Recruiting in the healthcare industry has always been challenging, but today, hospitals need every possible hiring edge. As a talent acquisition professional for 25 years—and the last six at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital—I’ve found that hospitals often overlook the one move that will yield the greatest bang for their buck: updating weak relocation programs.
While the relocation management industry has advanced lightyears in the last decade, the healthcare industry remains stuck in the past. Modern, tech-based relocation companies lift the burden off both employers and employees—yet many hospitals are still simply throwing money at new hires and hoping for the best.
This is not what top healthcare candidates want to see from prospective employers. It’s not the way to build lasting relationships. Plus, it creates needless work and angst for the new employee and for the folks managing it on the backend.
About six years ago, I found a better approach. It was a game changer for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, one of the world’s top pediatric treatment and research facilities. And it’s easier, more affordable and more effective than you may think.
How NOT to Relocate Healthcare Professionals
When I first took over as Director of Talent Acquisition at the hospital, new hires (largely clinical and research) were granted a lump sum moving allowance, paid as reimbursement. The travel department arranged a house-hunting trip and we’d recommend our preferred van line—period. There were several problems with this.
For one thing, HR was pushing enormous amounts of paperwork, which led to errors and inconsistencies and left little time to connect with new hires.
For another, it was impossible to stay within budget, because by the time we tallied expenses, it was already spent—and then some. Telling new hires that they owe you thousands of dollars is a bad beginning. Either we ate the excess cost or jeopardized new relationships.
Finally, the process put enormous pressure on new hires. Switching jobs and moving are two of life’s greatest stressors—and we weren’t helping with either one.
We realized we needed to outsource the management of our relocation program to the experts. In our case, we chose UrbanBound—and here’s what I learned along the way.