Workforce
well-documented and effective strategy is needed to ensure that workers have the support they need.
The cost-of-living crisis is having a significant impact on staff retention. Providers report increasing numbers of care staff leaving the sector for financial reasons and securing better paid jobs in other sectors to make ends meet. Some of this attrition may be avoidable, so it is worth engaging with staff about whether they are able to pick up additional shifts to increase their income, whether there are more senior roles, at higher pay rates, that they would be suitable for, or whether their hours can be flexed to reduce their travel and childcare overheads. For those in financial crisis, support is available from the Care Workers Charity. An increasing number of providers are focusing on menopause support for their teams as part of their wellbeing strategy. This is a key issue for the sector, given the demographic of the workforce. Skills for Care data indicates that 82 per cent of the adult social care workforce are female, the average age of the workforce is 44, and 27 per cent of workers are aged 55 and above. Evidence on the impact of the menopause shows that as many as 25 per cent of women think about leaving their jobs because of it and 10 per cent do leave their job. Ninety per cent of employees say employers offer no support on the menopause. Training and development. Ensuring that
workers receive the necessary training to carry out their role effectively is essential, but more is needed to retain them for the medium to long term. Having a career development framework to map possible career journeys in your organisation and the skills, experience, and attributes required is a positive way of promoting opportunities and creating a developmental culture. Without a focus on development, you are likely to see higher turnover rates amongst workers with 3-5 years’ service who have stagnated in their role and need a new challenge, many of whom will be your most ambitious and driven team members. In smaller organisations or services, with less scope for vertical progression, it is important to carve out horizontal developmental opportunities so that your people can continue to progress and develop. This could include upskilling to support specialist client needs, leading an internal project, or becoming a mentor or buddy. Post-COVID flexible working. The care
sector has not been immune from the post-COVID push towards greater flexible
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working practices. While working from home is not an option for frontline staff, pressure is building on the traditional fixed rota, fixed shift model. To compete with other sectors and to avoid more staff moving to agency work, greater flexibility is required, in terms of the number of working hours, when those hours are worked, and the duration of shifts. While this creates a headache for managers creating rotas, they will need to be open to new ways of working and think creatively about how to accommodate as many people as possible. Retaining overseas recruits. Given the
recruitment challenges in the market, increasing numbers of providers are applying for sponsor licences to recruit from overseas. There is significant demand to work in the UK, particularly from outside the EU. While sponsored workers will be prohibited from moving to other sectors, they could move to another care provider with a sponsor licence. Given the time, effort, and cost of recruiting from overseas, retaining them is critical. Although the retention factors
mentioned above are relevant for overseas workers, there is a great need for pastoral support, at least initially, to ensure that they stay with you. This could include transport from the airport when they arrive, support with accommodation, help integrating into the local community, guidance on living in the UK, a guide to the local area, creating a buddy system at work, and regular check-ins.
Designing a retention strategy Whether you are creating or refreshing your retention strategy, it is important to tailor it to your organisation. Importantly, you need data on where your biggest retention risks are so that any measures you put in place are appropriate and beneficial.
Good internal communication, regular staff engagement surveys, and exit interviews will provide the data you need and ensuring that you can filter survey results by location (if multiple services), job title, and length of employment will help target the risk areas and inform where any new measures need to be implemented. Improving employee engagement and retention is the key to your business success. Good luck!
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James Sage
James is a HR and employment law specialist with strong commercial and business acumen. His work has been recognised by Legal 500 as “excellent” and his team has been recognized for providing “an excellent overall service” and for being “very responsive”. James supports clients with complex employment law cases, including whistleblowing and discrimination, senior executive exits, large scale redundancy/reorganisation, Employment Tribunal litigation, TUPE and employment aspects of business sales, and acquisitions and mergers.
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com February 2023
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