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Azure launches recruitment incentive to support with finding and keeping high-quality staff

Over the Christmas and New Year period we’re sharing some additional good news stories from the sector in 2023. This time we hear from Azure about their recruitment initiative.

In 2023 Azure introduced a novel staff recruitment incentive. This initiative allowed staff to receive a bonus for introducing a new team member. Furthermore, upon successful completion of the probationary period by the introduced staff, the introducer also received a pro-rata bonus.

This approach has yielded positive results, as dedicated staff members, driven by their passion for the clients they support, actively engaged in recommending friends or family members. This process ensures that the introduced individuals align with the charity's values, creating a mutually beneficial scenario for all involved.

The organisation has also launched the concept of "Storm Troopers" - highly experienced staff capable of working across all 20 services as needed, covering holidays and sickness. These individuals undergo specialised training, enabling them to work seamlessly anywhere, and they receive mileage compensation for travel to and from the services as they’re not based in one specific area like support staff.

The implementation of the in-house "Storm Trooper" staff has proven to be immensely advantageous. Before bringing in their own remote support staff, they used agency staff.

While agencies typically excel in swiftly deploying resources for urgent staff support needs, for Azure the drawbacks outweighed the benefits of employing agency workers. Additionally, the reliance on these agencies became a concern due to staff retention issues.

Having their own in-house agency (Storm Trooper) staff who can work across various support services alongside the existing staff team has had several benefits.

In April of 2023 the organisation also increased the hourly pay for staff, which they say has had a positive effect on the staff morale, demonstrating that the organisation values its staff and acknowledges their contributions.

The pay increase and incentive bonuses have made employees want to stay with the charity, reducing staff turnover.

Julie Redfern, Director- Support Services, Azure,  says:

Share your good news stories with us by emailing marketing@skillsforcare.org.uk

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