According to the report, the numbers are most extreme among low-wage healthcare workers. “The need for these workers will grow over the next five years to around 10.7 million. Yet, if United States workforce trends hold, more than 6.5 million individuals will permanently leave these jobs within five years while only 1.9 million will step in to take their place.”

It’s critical that healthcare organizations improve staff retention and grow the applicant pool by simplifying hiring, onboarding and orientation.

Employers need to meet prospective healthcare employees where they are

Companies having the most success with hiring are reaching prospective employees where they are – on their phones, speaking multiple languages.

To put it bluntly, in the caregiver world, if you’re still using emails, you’re not reaching them. Most companies use SMS for customers or clients. If you’re not using text messages for employees as well,, you’re already behind.

Healthcare employers need to have a way to reach prospective employees in real-time. The following illustrates a typical scenario of an applicant for a low-wage healthcare job:

A woman, who speaks English as a second language, will apply online for a healthcare job with the help of a family member. She’ll also apply for jobs in other industries, like food service and retail. The healthcare company takes a few days to respond over email to set up an interview. She doesn’t often check her email because it’s primarily full of spam. When she does see it, she’s asked to print and fill out several Adobe PDFs and scan them to send back to the company. She has no printer and doesn’t know how to scan a form. Even the Adobe forms that allow a user to sign electronically are challenging with her limited tech skills on her phone. 

Meanwhile, the big box cashier job immediately responded, making it easy to schedule an interview. She filled out forms in her native language at a digital kiosk on site. She’s already started the job.

Low-wage healthcare employees play an essential role in providing care for individuals who need assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing and meal preparation.

However, hiring and onboarding new staff members can be daunting for agencies. 

Make onboarding for healthcare jobs easier

Onboarding and orientation are critical first steps for every job. Not only does it ease employees into a new role, but it forms their first impression of your company. When your organization simplifies hiring and onboarding, your new staff will know their new employers are organized and efficient.