Top Things To Consider When Recruiting Caregiving Staff
Posted on | Posted in General, Care Recruitment, Blog
Recruiting care staff and securing an adequate workforce is not only one of the greatest challenges in the care industry today; it is also the lifeblood of any care business.
When it comes to your staff, you must both change the way you recruit and have things in place to make sure you retain and successfully manage your staff.
We know this is easier said than done and we wanted to get some practical advice from the experts to share with you. So, we’ve spoken to some care recruitment companies and they have offered up some great advice:
1. Purpletribe
“A lot of people believe that the problems with recruiting care staff are that people don’t want a career in care, they’re not being paid enough, they’re only applying for jobs so they can keep receiving unemployment benefits, but these have become almost like an urban myth. They don’t really apply to the vast majority of people.
We always aim to ensure we speak to all candidates within the first 24 hours and call within 48 hours. More importantly, we make sure that the interview is also within 24-48 hours. Our record for recruiting someone has been having a Facebook applicant come in at 09:10, speak to them at 09:30, interview them at 16:00 and have a contract signed by 17:00. You really must make the time to be quick when applications come in and deal with those appropriately.
Another thing people don’t think about is that even after you offer someone a job, it can take time to get them onboarded especially if you’re waiting for DBS checks etc. You must keep in touch and engaged with the candidates during onboarding. You could send them a welcome card, support them, get them to come in to shadow someone or give them some online training. Good managers and good leaders make a world of difference, people will leave bad managers quicker than they leave poor pay. You must focus on staff centred care”
Check out Purpletribe:
Website: https://purpletribe.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pt4care
Check out Purpletribe’s recruitment related blog post ‘The Need For Speed’:
https://purpletribe.co.uk/the-need-for-speed/
2. EPSN Workforce
“Our first top tip for recruiting care staff is, as a provider to sell yourself, make sure that applicants know why they should work for you. Even if you can only offer an average salary perhaps try to focus on location, the atmosphere, the team, the facilities etc. Applicants will often have other offers, so you need to tell them they should work for you, whatever your USPs are you really need to push them.
Another tip is be realistic and transparent about the role but also enthusiastic. Don’t over promise, don’t lie, just be frank with your applicants but make sure you are still making it worthwhile for them, make sure that your manager as well as other staff welcomes new applicants etc, make them want to work there, especially since a lot of ours also come from abroad so many of them have moved their lives out of their home country to come and work for you. Make sure appreciation is shown, they just need reassurance that they’re welcome and have done the right thing.
Our last tip is create a sense of trust and loyalty before they even start working for you. This can begin with quick contact when they first apply as well as fast turnaround when it comes to interviews and making an offer. Then perhaps offer a welcome pack, a card maybe, something that tells them what your values are as a company. People want to be a part of something great, they want to feel valued even if you can’t offer a high salary as an incentive. You can also think about offering other incentives such as meals on site, accommodation etc. All the little things make a huge difference”.
Check out EPSN Workforce:
Website: https://www.epsnworkforce.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/epsnworkforceGroup/
3. Recruitment Panda
“Our first tip for recruiting care staff would be to be quick, in the sense of when coming across a CV or when people apply, response time is super important. If you’re not getting back to people within 24-48 hours then you will lose out.
Our second tip is to be transparent. Transparency is a great way of building rapport, especially when it comes to being transparent about the role, make sure they know the job and the industry they are getting into etc.
And our third tip is do what you say you are going to do. If you are calling someone back at a certain time make sure you do it, this also applies to interviews and once they have the job also to build that trust.”
Check out Recruitment Panda:
Website: https://www.recruitmentpanda.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/recruitmentpanda/
As the demand for care grows, so will the need to recruit and retain more workers to deliver high quality care and support.
In the current market, care providers are having to work unbelievably hard to attract new staff and keep them, the care sector has changed and we no longer have a ton of applicants to choose from. This is why putting into practice some of the tips above is paramount in 2021.
If you would like more information on how to utilise Digital Marketing within your care business, take a look at our blogs, e-books, or call or email our team today!