Glen Haven establishes recruitment strategy
Glen Haven Manor has come up with a new way to attract and assist employees — by offering them affordable housing close to work.
The long-term care facility came up with the recruitment strategy to help address the shortage of workers throughout Nova Scotia in the health-care sector.
The goal is to help staff who are new to the area find housing within walking distance to Glen Haven by leasing a nearby property and subletting it to employees who could use it.
“Rentals are in great demand locally due to an increase of community college students in the area as well as the rise of mobile workers and consultants working for many businesses,” said Glen Haven Manor CEO Lisa Smith. “This part of our strategy helps alleviate a housing shortage for our staff.” The employees will be responsible for their own rental costs but the housing will open up rental opportunities and save them time as well as assuring appropriate living space.
“These rentals could be for many staff; for international workers, for someone who has moved from outside the region or province, or it could be for a family member of a resident who is looking for short-term accommodations while visiting a loved
one who is palliative or for a family member who lives far away and is here for an extended visit for a variety of personal reasons,” Smith said.
As part of its new recruitment plan, Glen Haven is also looking at expanding partnerships with educational institutions such as the Nova Scotia Community College, St. Francis Xavier University and Dalhousie University to provide more opportunities for clinical education to CCA, LPN and bachelor of science in nursing students, as well as providing locums for nurses to temporarily cover vacant positions. Glen Haven also continues to take part in job fairs, invests in advertising, has a prominent career section on its new website, does regular presentations to educational community partners and is organizing an open house this fall.
“We welcome all interested, qualified candidates for a variety of positions at Glen Haven from quality and resident care, to nutritional services, and environmental services and encourage their applications,” says employee relations specialist Janice Jorden.