There have been many converging factors affecting workforce recruitment and retention in the Not For Profits sector, made perhaps especially acute thanks to the arrival of COVID on our shores in 2020. It’s not all about the pandemic however – the challenge to recruit engaged staff and retain that talent is an age-old problem and one which provides plenty of food for thought for those in the human resources departments of some of WA’s NFPs.
Depending on the sector – whether in the arts, outreach or community care – the pressures of maintaining adequate levels of staff and looking to the future once COVID recedes has been a particular focus of concern for CEOs leading teams through the pandemic.
Employment pool shrinks thanks to border closures and mandates
Since 1963, St Bart’s has been standing by the side of Western Australians experiencing homelessness, mental health challenges, trauma and hardship. From small beginnings as a homeless shelter for men, the organisation has grown to become more progressive and inclusive, and now provides support to more than 530 clients through a range of services.
“Staff exits were certainly a challenge for us and sector partners when COVID-19 vaccine mandates took effect,” said CEO Samantha Drury.
“We had to let go of some staff who were unwilling to get vaccinated, which added additional pressure on our services during a particularly tumultuous period. I am pleased to say, though, that our staff did a brilliant job of adjusting during this period and continued to provide a high-quality service to our consumers while also going above and beyond to support each other.”
St Pat’s, another long-standing homelessness NFP, also faced the challenge of dealing with vacancies remaining open over the past few years.
“The impact of COVID-19 has been significant on the workforce at St Patrick’s Community Support Centre (St Pat’s), as it has for many organisations and businesses in Western Australia over the past two years.
St Pat’s is a specialist homelessness support and community housing provider, which means we require staff who are highly skilled and experienced in helping people overcome complex challenges,” said CEO Michael Piu.
“This means our pool of candidates is smaller than other industries, and this, along with a lack of movement between states (and internationally) during the pandemic, has put considerable strain on our existing workforce.”
A perfect storm created by the COVID-19 pandemic has served to highlight the need for greater investment in the sector, with an urgent requirement to develop a robust workforce who can meet future demand and challenges in years to come.
As staff began to leave due to catching COVID, and volunteer recruitment being curtailed, particularly in 2022 in WA as the virus began to spread more widely, Foodbank WA has had to juggle those staff and volunteers still available to work to keep shelves stocked and the operations side of things still manned.
“Perhaps the greatest challenge in an organisation relying heavily on volunteers was the loss of the significant workforce in our corporate volunteer groups for significant period throughout the 2020-2022 period,” said CEO Kate O’Hara.
“It has also been challenging managing the hybrid work model. As a warehouse and a shop open to people to pick up their weekly groceries and sundries, not all our roles can be done from home. There have been times where we have encouraged employees who can work from home to do so, but this can also leave them feeling a bit disconnected.”
The arts were particularly hard hit by the uncertainty of COVID, rolling lockdowns and frequently cancelled events. For AWESOME Arts, the workforce impacts of the pandemic over the past two years has been varied, said CEO Jenny Simpson.
“The arts sector runs largely on a freelance workforce: actors, crew, artists, photographers etc. and with these workers not being covered by Jobkeeper we have seen many of them leave the industry or split their arts work with paid work elsewhere.
“Our regional program probably suffered the most with very few artists being prepared to travel out of Perth for multiple weeks, instead choosing to stay in Perth in order to keep their part time work elsewhere,” said Ms Simpson.
“We are only just starting to see some of these workers return to the sector. The unseen impact of this situation has been on the mental health of workers. Our qualified and trained professionals not only struggled to have regular income, but felt undervalued and left behind. Some of this talent will never return and is irreplaceable.”
Although there have undoubtedly been issues around recruitment and retention during the pandemic, there have also been opportunities.
For St Pat’s, COVID forced the organisation to look to fellow homelessness organisations and come together to collaborate on innovative programs and solutions.
“The Homelessness Engagement Assessment Response Team (HEART) is one such project, which launched in February 2021 and brought together St Pat’s, Wungening Aboriginal Corporation and Uniting WA in partnership with the Department of Communities,” said Mr Piu.
“HEART was designed to alleviate pressure on existing, local support services and help people experiencing chronic homelessness, and rough sleeping, into pathways to accommodation and access other supports.”
Retaining staff – and the salary disparity with other industries
It’s one thing to find a great member of the team who fits the bill in every way; it’s another thing to keep them engaged and rewarded to a comparable scale with other corporate entities.
For RSPCA WA, it’s a hard truth that the organisation – like other NFPs – cannot offer the equivalent salaries as private or government sectors, said CEO Ben Cave. What does influence a staff member to stay however is something other than a big pay check; it’s the desire to make a difference in their chosen sector, flexible working arrangements, an empathetic and supportive workforce and sense of teamwork and purpose.
“A lot of NFPs can make the monetary side of things substantially more attractive because their staff can salary sacrifice under the Charities Act,” he said.
“As an animal welfare-based charity, RSPCA WA isn’t recognised as a public benevolent institution under the Act, something we are keen to work with the Federal Government on rectifying. However, time after time our staff surveys show it’s the intrinsic value RSPCA WA offers that is the most attractive part of people’s work with us.
“They stay because they are at the coalface of improving animal welfare in WA. They see animals rescued, rehabilitated and rehomed and know they’re making a difference.”
For some RSPCWA staff members, there’s also the extremely loveable chance to work alongside rescue dogs in offices.
