How to Attract Care Support Staff: 5 Must-Use Strategies

Asha Neil

Written on 31 October, 2022
support-staff-meeting
With an industry-wide shortage of care and support workers, providers must attract and retain the right people. It’s time to explore how you can encourage care workers to join your business.

Keep reading as we share essential tips for recruiting new employees and establishing your company as a positive place to work.

Attracting the Right Care and Support Workers Is Essential

The care sector is facing a shortage of workers, and this will prove a challenge for nearly all home care providers looking to attract people in the near future. Demand for qualified care and support workers is set to double in the next thirty years, leading the National Skills Commission to predict a workforce gap of over 200,000 by 2050.

On a headcount basis, the data paints an even grimmer picture: the report predicts a gap of 100,000 workers by 2027–2028.

Running a successful care and support services provider business requires hiring the right staff: employees with empathy, excellent care skills, a talent for helping others, and who are above all reliable.

However, a care and support worker shortage means that even if employers are able to hire enough staff, they may struggle to find workers with the right qualifications or skill sets for this career.

Care providers should begin preparing now by creating employee recruitment strategies. Fortunately, there are plenty of actions you can take to attract more candidates.

Broaden Your Recruitment Strategy

Begin by looking for additional ways to find potential candidates. As well as recruiting via a job advert, speak to local job centres. Make sure the role is listed on your website and social media. Reach out to your contacts and reward referrals from your existing employees. For example, you could offer a bonus if their referrals are successfully hired.

You should also tweak your job advert to see if you can attract and engage demographics from which you're not currently seeing many applications. For example, highlighting opportunities for training on the job could lead to more interest from less experienced care and support workers.

Make sure you're including the salary range in your job listing. You might assume that you'll see greater benefit from not specifying the salary until you've reviewed applicants' CVs.

However, by doing so, you could drive away skilled care and support workers who don't want to apply for a job without knowing the pay rate.

Here is our Comprehensive Guide to Recruiting Support Workers: From Job Ads to Retention

Rethink Your Branding

With numerous care and support provider organisations recruiting new staff, you need to stand out from your competitors. One of the easiest ways to do so is by positioning your company as an excellent place to work.

Do you have a careers page on your website, and if so, does it create a positive first impression? In particular, does it focus on the benefits of working at your company?

Does it tell a story about what employees can expect from the job? For example, you could share employee testimonials on your careers page or upload videos in which you interview staff members about their experiences.

Offer Professional Development

You'll see greater interest from potential candidates when you offer them a career, not just a job. Underscore opportunities to grow with the company and consider paying for staff to study additional courses.

Paying for training is a win-win situation. You'll receive more applications from passionate candidates hoping to earn additional qualifications. You'll also reap the benefits of a competent workforce with more developed skills.

Provide More Flexibility

Care and support workers are over two times as likely to have multiple jobs compared to the general population, which means your employees need flexibility. Their shifts may have to fit around a second job, studies or caring responsibilities within their own families.

If you advertise shift flexibility as one of the benefits of working at your company, you will encourage applications from workers who might otherwise feel unable to apply.

Rostering software will allow you to build schedules around staff members' availability while reducing the time you spend on rostering. It will make it easy for you to offer your staff greater shift flexibility.

Improve the Post-Hiring Experience

Hiring new staff is only the first step in recruitment. You also need to retain your carers and support workers, and that means creating a positive employee experience.

You can reduce the number of first-shift no-shows by making sure your new employees' first day on the job goes smoothly. Begin by creating an efficient onboarding system that reduces the time between hiring and starting work. This includes checking the necessary paperwork and any training.

Next, quickly get your new employees rostered and make sure they have all the information they need. This includes the shift time and location as well as relevant client information. Check-in with your new team member in person before their shift, too.

Make sure all your new staff members feel appreciated. Take the time to discuss their job experience with them. Offer tips, guidance and support if they're struggling with anything.

Software That Will Support You and Your Care Workers Alike

Technology can play an important role in recruiting care workers and improving your retention rates. From enabling greater scheduling flexibility to supporting workers on their shifts, it will enable you to build a business that employees want to belong to.

ShiftCare's care management software has rigorous rostering features built around the needs of your clients and your support workers alike. Its accurate time tracking tools and payroll integration ensures employees are paid the right amount on the right date.

Plus, with a companion app for your frontline workers, your team will always have the knowledge and support they need to do their job well.

Discover how ShiftCare can make your company a more attractive workplace with a free trial.

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