, usually just when I pulled into the drive way, and the office would call and tell me. That was frustrating because I would sometimes drive for 25 minutes to a clients house only to be told I wasn't needed. In that case, I got comped for 1 working hour. Some days I only worked 3 hours, some days (rarely) I worked 9. I was told I would have about 32-40 hours a week and I averaged out at 15-18 hours a week.
Another complaint that I had, that maybe other people wont mind, was having my phone constantly blowing up with text and emails from Home Instead, about schedule changes. This made me feel like I was at work all the time because I was constantly (sometimes 5+ times a day) answering text/calls/emails from work. I'm not a phone person and I didn't like the
ProsGreat clients
Consunreliable schedule, wear on your personal car, low pay
Yet To Be Paid, Management Avoiding Me - Knoxville TN
I was invited for an interview at the Knoxville TN franchise, which lasted less than 5 minutes before they decided I was right for the nature of work (should have been a warning sign then). Was not asked about previously professional experience or my comfort level with the elderly. Intrigued I chose to stay for the orientation A) because I honestly hoped that there would be something redeeming shared through the franchise owner and brief training offered and B) because I was told that it was a paid event for all who attend. I signed my name to the clipboard as we were all told to do to 'ensure' payment would be made to us all.
The staff kept me in the office for over 5 hours for a 'paid orientation' even though the agreed upon time was 3 hours, then over a week later when I was never contacted about work opportunities as promised (I was told to expect a call on maximum 2 days later) and followed up with them, they claimed they had lost my number or had the wrong number (despite my writing it more than 5 times on various items of paperwork) and had been trying to contact me relentlessly. I do usually try to see the good in people, but this had to be a fabrication since they had several methods of contacting me plus as earlier mentioned, my number was recorded several times throughout the application process not to mentioned on each email I sent to them.
When I relayed to them that I would not now be pursuing employment with them (due mainly to the fact that they were request
Whew! GEE. Very disappointing overall. Upsetting too believe it, and I only have nominal expectations of the business world and people I know in everyday connected life. Not only did the 83814 branch put both me and another worker into a dangerous, unqualified situation it was never addressed or resolved- a BIG safety drawback in itself to that. One of the Owners very casually told me to "have more confidence" when I called in and reported a dangerous and aggravated client's condition and my own inability to service them. The clients convinced him rather, that's what saved me- and them quite possibly. Neither my chiropractic doctor nor spouse could justify the owner's levity.
SEVERAL times both my voice mails and texts were basically, obviosuly ignored. Finally....I was officially done, last sensible straw. So, one day not as a Test but an actual fact I slow keyed off a text of Resignation. Boom! Less than two minutes later I got an "OK, thanks, good luck to you." Jeez. And so much for Safety and compassion: listening, dedication, common sense. Perhaps too this company (or Branch) values their clients more than the individuals who serve them- oi, and all that painfully means.
Another thing: a Homemaker and Caregiver is not parallel to an Alzheimer's care person or CNA, the former are not trained nor PAID enough to be trained, then qualified to care for Advanced cases. Several times the red lite went off in my conscience "uh- that doesn't sound right" and I had to turn
I Love Caring for Others! Wish the Company Paid More!
I love the actual job itself, I definitely don't mind caring for others, it's very rewarding!
In terms of working for Home Instead, the pay is VERY poor (min wage) for the job details. Expect to work as many hours as you can handle, if you'd like to earn enough to pay a few bills. However, they won't always have clients available in your area, so you could be on standby, waiting for the next job. Also expect to only be paid twice a month. They used to pay every other week, now it's on specific days, twice monthly. They also no longer allow anyone to work holidays, further cutting any chance of bringing home a decent check earning holiday pay. Direct deposit won't be an option for most employees; so plan on spending more of that hard earned money on gas, getting to/from the office to get your check. Unless you live pretty far out, they don't typically offer direct deposit.
Driving! You will be expected to drive your client around and/or run errands for them, and the company only pays for the first 5 miles per week! After that, your client is billed for their mileage and it doesn't go directly to you...you get paid 50-something cents per mile in your check. Some of your clients will be scattered, you may have to work 10 miles from home one day and 40+ the next. No pay for the drive to/from, no matter the distance.
