Good morning.
A CNA calls Thursday afternoon.
Her car broke down. She can’t afford the repair until payday.
She wants to work this weekend. She needs the hours.
But she has no way to get there.
Now the scheduler starts scrambling.
Overtime. Shift bonuses. Agency calls.
We may spend more replacing her than it would have cost to help her get to work.
That’s an interesting way to run a business, isn’t it?
We budget for recruiting employees. Replacing them. Rewarding attendance.
But what happens when someone wants to work and a temporary problem outside the building gets in the way?
Another reminder about the attendance policy won’t fix a broken car.
Competitive wages and predictable schedules still matter. So do clear expectations.
But practical emergency support deserves a place in the staffing conversation, too.
First, do the right math
Don’t compare a ride with the entire agency invoice.
Compare it with the additional cost of replacement coverage.
Here’s a hypothetical eight-hour shift:
- Agency coverage at $36/hour: $288.
- Your employee’s comparable cost, including employer payroll costs, at $24/hour: $192.
- Additional replacement cost: $96.
- Round-trip transportation assistance: $40.
In that example, helping the employee get there costs $56 less than replacing her, before program administration or any additional payroll costs associated with the assistance.
Use your actual numbers. Overtime, incentives and agency have different costs.
And the dollars aren’t the whole story. A familiar employee knows the residents. Her teammates don’t have to orient someone new while doing their own work.
Steal This: Test a 60-Day Transportation Bridge
Start with one problem you can define and measure.
An example pilot—not a universal budget recommendation:
- Scope: Temporary transportation emergencies affecting already-scheduled shifts.
- Limits: $1,000 total, up to $100 per employee per incident, covering up to three scheduled shifts. Adjust to local fares and workforce size.
- Access: One confidential request channel, with written eligibility criteria available to every employee.
- Approval: HR or a designated administrator, plus an after-hours backup. Someone needs to answer Thursday at 5 p.m.
- Payment: Arrange or fund the ride directly where possible. Reimbursement next payday won’t help someone who can’t pay today.
- Follow-through: Confirm transportation both
to work and home, including what happens if the shift runs late.
Apply the same criteria consistently. Don’t make assistance depend on a supervisor’s favorite employee—or accepting extra shifts.
Keep personal details with the reviewer. The scheduler needs the coverage plan, not the employee’s financial history.
Before launch, check availability and fares at your actual shift times. A voucher won’t create a driver where none is available. Have a local transportation backup.
At 30 and 60 days, review requests, spending, approval time and supported shifts actually worked.
Record what replacement coverage likely would have required, but label avoided costs as estimates unless you can substantiate the savings.
A short pilot can tell you whether this helps preserve scheduled coverage. It won’t prove that you solved turnover.
Tools Worth Knowing
You have two approaches to explore.
For transportation: Uber for Business Vouchers and Lyft Pass let organizations fund rides with spending and usage restrictions.
For broader emergencies: Canary’s Grant Circle and E4E Relief offer managed employee hardship relief programs.
Those are options to evaluate. A relief fund has eligibility rules and a review process; don’t assume it can fund tomorrow morning’s ride.
Before choosing a provider, ask:
- Can unexpected car repairs or temporary transportation qualify?
- How quickly does money reach the employee, including before a weekend?
- What are the fees and minimum funding or employer-size requirements?
- Who reviews requests, and what personal information does the employer see?
For a transportation pilot, have payroll confirm how the assistance will be reported. Employer-paid help isn’t automatically tax-free. IRS Publication 15-B explains fringe-benefit treatment.
One question for your next staffing meeting
“When transportation prevented someone from working, what did we spend on the replacement—and what practical help could have preserved the shift?”
Start with the last three cases.
You may find this isn’t a frequent problem.
Or you may find you already have a transportation budget.
It’s just hiding inside your agency expense.
We know what we’re willing to spend when someone can’t show up.
Maybe it’s time we decide what we’re willing to spend to help them get there.
— Kevin NHA STAND-UP PULSE Get paid for your knowledge and insights.You know what it takes to run a building. Share that experience through NHA Stand-Up Pulse and help put real operator insight into the conversation. Current monthly Pulse surveys take 5–8 minutes and pay 0. Join and verify your role to receive survey invitations. Thoughtful, complete responses are required. Flagged responses are reviewed before payment. Share what you know | 