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COVID-19 has transformed the child care industry. Forced closures, reduced enrolment rates and high cleaning costs have hit centres hard and raised questions over the role of child care in a work-from-home world. Add to this fewer available workers, and it’s clear that organisations need to adapt.
Retaining and engaging trained, qualified workers will be key to coming out ahead from these challenging times. They will allow centres to improve their profitability, respond quickly to changing demand and continue to provide a high quality of education and care. Yet pre-pandemic, the child care industry was already struggling with low worker retention rates and even lower profitability.
In our ebook Improving Child Care Worker Retention in Challenging Times, we explore how child care centres can increase retention rates and, as a result, thrive. We look at:
The Impact of COVID-19 on Child Care Worker Retention - From migrant workers returning to their country of origin to workers cutting hours to better care for family members, more and more workers are either leaving child care or looking for greater flexibility.
Understanding Casual Workers in Child Care - Casual workers will be essential in navigating these difficult times. They will allow you to better meet fluctuating demand without overbooking staff and causing your per-shift profits to fall. Offering casual contracts will also keep you attractive to staff balancing household responsibilities and work.
Tech’s Role in Casual Workforce Management - Most companies have been slow to adopt the latest workforce management technology. However, modern workers have come to expect modern solutions, especially for things like changing schedules, picking up shifts, and updating availability.
Building Loyalty Through an Empathetic Culture for Casual Care Workers - Showing empathy in the face of COVID-19, cultivating a team spirit, and measuring engagement will be critical to improving worker retention.