It’s 8 AM and a caregiver just called out sick. Your client needs help getting out of bed and to the bathroom this morning, so your coordinator has to find coverage fast.
Who do they call?
Chances are, it’s one of the same handful of caregivers they always call when they’re in a pinch. The ones who pick up the phone and say yes to extra shifts. And who can blame them? Coordinators don’t have time to work through the whole roster. They need someone they can count on, right now.
But while that approach makes sense in the moment, it can create a bigger problem over time.
What if the caregiver who’s the best fit for that shift is someone your coordinator hasn’t even thought to call?
Coordinators often experience familiarity bias
There’s a natural tendency to turn to people we know and trust, especially when we’re under pressure. In scheduling, this can create what’s sometimes called familiarity bias.
Coordinators build relationships with caregivers. They learn who’s reliable, who’s flexible, and who’s most likely to say yes to a last-minute request. That knowledge is valuable, and it often helps get shifts covered quickly.
The problem comes when familiarity starts to outweigh other important considerations.
A coordinator might call a caregiver who’s already worked 40 hours that week, even though there may be qualified caregivers eager to pick up more hours from your agency.
It’s rarely intentional. And it doesn’t mean the coordinator is making a bad decision.
It means they’re making a decision based on the information that’s easiest to access, rather than all the options available.
Why filling open shifts with the same caregivers is bad for your business
Over time, relying on the same small group of caregivers can affect retention, your business’s finances, and your client’s wellbeing.
Giving caregivers more hours improves retention.
For caregivers who want additional hours, every open shift represents an opportunity to earn more income. But if they aren’t being contacted, they may never know those hours were available. Caregivers need schedules that work for their lives and provide the income they need. When they aren’t getting enough hours, they may start looking elsewhere.
In fact, in our 2026 Homecare Insights Provider Survey, 46% of providers said they were using flexible scheduling to improve caregiver recruitment and retention.
Agencies may be paying overtime they could avoid.
When coordinators turn to the same reliable caregivers, those employees can quickly accumulate overtime hours.
Sometimes overtime is necessary to make sure a client receives care. But if another qualified caregiver has availability and hasn’t reached their regular-hour limit, the agency may be taking on an expense it could have avoided.
Clients and caregivers may be missing out on a better match.
Reliability is essential, but it isn’t the only consideration when matching a caregivers and clients.
Language, location, experience, preferences, and the client’s specific needs all matter. A caregiver who hasn’t worked with a particular client before could be an excellent fit. A caregiver who is afraid of dogs, won’t be happy staffing if there’s a Husky in house.
Of course, continuity of care and existing caregiver-client relationships should remain a priority. The goal isn’t to replace trusted caregivers unnecessarily. It’s to make sure coordinators can consider all the qualified options when finding coverage—so both the client and the caregiver end of happy.
Your most reliable caregivers may be getting stretched too thin.
There’s another side to always calling the caregivers who say yes: They might keep saying yes even when they could use a break.
Relying too heavily on the same person can create uneven workloads and contribute to burnout, while other caregivers are left wishing they had more hours.
How can homecare agencies create more opportunities for caregivers?
The answer isn’t to ask already-busy coordinators to spend more time making phone calls. It’s to build scheduling practices that help them consider more caregivers without slowing down the process.
Here are a few places to start.
1. Keep caregiver availability and preferences up to date
Availability isn’t static. A caregiver who couldn’t work evenings last month might be interested in them now. Someone who previously wanted part-time hours might be looking for a full-time schedule.
Make it a regular practice to ask caregivers how many hours they’d like to work, when they’re available, how far they’re willing to travel, and what types of assignments they prefer.
Just as importantly, make sure that information is easy for coordinators to access when a shift opens.
2. Look at who’s getting hours and who isn’t
Review how shifts are being distributed across your caregiver network.
Are some caregivers regularly working overtime while others are consistently below their desired hours? Are there qualified caregivers who rarely receive offers for open shifts?
Looking at these patterns can help identify opportunities to distribute work more effectively.
It can also reveal whether the issue is a lack of available caregivers or simply a lack of communication with the caregivers you already have.
3. Give more caregivers the opportunity to say yes
A caregiver who declined a shift three months ago might be interested in one today.
Rather than assuming someone isn’t available or interested, give qualified caregivers more opportunities to consider open shifts.
That doesn’t mean offering every shift to everyone. Client needs, caregiver qualifications, location, availability, and continuity of care should still guide outreach.
But when multiple caregivers are a good fit, the same few names shouldn’t automatically be the only ones getting a call.
4. Use technology to reach beyond the usual names
This is where technology can make a meaningful difference.
Instead of asking coordinators to manually work through a list of caregivers, tools like CareMatch can take on the work of finding and contacting potential matches.
CareMatch uses AI to identify caregivers across an agency’s network based on factors such as availability, qualifications, location, preferences, and overtime. It then reaches out through app notifications, text messages, or phone calls to find who’s interested.
Coordinators still make the final decision about who gets the shift. But they can make that decision with a broader view of who’s available and interested, rather than relying only on the caregivers they know best.
It’s a way to reduce the manual work involved in scheduling while creating more opportunities for caregivers who might otherwise be overlooked.
The right caregiver might be the one you haven’t called yet
Your coordinators know your caregivers. They know your clients. And their experience and judgment are essential to making sure the right people are delivering care.
That shouldn’t change.
But their ability to find coverage shouldn’t be limited by how many caregivers they can personally call in a day.
When agencies make it easier to consider their entire caregiver network, they can uncover opportunities to reduce unnecessary overtime, help caregivers get the hours they want, and find a better fit for each client.
The goal isn’t to stop calling the caregivers who always come through.
It’s to make sure they aren’t the only ones who get a call.
See how CareMatch helps agencies find and reach more caregivers to fill open shifts.
