The Challenge
Curam Care Homes experienced rapid growth, expanding from a single care home to six locations and from 100 to 600 employees in a short period. This growth brought welcome success, but also real strain: maintaining a consistent culture across five care homes and a head office became increasingly difficult, staff turnover was rising, and recruitment was becoming ever more competitive as Curam Care went head-to-head with the public health service for the same small pool of candidates.
Compounding the problem, reliance on costly agency staff was making it harder to guarantee the consistent, high-quality care that residents needed, and there was little to distinguish Curam Care as an employer of choice. The company’s existing recognition programme, a flat-rate Christmas voucher issued to all staff regardless of performance, was not aligned with company values or business goals, and left the tax-saving potential of Ireland’s Small Benefit Scheme largely untapped.
Curam Care turned to Amplify to design a recognition programme that would strengthen culture, improve retention, and build a more engaging employee experience across every location.
The Programme
Amplify created Curam Community, launched in April 2024 across all five care homes and head office. Built around Curam Care’s values of Caring, United, Respectful, Adaptable and Meaningful, the programme was designed to work for everyone involved: giving Directors of Nursing a discretionary monthly budget to recognise staff on the spot, rewarding individual performance against clear KPIs, and giving HR and Finance a centrally managed, easy-to-report system that made full use of the Small Benefit Scheme.
From on-the-spot recognition and peer-to-peer “Simple Thanks,” to structured awards like Employee of the Month and tax-free reward delivery via AllGo Mastercard gift cards, Curam Community was built to be accessible via web and app, for a frontline workforce that’s rarely at a desk.
The Result
Curam Community has delivered measurable business outcomes: a 42% reduction in staff turnover, a 100% increase in recruitment referrals, and a 50% increase in voluntary additional shifts, alongside €157,000 saved in tax. With 100% leadership engagement and 80% active staff participation, the programme has become embedded in the culture of every Curam Care location.
Want the full picture, including how the programme was refined after year one and what it could mean for your own organisation? Download the full case study to see exactly how Curam Community turned recognition into results.
Curam Community has delivered significant results for our business. The programme is fully aligned with our strategic objectives and is being fully embraced by employees, managers, and leadership.
Anne O’Shea, Curam Care Homes
