At the start of 2020, very few of us could have anticipated what the following months would unfurl. The rapid spread of coronavirus across the world was a mostly unprecedented affair, and it has impacted the lives of everyone around the world and especially in the health care sector.
The majority of governments have implemented shelter in place, social isolation and social distancing measures of different degrees, encouraging all citizens other than “essential” or “key workers” to stay at home unless absolutely necessary – for example, to seek emergency medical help, to buy groceries or to pick up medication. As you can imagine, the worldwide pandemic has had a profound impact on the health care industry.
All health care workers have been deemed essential workers and it has been their role to manage patients and tackle the virus and disease. The increasing number of Covid-19 patients alongside usual patients means more health care staff have been required than usual too. But considering the contagious nature of coronavirus, there have been unique challenges in Hiring 2020 healthcare staff during this time.
Here is a couple!
Fear
Perhaps the biggest challenge that has been faced by those recruiting health care staff right now is fear. Many people are reluctant to enter healthcare are roles right now. The contagious nature and high mortality rate of Covid-19 means that those who will be working directly with patients face a risk each and every day they go to work. It also means they are likely to be dealing with more patients who succumb to the illness and do not make it.
On top of this, PPE shortages mean that staff in different health care facilities may not always be getting the protective equipment they need to work carefully. For example, nurses in caring homes are dealing with more ill residents, more deaths, and may be risking their own health in the process. There are two ways to combat fear. The first is to ensure that all staff will be provided with the PPE they require and to reassure them of this through the recruitment process. The second is to reward the risk incurred by the staff by working hard to fulfill increased pay requests.
Interviews
Of course, interviews usually occur face to face. However, interviewing during the pandemic has taken a different turn for all roles. To comply with social distancing measures, and to reduce contact with others at all costs, face to face interviews are becoming less commonly carried out. When interviewing potential candidates, you may now want to consider video interviews. This will maintain a completely safe distance between interviewees and candidates but still allows you to “meet” and talk on a face to face basis! You can always ask the same questions, get a feel for their character, and determine whether they’re a good fit for the role.
These are just two challenges when it comes to hiring for health care roles during the coronavirus pandemic. Luckily, there are ways to get around the problems and increase your chances of safely recruiting the staff you need despite Covid-19!
Of course, after all, no one wants problems from the coronavirus, which really poses a threat to everyone, and not just to certain groups of people. All organisms are different, and some really do not want to go out again because they are afraid. After all, there are families and in which case they will need to be fed. And they simply have no one to leave. So everything is clear here. Nobody wants to take risks.