Signature Senior Lifestyle has developed an in-house app to transform its employee engagement and retention.

The app facilitates seamless direct communication (both Signature-to-colleague and colleague-to-colleague), sharing of new shifts, dissemination of corporate information, and online meetings, and enables direct peer support. It also provides the gateway through which carers access pay slips and their Employee Assistance Programme.

Kay Cox, chief executive of Signature Senior Lifestyle, said: “I’m very pleased with the overwhelmingly positive feedback received from our 800-plus employees who have used the app. We’ve seen remarkable results in terms of improved communication, engagement, and, ultimately, staff retention. The app has truly transformed  how we connect and collaborate across our care homes, and brings to life the importance we place on valuing our teams and ensuring they feel an engaged part of the organisation. By investing heavily into  internal communications, we’re hoping to set an example across the sector.”

The app is a cornerstone of Signature’s Regional Carers programme, which enables carers to work flexibly across any of the group’s homes when additional support is required due to annual leave or sickness and has achieved a 96% annual colleague retention rate.

Following promising results with the Regional Carers team, Signature Senior Lifestyle has extended the app’s usage to all home-based team at the provider’s 10 homes.

Signature hopes the full group-wide rollout of the app will boost employee retention across all job roles.