Nursebuddy has carried out its biggest ever survey of care worker happiness, to understand what makes a good or bad day at work in homecare.
Almost 85,000 anonymous responses to our in-app Carer Wellbeing Survey were analysed - that's four times as many as last year. We looked at how often carers reported having a good or a bad day, as well as trying to understand why that was. So what's changed?
Good days vs bad days
The good news is that frontline carers working in homecare still have many more good days than bad days. 87% of all shifts finished with their care workers feeling either ‘very happy’ or ‘happy’ this time around.
However, care workers are less happy overall than they were last year. This year, just over half of all shifts (55%) were recorded as 'very happy', a reduction from 74% in 2024.
Causes of bad days in homecare
Most of the unhappiest days for homecare workers (60%) were caused by working conditions; a complex combination of hectic rotas, packed days and not enough travel time, along with feeling unsupported by managers or other carers. Unpaid waiting time continued to be a real problem for care workers, with pay and a shortage of hours being mentioned for the first time this year.
Find out how Nursebuddy helps to tackle rota issues like these.
Causes of good days in homecare
Good days on the other hand, were generally attributed to the joy of care work and the feeling of a job well done. When the day goes smoothly, they enjoy who they’re working with and feel like they’ve really achieved something, domiciliary carers are very happy at work.
How can we create more good days?
With the findings of this year's survey fresh in our minds, we asked our community of customers and partners for their ideas and examples of how to tackle the bad, and harness the good.
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Cynefin Care shared how their homecare business is improving employment conditions for care workers
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Pastora offered guidance on how managers and team leaders can support the wellbeing of their homecare organisations, starting with themselves
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Kate Joyce shared her routines and tips for thriving as a frontline caregiver
Download this year's Carer Wellbeing Report 2025 for full access to a wealth of practical, actionable advice like this, as well as all survey results.
