The staff shortage in the Social Care sector is showing little signs of decreasing anytime soon, with the latest Jobs Outlook Report by REC stating the sector are the highest in demand increase month on month and second highest sector in terms of shortage of candidates. Candidate power within the sector has therefore never been so high, with candidates having more choice than ever and sought after by multiple organisations. Sourcing and retaining care staff has therefore never been more crucial, so it is important to use as many attraction methods as possible to secure that star candidate.

When creating a job description or advert, it is important to detail what the job entails and the benefits of working for that organisation. After all, a candidate wants to know why they should go from their current organisation to yours. You will however be surprised to know how many employers don’t post their perks of working at a company. Sometimes the salary and organisation reputation isn’t the main pull but the perks.

Although many care organisations don’t consider the perks of working for them, there has been a rise in organisations who specialise in offering perks to staff. This in part, is due to the rise of millennials in the workplace (if you haven’t read our blog on attracting them you can do so here). Many millennials are now relying on non-financial motivators.

A recent survey suggests 79% of employees would prefer benefits to a pay increase. This has given rise to companies such as Perkbox – which offers a wide range of benefits to cater to everyone within your organisation. It is perhaps something to consider providing to your care staff in order to act as another retention incentive.

There are 3 main factors to consider when offering perks to your employees:

Think health.

Being in the social care sector, health and wellbeing should be the priority of those you care for, and this view should filter to your employees. So offering gym discounts or free excerice classes will show you care about your employees wellbeing.

Remember, even if you do offer health and wellbeing led benefits, you will always have employees who have no interest in the gym. This is why it’s important to offer a range of perks to suit all different ages and interests.

The main factor with any perk however, is how useful they are. Can your employees use these time and time again so it becomes a natural part of their day? If so, your employees will constantly be reminded of the benefit you have given them. Employees will then be scared of losing that benefit should they leave or feel so appreciated that they stay.

Remember, perks aren’t the only thing which will make people come work for your care organisation. In fact, The Social Care Salary Survey 2017 which was sponsored by our sister company turro, found that the top 3 things care staff look for when seeking a new role are:

• Base Salary (53%)
• Appreciation (44%)
• Progression (43%)

Perks however are still a great added bonus and can easily contribute to a member of your team feeling more appreciated.

The survey also stated that the main reason people worked within the social care sector to begin with was because they had a caring nature and would like to care for others. Make sure your perks reciprocate their values, so health and wellbeing related perks will be a big hit.

If you implement the above points and add perks to your recruitment drive, you will definitely have more success in getting those hard to find quality candidates into your organisation.

If your organisation requires any temporary front line care staff, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with AJ, and let us help you manage and balance your staffing needs in the care sector by supplying the best candidates.