How to prevent ghosting in health care

Until recently, we thought “ghosting” meant your blind date didn’t show up and left you sitting alone at a table for two, totally humiliated. Ghosting has moved beyond the dating world to create havoc for organizations trying to compete for great talent in a tight job market. Too often in the past, employers treated candidates disrespectfully, not responding at all or keeping them guessing until the very end—in a word, “ghosting” them. Now the tables have turned. Employers in every industry are being ghosted by candidates who don’t bother to show up for interviews or even for the first day on the job after they’ve been hired. Health care is no exception to this new trend, but the outcomes can be more consequential.

Staying fully staffed has historically been a challenge in the health care industry—and even more of an issue in the current job market. It’s not solely the stress and burnout of Covid that’s negatively impacting recruitment and jobs, although the pandemic has arguably hit health care harder than any other industry. In addition to an aging population and skills shortages that currently challenge many industries, health care recruitment has a unique and ever-present need to balance patient satisfaction with quality care. This means recruiting and retaining mission-driven people committed to caring for others, which is both an added burden and source of pride. There are things you can do to find and keep the skilled, heart-centered people you need.

Never meet a ghost

Job seekers have more options than ever in our current low-unemployment/hot-labor market. They gain leverage by applying to multiple employers and, if you’re not the one they choose, you may find yourself ghosted. The solution to winning top talent is to become an authentically great place to work. Use every tool you have to sell candidates on why you’re the right choice for them, and make sure you are what you say you are and do what you say you’ll do.

While ghosting is the source of wide frustration and high costs, most organizations react to it by keeping records of no-shows and tracking them, or by over-hiring multiple candidates to protect from no-shows. A better solution is to develop strategies that prevent ghosting altogether with strategies like these:

Engage candidates by getting them excited about your company and interviewing with you:

• Check your employer brand, especially how you’re viewed on Glassdoor. The majority of candidates research your reputation before deciding whether they’ll even apply.
• Let candidates know what it’s like to work for you. Focus on what you do well, for example successful diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs or how you give back to the community. Acknowledge areas where you want to improve and what your plans are to do it. You’ll build trust with your honesty.
• Set expectations with a clear picture of your hiring process, what it will entail, and a timeline for each step, including when you plan to make the hiring decision.
• Let them know who they will be interviewing with and make sure interviewers are prepared so candidates don’t have to repeat the same conversation with each person.
• Ask questions that help you and the candidate find the right fit. Are they interviewing with other organizations? Does this opportunity advance their career goals? What’s their tenure history with other employers? Is their family on board and excited with this opportunity?
• Make candidates feel respected and valued by keeping scheduled appointments and timelines, communicating frequently, and giving feedback, both when it’s positive and when they are not the one you choose for the job.

Communicate continually once a candidate has accepted your job offer. Don’t leave them alone for too long and risk a competitor hiring them away before your start date. Create a feeling of belonging through your communications:

• Move the start date earlier.
• Keep them engaged by sending them a link to your blog or providing other reading material about your organization.
• Begin onboarding right away by sending any “work” they can do from home that will prepare them to become a part of your community.
• Send a welcome gift or some swag that represents your brand.
• Have their soon-to-be colleagues engage them via text, phone, or a quick note to share how excited they are to have them join the team.
• Send them a personal note, yourself.

Update your culture to the 21st century by focusing on your unique style of fun, flexibility, and perks—underpinned by purpose, guidance, and trust. You’ll attract and retain today’s top talent when you:

• Define and communicate your vision for the future and ensure everyone in your organization is committed to living your values.
• Respond to candidate concerns about safety and wellbeing by highlighting what you’ve done during the pandemic to care for your employees and their families in this time of uncertainty. This is especially important to health care workers.
• Use technology advances in telemedicine and robotics, for example, to allow remote work and flexible work hours wherever you can make it possible for those who want flexibility.
• Update your benefits packages to include premium health plans, financial wellness programs, and things like flexible spending accounts (FSA) and paid time off (PTO). Compensate fairly.

We’re living in a challenging, crazy time. Health care workers are finding themselves living with increasing uncertainty, insecurity, and fear. It’s not an easy time to attract or retain the right people—and they are critically needed. Until recently, the amount of ghosting was hardly worth mentioning. Now, it’s a problem, and there are solutions when you apply the right strategies.

Kathleen Quinn Votaw is founder & CEO of TalentTrust.