Hiring and Retaining a Talent Pool to Run Human Services Programs: Lessons from the NextGen Project
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Key Findings
- When hiring, programs focused on identifying staff with key characteristics such as empathy, flexibility, and a belief in the program’s mission.
- To provide staff with competitive compensation for their work, state-run programs advocated for increased salaries within their state agencies, and programs of various types implemented hiring bonuses and performance-based incentives.
- After hiring staff, programs offered supports, such as a cohesive workplace community, celebrations for staff accomplishments, and opportunities to grow within the organization, to help ensure staff were motivated to stay.
Many human services providers struggle with recruiting and retaining staff due to work-related stress, burnout, low salaries, and lack of benefits. At human services programs participating in the Next Generation of Enhanced Employment Strategies (NextGen) Project, we observed three approaches to overcoming these challenges to hiring and maintaining a strong talent pool: hiring staff with the right skills and experience to flourish, providing competitive salaries and benefits to recruit and retain staff, and supporting staff to ensure they are successful in their work and motivated to stay in the program.
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