Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
£500 bonus to retain staff
DUNDEE charity Hillcrest is introducing a £500 bonus to reduce staff turnover.
The payment by its Hillcrest Futures arm is paid in two stages to staff who remain with the company for a year.
New job adverts highlight the perk as the group recruits for 13 support and project worker positions in Tayside and Fife.
It comes in an increasingly competitive jobs market, with sectors such as hospitality and retail finding it difficult to recruit and retain staff.
Dundee Spar wholesaler
CJ Lang has also paid new drivers a £2,000 joining bonus.
HR manager Sarah Steel hopes it will make Hillcrest more attractive to workers.
She said: “The retention payment is something we are trying until the end of March 2022.
“The living wage and most employers’ commitment to this means it’s often hard to differentiate from another provider.
“We have great benefits but often in adverts what attracts the candidate initially is the hourly rate.
“We’re also looking at addressing some of the turnover we have in the first year or so by introducing this bonus.
“We hope to see if financial reward encourages candidates to stay on for six months then on to 12 months.”
Hillcrest Futures delivers a range of services in the areas of physical and learning disabilities, autism and older people.
It also provides drug, alcohol and recovery services.
The vacancies are a mix of permanent and fixed-term full-time and part-time positions.
Hillcrest Futures is hiring in Dundee, Cupar, Angus and Perth and Kinross.
The retention payment is part of a wider update of the recruitment process at Hillcrest, says Ms Steel.
“This does not sit in isolation. “We are updating our recruitment processes, looking at how we induct and getting feedback from employees on their early experiences with us and the vital feedback from those staff who decide to move on.”
Hillcrest provides housing, care, support, training, skills and employment services.
The company was awarded Community Business of the Year at the Courier Business Awards in October.