Hiring for Healthcare Jobs During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Finding talent for your healthcare jobs has never been easy, and with current events, you may find it harder than ever to find top talent.
Hospitals are experiencing urgent needs for critical care workers and demand is high across the country, with ZipRecruiter reporting that there has been a triple increase in job postings in the US. 32% of these jobs have been posted by employers in the government, healthcare, biotech and pharmaceuticals, and non-profit industries.
Not only are hospitals struggling to find talent for the temporary roles required for the pandemic, but they are also struggling to fill long-term roles as well. As the healthcare industry steps up to meet the demands of aging and growing populations, jobs are booming. The US is forecast to create 2.4 million new healthcare jobs by 2026. To help you hire the talent you need, you need to engage with candidates and think about what you are offering them.
What Talent Wants from Healthcare Jobs
Healthcare jobs offer both a challenging and rewarding career. They often require a great deal of sacrifice, with long hours and stressful work conditions, and they can be emotionally draining.
Healthcare workers should be rewarded for these sacrifices. The workforce has changed as many more millennials enter the workforce. Hospitals need to adapt their offerings and create strategies for engaging and retaining new talent from a generation that is more demanding than the those before. Here are a few factors that today’s most talented healthcare employees seek from their jobs.
· Work-Life Balance
Achieving a healthy balance between work life and home life is becoming more important for healthcare workers. Once an industry where this was thought to be unattainable, now it is necessary to retain staff, stop workers from burning out, and maintain a happy work environment.
· Flexible Hours
A study conducted by the Center for Generational Kinetics found that 43% of nurses rated flexible scheduling as one of the most important factors in creating a positive work environment.
Long shifts are draining, and many healthcare workers have families. Being able to create flexible schedules is attractive to many talented workers who have other commitments in their life.
· Career Growth
Now more than ever, healthcare workers have high expectations for support from their employers. They are seeking roles in which they can progress and learn. 44% of nurses surveyed think that their employer should provide opportunities for their staff to learn and advance their careers.
Create a structure in your healthcare facility that provides opportunities for growth. In your healthcare job listing you should also lay out the options you provide to staff for training and where they will be able to learn new skills.
· Ability to Travel
Travel nurse roles have soared in popularity. Offering the ability to travel for work is highly appealing to young new talent. It is considered by many a huge job perk, giving those in healthcare jobs the ability to experience new places, learn new skills, and train in new environments.
· Positive Work Environment
You should strive to make your work environment positive. Create a workplace where communication is open, and healthcare workers can easily correspond with supervisors as well as receive feedback and praise.
A welcoming workplace helps to attract new talent. Happy employees become great advocates for you as an employer, giving good reviews online when they leave, and helping you build a reputation as a great place to work.
To Sum Up
Attracting and retaining top talent for healthcare jobs is tough. Ultimately every employee is different, but it’s clear that employers need to consider what today’s healthcare workers are looking for in a job. Many are looking beyond a paycheck and searching for a beneficial work environment where they feel safe and have the option to grow and learn.
For more information and help finding top talent for your healthcare jobs, contact Loyal Source.