If I could work the same job on my own, I absolutely would, because I could make at least double the money and continue to do what I love doing. The only reason
ProsCaring for others, schedule flexibility, friendly staff, good communication
ConsPay is way too low, sometimes distance of clients is an issue if you don't have the gas money to get there, pay is too infrequent, no holiday pay/paid vaca/paid sick leave, no benefits
Fun place to work if you are wired to work with the elderly
I have always loved working with the elderly--ever since I was a little girl. Please take this kindly, but do not even consider working here if you cannot handle the amount of time spent engaging with and helping the elderly, as they will become your life or at least a nice chunk of it. I grew very close to my clients, one of whom is passing away as we speak. God rest her soul. You really do become part of the family, if you desire to and you mesh well with the children. Keep in mind also that some clients will not have family or children, and may become very lonely (which is another reason you are there).
In this job, I earned a lot about myself and was able to challenge myself to become more patient, as the job requires. You need to be patient because this job can become intense at times, where your resilience will be honored and necessary.
Management can be messy, as in when the schedulers and HR are not on the same page with the front desk, but overall I loved working here.
Culture: On your own in a facility or a home. Usually professional and gentle. There were very few occasions where I did not enjoy the homes.
The hardest part of the job: When your client has difficult family members or passes away.
Pay rate: Pay here is not great, but it is also not the worst. I started at $8, and depending on the job, could make $10 an hour. It all depends on the nature of the work you're called to. There is no room for advancing in this company, unfortunately.
Mos
ProsServing others and making them smile; having some pocket cash; very flexible hours; kind staff
ConsPay raises are rare, no opportunities for advancement, no benefits for those working part-time, sometimes tediousness with scheduling
READ THIS before applying in the UK. Disgusting company.
Its extremely easy to get a job with this company. I had no care background what so ever but im a nice, caring person so they took me on. The training was for several days and it was intense. You will need to give 6 personal references, and 3 professional ones.
The problem I had was with the management. I had several issues while working with home instead...
1. when i had my first wage slip the amount i was paid per hour was min wage, in the interview i was told it was £7.75. And i was also told that the mileage cost per mile was 0.41p, my wage slip showed 0.20p per mile. The amount they paid me wasnt the true to the mileage i had put on my time sheet for a start, and secondly it wasnt enough for what i had spend in fuel costs. Baring in mind that my car is modern and is only 1.4 so fuel economy is very good, but i was still short on the mileage cost they paid me by about £50.
2. I had one client who was verbally abusive to me from the start, i had a few calls and complained and said to management that I did not want to see this client (according to their 'golden rules' YOU have a RIGHT to not see a client your do not wish too), their answer to that was basically 'no, you will see this client and you have no say in this', this was extremely stressful and made me extremely anxious as they kept giving all their calls to me...my guess is that i was the only person left to say no to this client out of all the other caregivers.
3. Positions are part time, but felt like
Has potential to be a good employer if they weren’t so profit hungry
Franchise based so the dynamics of one branch aren’t necessarily the same as the rest, could be better/could be worse. Likes to boast about their status within the senior care industry, which admittedly is up there and they have won awards for the quality of care, but sadly as an employer a lot is left to be desired.
Good quality training? In most cases, it seems, yes! , Do you get paid for attending four full days training? No! What kind of employer doesn’t pay their staff to attend training that is not optional? HI do as your job offer doesn’t come until after you’ve attended the training. They also want you to pay for your own, also not optional, DBS check and upgrading your insurance to business class 1.
So you give them four days of your unpaid time, you pay £54 for DBS clearance. You get a zero hour contract and you start off with say 6 client appointments building up to 10. Or four a week. Or nothing. You could be one of those unlucky applicants who have spent money in order to secure a job but are left waiting weeks before any offer of work comes their way!?! Or, you could be eased in gently for 1-2 weeks then suddenly given a busy 6 day rota that will have you on the road all day, sitting in traffic between appointments that are 6-8 miles away from eachother, stressing about getting to your next client on time, no time to eat let alone rest, the office calling to find out where you are and pestering you to take on extra duties on your days off. If you turn out
ProsRewarding job, high quality (albeit unpaid) training
Training was pretty useless. There was extremely basic first aid, all things you should know if you have any common sense. The rest was long boring talks followed by quizzes, which although were easy and all but a moron wouldn't know, they told us the answers to and exactly what to write.
Ridiculously long hours at first. Due to a difficult client, was often finishing at midnight, having a half hour drive home, then up at 7 to get ready and travel to the first client of the day. When I asked not to have the early hours always following the late, my hours were drastically cut down. Constantly told I would be given more hours only to have them whittled down to two or three hours a week!
