Expanding Capacity for Good
Five Strategies for Improving Workload
One of the significant issues that most human services organizations face is workload. In the last two years caseloads have increased, turnover is higher than ever, and vacancies are extending. As a result, the workload issue has been further compounded, threatening the very mission of the organizations dedicated to serving vulnerable populations. As caseloads increase there is a direct impact on quality of service delivery and increased risk to children and families as important factors may be missed.
Historically, the answer to this problem has been to hire more workers. Legislators around the country have been providing additional funding for hiring more workers, often without seeing a significant impacts to families. Most organizations simply cannot find workers to fill the positions quickly enough. There is also the issue of training and ramp up time in social work. Given the serious nature and risk associated with human services casework, there are comprehensive training programs that can take as long as a year to get workers in the field with a full caseload.
There are strategies to impact caseload that can be implemented by human services organizations in conjunction with improved recruitment and hiring practices. The use of modern systems of engagement not only create efficiencies through automation, but they can transfer workload to other stakeholders and data origination points. This increased capacity allows your workers to serve more clients, better. Let’s explore five examples.
Access to data: The ability to access large amounts of data from various sources is not only possible, but also essential when making data-driven decisions in the field. Human services cases often have volumes of relevant data that can take many hours to sift through in preparation for visiting a family. The user of modern tools expedites the access and surfaces appropriate and relevant data to inform case planning.
Forms: Most organizations have an abundance of forms, sometimes with various versions floating around in the field. By simplifying the forms that are used and the automation of those forms, organizations can improve accuracy of data and increase the productivity of workers.
Logistics: Companies like UPS have implemented logistics strategies that increase the ability of their workers to deliver more packages. The same is possible in human services. By streamlining the scheduling of appointments, workers spend less time driving and more time with families.
Collateral Material: Most human services programs deal with significant amounts of back-up or supplemental documentation to support casework. By eliminating the paper copies and automating the process, organizations will realize significant cost avoidance and productivity impacts. Having everything attached to the electronic case file also improves quality of case turnover.
Self Service: More and more, organizations are realizing the value of self-service in empowering clients and building trust. This is also a strategy for impacting workload. By transferring certain activities to clients, workers only need to act on triggers that require their input. This improves compliance and reduces the number of rote activities that your workers are engaging in, freeing them up for more important touchpoints.
These are just a few examples of how a modern system of engagement can decrease the administrative burden of casework, improve timeliness and quality of data received (allowing workers to act on important aspects of a case), and allow for delivery of improved quality of care. These strategies also improve consistency in service delivery and decrease ramp-up time for new workers. Additionally, with these improvements workers will develop more trusted and collaborative relationships with the families they serve. Take care of your staff as they take care of your clients.