Think of any company you know. Or an organization whose success you admire. Chances are they had to overcome some challenges internally and externally before they got to where they are today.
VIZX International Staffing Solution, as an organization, is a dynamic entity influenced by external pressures and internal challenges in its various operations of recruitment and staffing.
This article looks at the main challenges experienced in the recruitment sector in Q3.
Market Changes
The recruitment market is very dynamic. Today the needs are plenty, and tomorrow there are no needs at all. This week you have the best rates in town, and the next, there is nothing tangible in the market. You become a mathematician trying to pay an ICU nurse a CNA rate. In most cases, these are external factors that we don’t have direct control over. Let’s narrow it down to the following:
a) The COVID-19 Factor
Two years ago, COVID-19 came and changed the recruitment industry. We had to adjust to rates, needs, and compliance processes where HCAs must produce the vaccination cards to be considered for work. In terms of rates, the industry blossomed, with reasonable rates flying all over. The location was no longer an issue, as long as the rate was good. Getting travelers was as easy as ordering fries from a nearby restaurant. As expected, this didn’t last as long as a few months ago, and things went back to normal. There were no more surplus needs caused by the increased hospital census due to COVID-19, and the rates went back to normal. With this, we had to work extra hard to get the candidates and have them renew their current contracts.
b) The 50-Mile Address Factor
This is where the facility only accepts travelers who have 50-mile addresses. The facilities involved are the Riverside University Health System (RUHS) in Riverside, California; the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in Orange County, California, and some facilities under HealthTrust Workforce Solutions and Arizona State.
This surprised us, and it’s one of the biggest challenges, especially when dealing with low-rate positions where travelers have to be closer to the facilities to save on costs. You can imagine a CNA earning $17/hr required to have a 50-mile address!
In summary, these have been some of the main challenges we have dealt with in Quarter 3. To emphasize reduced needs and low rates. As a result, we have had to adjust to the situation by exploring all the best solutions available, as follows:
- Focusing on per diem both in Southern California and recently with AMN facilities like Kaiser Permanente and Community Medical Centers
- Working on out-of-state orders in Arizona and the less popular areas like Central and Northern California.
- As for the 50-mile address issue, knowing about the facilities with strict rules is vital, as that saves you time and helps you focus on qualified candidates.
- On a similar note, you can provide the travelers with alternative proofs of the address where they can send either of the following: a current driver’s license, a current motor vehicle registration, a current utility bill, a residential lease, voter registration, or a current signed resident tax return.
- Going a little harder for different results. More time and focus on the available needs.
- We are doing everything possible to retain current workers, including appreciating them with cards on their birthdays and assignment completion and celebrating them as our employees of the month.
In the book Who Moved My Cheese, as referred to by Susan, adapting to change is inevitable. If you have read the book, let us strive to be like Sniff, who sniffs out change early, Scurry, who scurries into action, and Haw, who learns to adapt to it in time. DON’T BE LIKE THEM, who chooses to stagnate for fear of change!
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