Background
Vacenti is a privately owned aged care provider based in Brisbane, Queensland. Our challenge was to recruit and onboard 250 new employees for a new 5 star, luxury aged care home built in Hamilton, Brisbane with the commitment of exceptional customer service for residents. This represented a significant challenge to recruit staff who could deliver on the values of the home and not repeat the traditional focus of ‘task based’ care. An additional complexity was a gradual and at times sporadic increase in occupancy over time and the need to ensure the availability of suitably trained staff as resident numbers increased at potentially short notice.
Approach
Our team worked closely with senior management to identity the skills and personal qualities required to achieve the holistic and customer centric care model for the home. In addition, a strategy was devised by which new staff were deployed to existing homes and ‘brought back’ to the new Home as resident numbers increased.
Our management strategy included:
- Development of an online marketing/recruitment campaign, host on-site information days to promote the Home as the place to work, and run innovative Recruitment Assessment Centres to ensure the best possible applicants were selected
- Behaviour assessments of applicants with a focus on alignment with company values and behaviour standards
- A flexible roster and ‘on standby’ workforce that was able to be engaged as resident numbers increased. This was essential in maintaining the highest customer service levels
- A ‘quality over quantity’ recruitment strategy which saw the engagement of a diverse range of backgrounds and skill sets with any gaps fully addressed as part of their individualised onboarding programs
- Exceptional leadership and ongoing connection with staff to support them to deliver the best care possible to residents
Outcomes
Our team provided hands on operational support to the Home over a 2-year period during which time it gained a reputation for providing exceptional care and services in the community. The Home continues to thrive today and its workforce has built on the foundations established for the very first residents of the home.
