Why is it important to get down to the root causes of recruitment challenges in the healthcare and senior care industries? Once we identify and solve root causes, we are better apt to develop lasting solutions rather than quick fixes. In our eBook Recruitment Marketing Paradoxes and Benchmarks in Healthcare and Senior Care, here’s what survey respondents revealed as the top three root causes of challenges in recruiting and possible solutions for each:

Root Cause #1: Lack of Qualified Candidates

Challenge: Survey respondents made multiple mentions of difficulty finding qualified staff, lack of clinical applicants and the overall scarcity of candidates with the necessary experience and work ethic. Of course, this impacts the ability to provide quality care.

Solution: Create an ideal candidate description before writing the job description or ad to focus the meaning of “qualified” for each candidate. In the job ad, lead with a strong brand and solid cultural messaging (mission, vision, values) to attract like-minded people to the organization.

Root Cause #2: Low Pay and Burnout

Challenge: Many responses mentioned the issue of low compensation for demanding work, which contributes to employee burnout. This is seen across various facets of the healthcare and caregiving sectors.

Solution: Process map each open role, A to Z, to provide clarity for the organization, hiring manager and candidate on what the job needs are versus the wants. This tightens up the role and can lessen undue demand on the employee and unnecessary extra salary burden on the organization. Research fair compensation for mission-critical roles and pay rightly. To budget for those mission-critical roles, consider eliminating or consolidating less critical roles.

Root Cause #3: High Turnover and Retention Challenges

Challenge: High turnover rate and challenges in retaining dependable and reliable employees were frequently mentioned in our study. Respondents underlined the demanding nature of jobs leading to high turnover rates and compared pay rates with other industries or roles.

Solution: Later in this publication, we provide the top ways to enhance employee retention according to the survey responses.