Some lovely colleagues, some absolutely awful. The least of the awful was backstabbing and badmouthing by certain people who I had barely met, but was just because I lived in a different town. The worst was being threatened by one particularly nasty specimen. Incidentally reported this same 'caregiver' for injuring a client as she constantly performed illegal lifts while handling them, leading to a nasty skin lesion which became infected. When I reported her I was told by the senior member of staff to keep my mouth shut and be careful who I messed with. This was the level of professionalism throughout. This same senior called me 'stupid' when I was observed following hygiene procedures that we had been told to do, because it was 'over the top'.
Was hauled in twice and given warnings for
Worked for Home Instead, Nailsea, for 7 months. At first, the manager who was there at the start of my employment was awful. The new manager employed after this made the franchise much more better and more organised. One member of staff in the office is rather intimidating and talks down to you, other employees I worked with left because of their attitude towards those employees. That said staff member did not deal with a safe guarding issue appropriately which was rather shocking - told the new manager this upon leaving which hopefully sorts the way they deal with safe guarding issues in the future. The clients I had were absolutely lovely and they fully appreciate you looking after them. The training I received could have been better, however, new employees get good training now. Visits are hourly or two hours mostly. You have 15 minutes to travel between clients which sometimes is no where near enough, an example of one half shift I did seen me start at Long Ashton then travelling to Portishead and then back on myself to Backwell and so on, you are late most of the time for the rest of the shift if you have to travel to areas back and forth at those distances. It is even worse when you have a visit requiring two carers and you have to wait for the other carer to arrive, sometimes they arrive really late which makes you late for the rest of your shift as the rota is not planned out well in terms of having a carer closer to the destination rather than having a carer who is h
Proswonderful clients, rate of pay, contract, rewarding job
Consone or two of the office staff are intimidating, mileage pay is low, not enough travel time
A typical day at work would consist of looking through your weekly or monthly schedule to see which clients home you would be visiting. I was told at the beginning of my employment that the company was highly organised and would give you schedules over a week in advance, although I quickly found I was receiving them less that 24 hours before I was due to go to a call. I'd say one of the very few positive things about this job was the clients themselves, as they were mostly very lovely people, and the training process. I found my training to be informative and thorough and also did shadow shifts with experienced carers to learn about each client before having them myself.
The cons more than outweigh the pros to say the least. I found within a few weeks of working that when I had any free time between calls, which was not often, I was being called and asked to help cover shifts within the hour. I reluctantly accepted to help up until before actually leaving the company.
At one point, the company made me work 21 days in a row, all over 16 hours a day give or take my travelling. I had to call up after 21 days to ask for at least one day off a week to which they didn't seem all that happy to agree on as they were short staffed.
I eventually was coming close to handing in my notice as I was due to move house and area and would have been unable to commute, but upon my last month I arrived at a clients to find another carer with them. When calling the management they told me ther
ProsWorking with amazing clients
ConsLong hours, no job security, no respect!
Questions And Answers about Home Instead Senior Care
What is the starting pay rate ?
What are the shift hours?
Thanks
Asked Feb 9, 2016
$8 an hour
Answered May 18, 2021
$8/hr Ky.
And the hours depend on when you wanna work.
They will blow up your phone to offer more shifts.
But,if you don't want to work certain days....learn to say no.
Answered Mar 9, 2020
If you were in charge, what would you do to make Home Instead a better place to work?
Asked Sep 21, 2018
Better benefits an better pay an better management because the people they have there do not care about your health your time off or covid 19 spreading
Answered Jan 31, 2021
Higher pay including raises and better benefits
Answered Jan 12, 2021
Do you have to be licensed CNA to be a caregiver ?
Asked Feb 24, 2016
No caregivers don’t need any license for such a LOW salary
Answered Aug 13, 2019
In Ft Wayne IN you do not because it’s a non medical position even though we do 90% of what a CNA does in a facility. We do not give medication etc.
Answered Jul 7, 2019
Does this jobs comes with any benefits like medical dental and life insurance
Asked Jun 27, 2016
They only give you health benefits if you work in the office or if you know someone in the office really well otherwise you will not be giving health benefits... I personally think this company show be reported to the CDC
Answered Jan 31, 2021
It depends on the office. Some do. Make sure you ask that question up front of you need insurance.
Answered Dec 4, 2020
What is the interview process like at Home Instead?
