How should talent acquisition teams remember last year? I think we can all agree conditions weren’t optimal for success. Covid peaked, shortages became greater, and nurses resigned rather than take vaccines.
Moving into 2022, I’d like to pause for a moment; take a breath; look back; and create a memory box of 2021. Let’s gather up the trends which affected us most, learn from them, and use the past to write the future differently.
“Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.”
So said Winston Churchill in a 1948 speech to the UK House of Commons.
How should talent acquisition teams remember last year? I think we can all agree conditions weren’t optimal for success. Covid peaked, shortages became greater, and nurses resigned rather than take vaccines.
Moving into 2022, I’d like to pause for a moment; take a breath; look back; and create a memory box of 2021. Let’s gather up the trends which affected us most, learn from them, and use the past to write the future differently.
“Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.” – Winston Churchill
In 2021 we broadcast 34 webinars on our nurse recruitment blog. I’ve picked 3 of the key themes below. Each section looks back on our experience last year, then ahead to the theme’s prospects in 2022.
Travel Nursing
Traveler-reliant hospitals are unable to attract enough local staff. This is because (a) there are not enough local staff to meet demand or (b) the hospital is not attractive compared to competitors. It’s usually an unfortunate mixture of both. This is evidenced by the highest rates being paid out in remote regions such as Alaska, or at hospitals with poor reputations.
I got a strange impression last year: many corporate recruiting teams are not thinking about their hospital’s use of travelers. This perturbed me. Aren’t we recruiters supposed to solve the staffing problem of our organization? Shouldn’t every dollar spent on temporary staff be a black mark against us? I’m not asking that 0 travelers is the goal. And their use does have advantages: primarily less nurses on payroll & flexibility around workforce management. But metrics around traveler spend need to be known and tracked by recruiting departments. Why? They hold the key to cutting costs, improving profit, and raising moral.
For example, we helped 1 hospital hire 10 staff nurses in 2 months. It would cost close to $1,760,000 per annum for 10 travelers. The 10 permanent hires were paid salaries $790,000. Even after taking out payroll and benefits cost, the saving is sizable.
In 2022 I urge Talent Acquisition leaders need to converse with CEOs and CFOs on what the travel spend is, and how, as a team, it can be brought down. They are in a unique position to cut costs across healthcare organizations. It’s time to recognize that, believe in yourselves, and win more funding for permanent recruitment over temporary staffing.
Sourcing
2021 made me come to view sourcing differently.
Everyone’s always looking for the next channel to solve their problems.
But history has shown that the secret sauce is often not discovering a new channel exists, but having the skills, tools, and expertise to utilize it. For instance, the first documented shipment of petroleum from Venezuela was in 1539 when a single barrel of oil was sent to Spain to alleviate the gout of Emperor Charles. In 1960 the country was producing 3 million barrels daily: same reserves, but a different application.
Always on the hunt for new candidates, we looked at Facebook Groups, SMS, Referrals, Grad Recruitment, and other Non-Job Board Channels.
Sadly, there is no 1 platform which blows the rest away; your “Eureka!” moment will not happen in 2022. (And the answer isn’t TikTok).
Any online platform with millions of daily visitors can be mobilized and optimized. We receive hundreds of applicants from social media, yet clients come to us with 0. From Indeed, to Facebook, LinkedIn to YouTube; it’s not “where am I advertising” but “how am I making the most of the established channels”. Pick a channel and get good at it.
Will TikTok work? Yes if you want it to enough
Remuneration
In 2021 Nurse Recruitment Experts saw nurses wanting to know about the following (in order):
Pay
Benefits
Working hours/flexibility
Money has always mattered. But covid, cost of living increase and travelling have really rocked the boat of nurses’ pay expectations – last year inflation was at its highest level since 1981. Unsurprisingly, last year we say those paying the most salary win.
Sign on bonuses were an eye-catcher, but rarely listed as a number 1 draw by nurses. Indeed, I got the feeling that these were often counterproductive. Firstly, their implementation made leaders feel like they were ‘doing something’ about their nursing shortage, rather than the right thing. “What do you mean we need to do more? We just implemented the bonuses!”. Secondly, there’s not a huge amount of evidence nurses prefer bonuses to positive culture or elevated pay. Thirdly, Talent Acquisition leaders had to accept this progress from leadership, rather than lobby for more meaningful, long-term investment such as increasing staff pay or hiring recruiters.
Ready to hire more nurses?
Connect with Nurse Recruitment Experts today.
President of Nurse Recruitment Experts.
Want to amplify your nurse hiring? We help you reach further with your advertising, focus on the best talent, and add a consultative and insightful nurse recruitment expert to your team. With results-based pricing and no long-term commitments, we are your ideal cost-effective and low-risk partner. So why not take your nurse recruitment to the experts?
