Staff Recruitment and Retention the here and now in the Care Home sector

Continuing to live with higher inflationary effects many people in the UK workforce are seeking to top up their wages with second flexible jobs

A fresh approach to flexible working in the care home sector

Traditionally care homes have offered fixed shift patterns over 24 hours, however, post pandemic care home providers are increasingly looking at the benefits of flexible working arrangements in order to appeal to a greater demographic of staff and inclusivity.

The current housing challenges across the UK demographics continue, with students on the one hand struggling to find accommodation and one that is affordable versus the wider demographic unable to change their housing needs with lack of new housing supply.  To make buying a house or renting individuals are looking for flexible jobs to support their needs and lifestyles, which is where care homes and the wider care sector considering a more flexible working approach comes in.

Examples include students seeking part time, flexible working around their studies to counter the challenges of higher living costs, alongside other generations seeking a new and second career faced with the lengthening of the state pension age or to top up a state pension. 

Ownacarehome recently talked to Signature Dining about their inclusive staffing strategy with the founder, Paul Robottom, saying: “As an experienced and well-established catering provider for the care home sector we have an excellent understanding of the value of our staff team who go above and beyond, using feedback surveys to enhance staff care and development plans.”

The use of 360-degree feedback reviews can provide a useful survey technique to support the people in your care home team with follow up action plans.  Making staff feel appreciated, listened to and valued strengthens staff retention and in turn enhances the sustainability of your care home provision, increasing care seeker and staffing enquiries.  Flexibility for a work life balance is gaining traction across the generations of care staff which in turn can provide a competitive edge for your care home business.

High standards of training

Care providers demonstrating a high level of training as part of their recruitment and induction package will inevitably encourage more caring staff to join them as part of a provision that is well led with a strong ethos and governance.

High training standards are part of a care provision’s continuous improvement ethos with training champions assisted supported by robust policies and procedures.

The ‘S’ in ESG

The S in ESG continues to be a strong factor in staff retention.  With the government seeking views on what it is like working in social care, having a dedicated care team continues to be vital to the successful running of a care home.

As with all businesses listening and obtaining feedback from your care team are signs of a well led care provider, evidencing clear communication and development of career plans with clear opportunities to progress.

In the lead up to the October Care Show Five on a Bike recently referred back to a video from last year where the “values and culture” of your care business are crucial for the development of your recruitment and retention strategy.  The Five on a Bike team comment further that:

“Using video in your recruitment process can help show potential employees the real atmosphere and thoughts of the current staff members,” giving “them insight into what their role might entail, things that a written job description can’t show.”

As care home providers start to include ESG factors into the next five year strategy, competitive advantage can be gained as current and future staff look for these factors as part of their research into a potential employer.

Changes to the law on flexible working

As highlighted by rwk goodman in their latest article, changes to the law on flexible working will “shortly come into force following Parliament’s approval of the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill.  You can read the article here.

James Sage from rwk goodman summarises how flexible working practices are here to stay accelerated post pandemic saying: “to compete with other sectors, and to avoid more staff moving to agency work, greater flexibility is required” “to accommodate as many people as possible.”