R is for Recruitment and Retention
Did you know that 57% of nursery and pre-school staff and 38% of childminders in the UK are considering quitting the early years sector? This alarming trend highlights the critical issues we’re facing in recruitment and retention.
Recruitment and retention in early years education is more challenging than ever. With increasing demands and limited resources, finding and keeping dedicated staff is a pressing concern.
In this article, I’ll share practical insights and strategies to help nursery managers and recruiters like you improve recruitment and retention, ensuring a stable and motivated workforce for our youngest learners.
What are the current challenges in recruitment?
Finding and keeping great early years educators is no easy task. Here are some of the biggest hurdles we’re currently facing:
- Low Wages: Early years educators are doing incredibly important work, but the salaries often don’t reflect that.
- Lack of Recognition: Many educators feel their hard work goes unnoticed, which can be really disheartening.
- Workload and Stress: Early years educators juggle teaching, caregiving, planning, and paperwork, all of which add up to a high-stress environment.
- High Turnover Rates: Frequent staff changes disrupt the consistency of care, which is crucial for young children and a healthy staff team.
- Work-Life Balance: Long hours and overtime lead to burnout, making the job less appealing.
Unique strategies for effective recruitment and retention
Tackling the challenges of finding and keeping early years educators isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation. It takes a mix of approaches to make a real difference. My question to you is: “Are you proactively investing in building and retaining a robust, loyal, and committed team, or are you just reacting to crises by wasting your budget on staffing agencies?
Instead of the usual generic advice about offering professional development, higher salaries, and creating a positive company culture, I’d love to share some unconventional ideas with you. These unique tips and practical examples might just be the fresh perspective you need.
Enhanced benefits packages:
Instead of just focusing on higher salaries, think about offering better benefits packages. But don’t just guess what benefits to offer. Get to know your staff through conversations, surveys, and other feedback methods to understand what they really want and need. Tailoring benefits to their interests shows you value their well-being and can make your positions more attractive.
Your benefits package should also reflect the kind of candidates you want to attract, as well as the staff you already have. For example, if you’re looking to attract more men to your nursery – an untapped resource in my opinion – consider offering equal parental leave.
This is just an example of how to make your setting more appealing to a diverse range of candidates – in this case, aspiring fathers wanting to expand their knowledge on child development through practical experience.
External mentoring:
External mentoring can be a powerful tool in retaining early years educators. Unlike internal mentoring, where there might be a fear of work repercussions or being judged by colleagues, external mentoring provides a safe space for educators to openly discuss their challenges and seek advice. This can lead to more honest and productive mentoring relationships.
Take Ryan Bradshaw, a room leader in North England, for example. Ryan shared that being part of Male Childcare and Teaching Jobs, and utilising their external mentoring program is incredibly beneficial. He feels he can truly open up about his concerns without fear of judgment, which helps him grow professionally and personally. He shares: “Having mentorship externally really supports me further in my role. Having someone on the outside, I can express my views without feeling judged by the setting”.
Ryan’s positive experience highlights how external mentoring, used in conjunction with internal mentoring, can provide comprehensive support to educators, enhancing their job satisfaction and commitment to the role.
Flexible working arrangements:
Offering flexible working arrangements can make a significant difference. The early years sector can learn from other industries that are ahead in offering flexible working arrangements. For instance:
- Split Shifts: Allow staff to work split shifts, where they can choose to work a few hours in the morning and return for a few hours in the afternoon. This can help educators who have personal commitments during the day, such as caring for their own children, studying, or engaging in other professional activities.
- Compressed Work Weeks: Offer a compressed work week option, where educators work longer hours over four days and have the fifth day off. This can help staff achieve a better work-life balance.
- Term-Time Only Contracts: Provide contracts that align with school terms, giving staff the same holidays as their children. This can be particularly attractive for parents and help reduce stress around finding childcare during school breaks. However, to manage school holidays and half terms, you could:
1) Hire seasonal or temporary staff to cover these periods, such as students or part-time workers.
2) Offer holiday programs that require fewer staff or combine groups to reduce staffing needs.
3) Cross-Staff: Utilise staff from other branches or related childcare settings during peak holiday times.
4) Incentivise half term and school holiday work with extra benefits or additional remuneration.
- Flexible Start and End Times: Allow educators to choose their start and end times within a certain range. For example, staff could choose to start their day anytime between 7:00 AM and 10:00 AM and finish accordingly. This flexibility can accommodate different personal schedules and reduce commuting stress. Additionally, employers could incentivise low-demand hours, such as early starts and late hours, with extra hourly pay or additional benefits, making these times more attractive and ensuring coverage throughout the day.
- Job Sharing: Implement job-sharing positions where two part-time educators share the responsibilities of one full-time role. This can attract candidates who are looking for part-time work and increase the diversity of your workforce. There’s nothing wrong with having job sharing even in higher roles, such as room leaders, deputy managers, and nursery managers. This approach can bring diverse skills and perspectives to leadership positions. The two job sharers, however, will need to be provided training on effective communication and how to job share effectively to ensure seamless collaboration and continuity.
- Remote Planning Days: Offer remote working days for planning and administrative tasks. This allows educators to work from home occasionally, reducing travel time and providing a change of environment that can boost productivity and job satisfaction.
Finding and keeping great early years educators isn’t easy, but with some innovative strategies and a supportive environment, it’s definitely possible. These efforts ensure a stable, motivated workforce.
Think about investing in flexible working arrangements, better benefits, and external mentoring to attract and keep dedicated educators.
Are you ready to transform your approach and create a thriving early years educational setting? The future of our children depends on it! To find male-friendly teaching jobs head to malechildcareandteachingjobs.co.uk today.
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About the Author
Claudio Sisera, with 12 years in Early Years education, now leads Diversity and Inclusion at Male Childcare & Teaching Jobs. He advocates for more men in early years, supports the existing workforce through mentorship, and helps nurseries attract and include male professionals.