A thread on the CNLF Facebook group reveals some childcare providers are promising new starters dream holidays and bonuses of up to £1,000 to work at their setting/s. One nursery is reportedly advertising a manager post as coming with a three-bed house and an annual salary of £50k.
However, concerns have been raised by nurseries that these grand incentives are encouraging practitioners to ‘job hop’, staying in a position just long enough to reap the financial reward before moving on to another setting, offering another incentive.
One user on the CNLF Facebook group said a former employee who left the setting just over a year ago to work at another nursery where she received a £750 joining bonus is now working in their third setting.
Pennie Akehurst, director of Early Years Fundamentals consultancy, called it a ‘worrying trend’ that may ‘exacerbate the recruitment crisis’.
She explained, ‘The more settings I visit, the more I’m coming across leadership teams that are pulling their hair out because new staff members are jumping ship six-12 months into a new post.
‘The recruitment crisis in our sector is making it very easy to jump ship if a new staff member doesn’t feel that their new role is a good fit for them. There are also a number of providers that are incentivising movement by offering a bonus upon successful completion of a probationary period (or something similar).
‘Whilst the grass may seem greener in the short term for our “job-hoppers”, I worry that the longer-term impact will mean that there will be a large number of practitioners that haven’t developed skills and knowledge much beyond their induction. In addition to that, how many leaders and managers will want to employ someone that’s had, four jobs in five years for example?’
- Are you a nursery manager or owner that has been impacted by this? If so, tell us about your experiences by emailing: news.nw@markallengroup.com
