As the healthcare industry’s talent war rages on, hospitals continue to seek a competitive hiring edge. One thing’s for certain: increasing compensation isn’t enough. That’s because, in the words of talent acquisition professional John Leech, “another organization will always one-up you.”
He should know. After all, he’s been a talent acquisition professional for 25 years—the last six at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He and his team discovered the one true thing that actually works—a compelling differentiator with the power to transform “no thanks” into “yes, please!”
That secret strategy: demonstrating to healthcare professionals that you will appreciate and take care of them—i.e., “love” them—starting when you make them an offer.
To be clear, it’s not about showering them with money, candy or flowers (although those don’t hurt, either!). According to John, the best way to show future employees that you’ll truly care about them is to promise to support them through every step of their relocation—something most hospitals simply don’t do.
Then, you deliver on your promise—from pre-screening movers on their behalf, setting new hires up with great local realtors, and giving them tools to acclimate more quickly.
Here’s the bonus: by doing these things, you not only show your new hires you truly value them—you set them up for quick success as they begin their important new jobs.
“Before UrbanBound, we were asking new hires to dive into our lifesaving work—while they were still juggling a million moving-related details,” says John.
“By offloading those details to experts, we freed our people to focus on our mission.”
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A World of Difference: Relocation Allowance vs. Relocation Benefits
Many hospitals do help pay for new hires to relocate, but it’s usually simply by providing a moving allowance. Those important new hires—doctors, nurses, researchers, etc.—need to make all the moving arrangements on their own, then submit receipts for reimbursement.
In other words: “good luck…how soon can you start?”
“Switching jobs and moving are two of life’s greatest stressors,” says John, “and we weren’t helping with either one.”
Plus, managing all those receipts created a ton of paperwork for his staff. And because they took so long to tally, some new employees were going over their budget, creating problems all around.
John and his team started to look at the way other employers and industries handle relocation. They found that, instead of treating it as compensation, they treat it as a benefit program—complete with digital tools, prescreened vendors and professional services.
Relocation Benefits that Attract Healthcare Professionals
John and his team determined that they needed to outsource the management of the hospital’s relocation program to experts. As you’ve probably figured out by now, the experts they chose were here at UrbanBound.
But that was only the beginning of their learning journey. They learned what specific relocation features and benefits appeal most to healthcare professionals. How it simplified life for his internal team. And what was involved in making the leap.
They learned some surprising things, too. Here’s a really big one: rather than taking on more expense, outsourcing relocation actually saved them a boatload of money.
But don’t take our word for it—read John’s firsthand account. Learn for yourself how this talent acquisition professional revolutionized one hospital’s recruiting results.
Because, in his words, “if you don’t show employees some love during the relocation process, another hospital will.”
Ready to hear from the expert? Find out The Best Way to Boost Healthcare Recruiting in John Leech's informative article.
