Croydon based care company recruits 15 new staff during Coronavirus crisis
Croydon based care company recruits 15 new staff during Coronavirus crisis
Recruiting during a global pandemic is challenging. But Croydon based care company, Frontier Support, has revamped its processes to work within the current restrictions.
Frontier Support looks after around 65 vulnerable adults in the community. The majority of whom have a primary diagnosis of a learning disability, often accompanied with Autism Spectrum Condition. And their care needs continue, Coronavirus or not.
Some people need one to one or even two person support 24 hours a day. That requires a significant number of support workers. And ongoing recruitment to ensure there is always sufficient resource for the people supported and new families looking for help.
Doing things differently
But the current Government restrictions mean that Frontier’s recruitment process had to be managed differently.
They conducted initial interviews via video calls rather than face to face. And moved induction training online, supplementing it with phone calls from managers to check knowledge and understanding. Plus, the company increased the period of job shadowing to make sure that new starters are wholly comfortable and that their practical skills can be overseen by an experienced team member.
Iqbal Sohawon, Frontier’s Deputy Head of Quality, Registration and Training, said: “Interviewing potential employees virtually has been really positive. The rate of attendance was higher than in real life and all candidates responded well.
“They appeared more relaxed and we felt like we saw more of the real them. Also, using virtual tools meant we were able to arrange interviews and see candidates much more quickly
“What might have been the best part of a day to attend one interview, is now fifty minutes in a quiet corner of their home.”
A successful campaign
In total, Frontier took on 15 permanent full-time staff during April. All candidates had to complete a series of training courses and pass the relevant DBS checks to ensure they were fit for the role.
Iqbal added: “We always need good team members to help the people we support and it is great to have so many new starters.”
Frontier’s recruitment drive is ongoing, so if you’re interested in a career in care then please email enquiries@frontiersupport.co.uk or telephone us on 020 8603 7230.