Look at the Bigger Picture, Not Just Pay

The urgent problems of understaffing and attrition within the UK care sector are nothing new Issues are deep-rooted a 2022 House of Commons report highlighted significant structural and socio-cultural barriers [that] prevent the care sector recruiting and retaining the carers and other health professionals needed’

And we know that the situation is unlikely to stabilise soon given the increasingly uncertain economic climate

The jobs market is volatile too Where it might once have been expected that workers would stay where they are in a cost-of-living crisis even if unhappy today’s jobs market is working in favour of the employee meaning they re more likely to be looking at other options open to them

MORE JOBS = A BIGGER RETENTION CHALLENGE

Quinyx’s own research from our annual State of the Deskless Workforce study indicates that UK care workers increasingly believe that their skills can be utilised elsewhere, with more than three quarters (78%) feeling there are many job opportunities available - this is up from 47% in 2021

After years of employers having the upper hand it s refreshing that workers feel they have some power back Yet for employers it means they need to work much harder if they’re to retain their best staff and avoid a daily battle to ensure sufficient shift cover

So how to do that? With a recession looming and nurses’ pay at the centre of strike action this month, it can be easy to view wages as the key issue that needs fixing in health and social care; the silver bullet to cure all ills

IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT MONEY

In our report focusing on UK health and social care workers 71% of workers told us they’d be more engaged in their current job by an increased salary And of course money as a motivator cannot be ignored especially now

Yet even amidst a cost-of-living crisis it is vital to look at all aspects of the employee experience if prob-

By Toma Pagojute, HR director for workforce management solution Quinyx (www quinyx com)

lems within the sector are to be addressed

For example we found that almost half of care workers (44%) said they’d be more engaged if their work environment was less stressful A third (34%) would be motivated by improved communication between management and staff, and over a quarter (28%) would be more engaged – and less likely to leave – if they had increased flexibility

Understaffing and stress are inextricably linked In our report, three quarters (72%) of health and social care workers said they d noticed understaffing and 90% of those said it resulted in a more stressful work environment

Furthermore of the 59% of workers who have considered quitting in the last year by far the biggest reason prompting them to look elsewhere was stress

SMALL STEPS TO BETTER SCHEDULING

Without sugar-coating the current situation, there are certainly small steps that can be taken – today – to start tackling some of these issues Bringing in more staff isn t always a feasible option so using a workforce planning tool powered by AI allows managers to schedule staff based on need and demand at the click of a button

Certitude London s leading adult social care provider for people with learning disabilities autism and mental health needs, recently started working with Quinyx to help automate staff schedules Employees use the app to request shift swaps and get rota updates straight to their phones

Certitude manager Benjamin said using the system has helped him “better understand colleagues’ worklife balance He added being able to schedule a month or so in advance gives people the opportunity to plan their life outside of work and get the balance they need ”

PRIORITISE OPEN COMMUNICATION

Being aware that staff are feeling stressed and need a break is also key We found that many frontline care workers avoid speaking to managers about topics which could be affecting their wellbeing - 56% feel uncomfortable talking about how stress is impacting their health And sadly, when employees do offer feedback a significant proportion (43%) don t feel listened to

Open effective communication is at the heart of any successful organisation: regular check-in meetings ‘open door’ policies suggestion boxes and feedback surveys are all ways of giving employees a voice It’s imperative too that all feedback is acknowledged

As the saying goes, change won’t happen overnight, but by putting staff first, being smart with technology and looking at all aspects of the employee experience the sector can start moving in the right direction