Q& A
In our first interview, Care England speaks to Damien Wilkins, Recruitment and Retention Specialist at Cohesion, to find out how providers can work towards a sustainable workforce and what his top tips are for running a successful recruitment campaign.
IN THE HOT SEAT An interview with Damien Wilkins, Cohesion
Care England: Why is it so important to spend time getting to know new starters?
CE: Do you have evidence to highlight the turnover rate in the sector?
Damien Wilkins: Aiding retention starts from the beginning of the recruitment journey and efforts should not stop at any point, but it is even more crucial in the initial weeks and months into an employee’s new role. When asking this question, it’s important to remember that there are added factors to consider. For example, whether the colleague is new to care. If they are new to care and have a poor onboarding and new starter experience, then they are more likely to re-evaluate whether care is the right sector for them. Plus, no two care settings are the same. This may mean that, even if someone has worked in care before, it may not translate to your organisation’s structure and work pattern. As with any employee/employer relationship, it’s essential to spend time engaging with your new employees. This is the time to myth-bust preconceptions that someone might have about social care as a career. Remember that this is the ‘honeymoon’ period – so make it as memorable as possible.
DW: Skills for Care reports that the turnover rate for directly employed staff working in the adult social care sector was 28.3% in 2022/23. This equates to approximately 390,000 people leaving their posts over the year. Not all people leaving their posts leave the sector. Around 59% of filled posts were recruited from other roles within the sector. The turnover rate, for all sectors, decreased from 28.9% in 2021/22 to 28.3% in 2022/23. For independent sector establishments, the turnover rate decreased from 31.7% in 2021/22 to 30.4% in 2022/23. This decrease was influenced by an increase in international recruits. The key is to find the right people in your recruitment process, make sure you onboard them well, and give them a reason to stay. Turnover data should be tracked and analysed and, whilst many providers do track data, it’s important to consider specific metrics. Look at new-to-care starters and other factors such as workforce demographics to measure improvements. Care and support staff tend to move around within the sector. Providers need
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to focus on how to make their organisations a place employees want to stay in rather than moving to a competitor. Pay can be a contributing factor, but it is not the only one. CE: What are some of the current recruitment and retention challenges for social care providers? DW: There are several challenges for providers when it comes to improving retention and some of the main reasons include: • Lack of flexibility that can be offered to new and existing staff. • New-to-care workers discover that care is not what they thought. • Cost of living driving people to look for work in other sectors. • A feeling of working long hours and work-life balance being negatively impacted. • Poor induction training and career development opportunities within the organisation. • Lack of access to a manager for discussions and one-to-ones. • Poor hiring decisions, which are often made when operational teams are under pressure. • Candidates failing to understand the available career pathways.
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