Tips for Offering Long-Term Assignments

Hiring for the long-term can be incredibly beneficial for your organization, and it’s certainly worth the effort of finding and keeping workers, no matter what the industry. However, if you want to attract long-term employees, you must provide incentives for them to stay. The days of simply writing a paycheck are over. Job seekers want perks beyond pay, insurance, and time off. If you’re going to offer long-term assignments, here are a few things you can do to entice job seekers.

The Benefits of Offering Long-Term Assignments

These days employees often jump from job to job, and it can be challenging to find employees who will stay for longer periods. If you can get employees to take long-term assignments, there are excellent rewards for doing so:

  • Cost-effective. Offering long-term assignments will save your organization money as the costs associated with employee turnover can be quite high. These costs include severance packages, unemployment costs, advertising, screening, interviewing, onboarding, and training. It is more cost-effective to retain employees for the long term.
  • Solid relationships. When you retain teachers, clinicians, therapists, and administrators for a long time, students, patients, and clients will be able to build relationships with them based on trust.
  • Stability. Retaining employees presents a stable front. People like to engage with familiar people at hospitals, clinics, and businesses. This will also ease the stress of managers and coworkers, who may have to overcompensate every time there is a new employee.
  • Knowledge base. Employees who’ve been around a company for a long time know the ins and outs. They know the culture, and this experience allows them to serve as an excellent resource for other team members.

Showcase Your Culture

Do you have something that makes teaching at your school special? Is your medical unit staffed with a unique crew? Don’t hide it from candidates. In a long-term assignment, candidates will want to know a bit more about their team to see if it will be a good fit for them. Be honest with candidates, so they know what to expect. Is it a quiet place? Perhaps a loud atmosphere with happy hours every Friday? Whatever the atmosphere, let the candidate know so that they’ll be aware of what they’re walking into. The goal here is to show candidates a window into your organization that makes them feel like it’s a place they will belong.

Offer to Help Pay Back Student Loans

Many hard-working health care workers, teachers, therapists, and other professionals studied hard to earn their current position, degrees, or certifications. Chances are, you probably have team members who have student debt – if possible, help them pay this debt off. Even if you can’t offer a large sum, every little bit adds up over time and will create a fantastic and much appreciated perk.

Professional Development

Helping employees expand their careers is an excellent reward for workers willing to stay for the long haul. All professionals, whether it be teachers, clinicians, or therapists, will benefit from professional development. Training, certification, membership dues, and industry conferences are a few ways you can assist with professional development. If the employee is a long-term placement, consider how this investment into your employees will ultimately make your organization a better place for everyone.

Arbor Associates can provide professionals who care, are reliable, and are highly skilled in their professions. Let our team assist your organization – contact us today!