Hireology’s Healthcare Beat Series: The New Applicant Economy

How to prepare for the “New Applicant Economy” in healthcare

Click Boarding’s Senior Solutions Manager, Danielle Balow, joined Hireology and a panel of experts on Tuesday, December 8th during their Healthcare Beat Series. Adam Robinson, Hireology’s CEO, kicked off the presentation with a keynote message which centered around the current state of hiring qualified, dependable healthcare workers during the pandemic. (If you missed the live webinar, watch our on-demand recording).

“Before COVID-19, every able-bodied person who could work did work,” Robinson stated. The biggest problem he says agencies faced was sourcing qualified candidates and delivering on the promice of quality to clients. “Then COVID-19 happened, and everything we knew was erased.”

The intense patient demands and staggering stress of the pandemic heavily saddled healthcare workers, making their jobs even more overwhelming. In addition, healthcare HR and IT systems were unable to keep up, leaving organizations trailing behind with an aging tech stack and problems they’d never before encountered.

To more fully understand the breadth of the situation, Hireology conducted a survey of healthcare hires over the past year to learn more about staff and tech concerns. Key findings include:

1. 92% of healthcare workers hold the healthcare industry in high regard, despite the demands today’s workers face.

Takeaway: That’s a significant 19% higher than the perception from other industries!

2. The top healthcare motivators for starting a job search:

  1. Pay
  2. Benefits
  3. Flexible hours
  4. More hours
  5. Career path

Takeaway: The healthcare workforce neds more flexibility and want more billable hours from the agencies in which they’re employed. As an orgniazation, these are all things you control, so reconsider your overall package to attract new talent.

3. The top 3 channels healthcare workers use to find jobs include:

  1. Job boards
  2. Personal referral
  3. Career site

Takeaway: Don’t forget the value of personal referrals! Engaged, happy employees will refer the people they like to work with – friends, former colleagues, etc.

4. The top 3 devices healthcare workers use in job searches:

  1. iPhone
  2. Laptop
  3. Android phone

Takeaway: Mobile is key for recruiting healthcare workers. Meet your searchers on the channels they’re using! Can they navigate to your career site on their phone? Are there things on your website that can be optimized for the mobile experience?

5. The top 3 reasons healthcare workers decide to take a job:

  1. Good hours & availability
  2. Positive hiring experience
  3. Better culture

Takeaway: Because of its importance to workers, it’s safe to assume that a positive, quality hiring experience can increase your chances of hiring the best staff.

Panel Discussion

Following the Robinson’s keynote, four HR healthcare practioners dedicated to seamless, mobile and connected technology solutions began the engaging panel discussion. Speakers included:

The conversation began with panelists highlighting the changes they’ve noticed during COVID-19 and how they’re optimizing their processes:

Danielle Balow

  • The pandemic was a forced event. No one had a choice, and we were forced to acclimate.
  • When we think about the employee experience post-COVID-19, we must think differently.  Candidates expect a great, digital experience.
  • By using mobile-friendly and digital platforms, companies can dramatically improve onboarding to make it more efficient and cost-effective.

Kara Polk

  • We’re focusing more on remote assessments.
  • There have been considerable predictions of future performance.
  • We now conduct our candidate interviews virtually.

Tracey Azer

  • We’ve had to pivot from our standard process to accommodate the remote worker.
  • Our surveys have provided us with a better understanding of what it takes to be a good, productive remote worker.
  • Survey data indicates whether candidates have initiative, can work independently, are able to manage time effectively and communicate well.

Panelists then discussed how healthcare organizations can greatly benefit from a more robust tech stack, offering tips and advice for other HR practioners:

Danielle

  • If you’re hiring a care worker, it’s important to find a platform to securely collect the pre-qualifying documentation and certification up front.
  • Use a platform that offers you opportunities to provide engaging materials to candidates and mitigate the risk of higher dropout rates or “ghosting.”
  • Streamline data entry from your ATS and onboarding system and send it to your HRIS.  There are platforms available that make it easier for you to collect the information you need about your candidate to minimize manual data entry.

Kara

  • Make sure you have the most efficient processes possible in place.
  • The competition for healthcare workers is fierce, so maximize your candidate experience.
  • Create healthcare profiles that are more personality-based.

Tracey

  • It’s a fact that healthcare employees can get burnt out from technology; therefore, put focus on employee engagement and recognition.
  • Survey workers to get insights on whether or not employees are getting overwhelmed and/or burned out.

Michael McKenna

  • Automation is critical as it’s increased significantly among vendors and organizations.
  • Some vendors offer automated scoring.
  • Technology has truly made the assessment process smarter and more efficient.
  • The advancement of technology is available for companies big and small

Finally, the team brought up the cringing question of how organizations can combat employee turnover.

Danielle

  • It’s about getting in front of employee turnover; it’s a regrettable attrition. Make an impact before it’s too late!
  • Communiate and connect with your staff, from before Day 1 and beyond.
  • Make the employee experience easy by being proactive and providing the information they want and need (and it’s not just the address of their work location).
    • Who’s their boss?
    • Who are their team members?
    • How do they log in if they’re remote?
  • Once you’ve gotten where you want to move candidates to the next stage, consider how you’re engaging in the interview process. Set expectations so they know what to anticipate before they arrive (this is important especially for candidates with multiple offers on the table).
  • Speak the candidate’s language or use the tools they’re using. How about texting them instead of an email or phone call?
  • Provide a platform for candidates to ask questions openly and easily.
  • Make your life easier by using relevant tools for your candidates that deliver a consistent and memorable onboarding experience!

Tracey

  • Ensure you’re hiring the right person – put some science behind it. Perform a reference check earlier in the process. It’s a burden on the candidate in the long run, but it’ll save the organization money down the road.
  • Think about other ways to cut down on costs: gain candidates from career sites, attract candidates through references, etc.
  • Be creative and think about different ways of doing things.
  • Be proactive and perform pre-employment testing.
  • Use customizable scientific surveys to collect data.
  • Find a solution that’s flexible for you and your candidates.

Kara 

  • Streamline your process, ensuring recruiters have a good experience.
  • Use selection tools that maximize the user experience.
  • Measure skills and characteristics well; always have sufficient data.
  • Conduct a ersonality assessment.
  • Uses a scoring algorithm that makes it shorter to take but more engaging for the user.
  • Is your selection process engaging? If it is, it’s likely candidates will want to work at your org.
  • Expectations: make sure they’re made clear at the beginning.
  • Digitize the process.

Michael

  • Use assessments; historically used on desktops, we need the tech to administer via mobile.
  • Go where they are or at least allow them the opportunity to go where they are
  • The overlap of technologies: consider how this looks to potential employees and what a disconnect it could be.
  • Remember to focus on the process holistically and not just certain parts.

The most important advice: always rely on the experts

The world today is vastly different than it was just a year ago. So much has changed. And if you don’t adopt, your chances are not good. The bottom line is that you need a technology partner that understands. Our dedicated employee journey experts are here when you’re ready to focus on people and let the process run itself. See how Click’s seamless, mobile-first and automated onboarding platform will amplify the employee experience to meet new hire engagement expectations now.

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