In 2020, St Pat’s embarked on an ambitious collaborative co-design project to chart the future direction of our organisation and model of service design. This led to the Future St Pat’s project which engaged all key stakeholders - including people with lived experience of homelessness - to envision their ideal future service model for St Pat’s, which we then converted into a workable model.
The final product, currently being rolled out across the organisation, was a service model based on Housing First principles which has been designed by all the staff at St Pat’s, giving everyone a say in the future of the organisation.
“We have also invested in a leadership development program for St Pat’s managers and team leaders to ensure they are well equipped to guide our staff in this exciting new direction,” said Mr Piu.
“In terms of recruiting and retaining staff, we believe that people should be valued for the work that they do. People who work in our sector are often driven by a strong sense of civic duty, immense empathy but also a passion for equality and justice. However, that does not mean that they shouldn’t be recognised and remunerated accordingly for the often-challenging work that they do.”
In some ways too, after many people resigned their positions, post-COVID, some are looking for roles with a sense of purpose and meaning from their work. This is an excellent opportunity for NFPs to display their unique points of difference and offer a more rounded career without a sole focus on remuneration.
“At St Pat’s, we support people through what is often the hardest time of their lives, helping them to secure not just homes but independence, choice and fulfillment,” said Mr Piu.
“Being part of that journey and witnessing the transformation of someone’s life as they get a chance to realise the opportunities many of us take for granted, is priceless.
“Not many people can say that the work they do makes a real and lasting difference to someone’s life, and St Pat’s are proud to have a team of experienced, innovative and highly skilled staff committed to our goal of ending chronic homelessness.”
For other NFPs, CEOs have led by example and taken pay cuts from previously highly paid roles in the corporate world, and demonstrated a new way of working where the final pay packet isn’t the be all and end all.
AWESOME Arts’ Jenny Simpson did just that, halving her income in 2021 when she bade farewell to the corporate care and joined the arts.
“My new mortgage did mean that packet noodles were on the menu a lot in the early years, but I have never looked back,” said Ms Simpson.
“Through my work, I get to change children’s’ lives for good. Now, some 20 years on and there is still no company car but I work with a great team and spend my days generating fuel for young imaginations – building skills, connection and capacity where they are most needed.”
Working at AWESOME Arts also offers intangible benefits which other corporate high-flying roles may not.
“Our secret to retaining our talent lies within our positive workplace culture,” said Ms Simpson.
“The team is collaborative, professional and respectful and it is a culture where people come first. Look after the people and they’ll look after the company.”
For St Bart’s, there’s a pronounced focus on staff retention, through a desire to be an employer of choice.
“We do this through ensuring our staff are well supported through internal and external training and support programs to maintain and enhance their health, wellness and skillsets,” said Ms Drury.
“That said, we see a real need in our sector for government to also invest in the upskilling and development of sector staff through funding provisions within contracts that enable further staff training and development to deliver quality worker outcomes and to ensure the psychological safety of staff through supervision.
“When our contracted revenue increase does not match our base wage increase, this puts pressure on us to be able to continue to fund these critical programs to ensure our staff receive the supervision and training they need to do their jobs.”
The emotional toil of working in the homelessness and broader human services sector is undoubtedly rewarding but it can also be taxing and lead to high staff turnover, adds Ms Drury.
“As such, it is not uncommon for staff to move around the sector to refresh and start again somewhere else, while remaining within the sector they are so passionate about. This is a key reason for our industry turnover to sit at 29%.”
St Bart’s fosters an inclusive and diverse workplace that is comprised of skilled, energised and compassionate people who work within an environment of physical, emotional and psychological safety.
“This commitment to People and Culture has assisted St Bart’s to record an annual voluntary turnover of staff that sits below the industry average,” said Ms Drury.
For Foodbank WA, there’s an acknowledgement that the organisation has to remain competitive and benchmark against organisations both in the NFP and corporate sectors – but there’s a caveat, says Ms O’Hara.
“It’s not possible to keep up with the bigger employers’ rates of pay as the market squeezes,” she says.
“Instead, people are attracted to working for Foodbank WA because it has an immediate and positive impact on people affected by poverty and addresses the basic need of food.
“In addition to this and apart from the feelgood factor, there are several salary sacrifice benefits that are available to Foodbank WA employees and these benefits do help make our salaries more competitive.”
Putting effective processes in place to attract great candidates is a key part of any future plan to remain competitive too and the opportunity to open doors thanks to volunteering with NFP shouldn’t be underestimated for candidates who perhaps have struggled to get a foothold in competitive careers otherwise, including existing staff members looking to improve their prospects.
“Perhaps the greatest challenge is offering pathways for existing employees so that they can develop their careers in Foodbank WA,” says Ms O’Hara.
“One of the main reasons people leave is for further career opportunities.”
Future proofing NFP careers
There’s no easy answer to finding those elusive perfect NFP candidates as applicants for roles drop off in large numbers, attracted by bigger salaries for similar roles in more mainstream corporate role.
Kate O’Hara has seen a concerning new trend among attractive candidates for roles that FoodbankWA would like filled.
“People are staying put or leaving their current roles for high paid opportunities beyond the capacity of Foodbank WA,” she said.
“Not only is it hard to get applicants we now have to interview them almost as soon as they apply as good candidates don’t stay in the job market for long and will often have multiple offers and opportunities.”
Jenny Simpson of AWESOME Arts agrees.
“Recruiting staff is most challenging for us when the skillset required throws us into competition with the corporate sector or larger not for profits,” she said.
“That said, the company’s reputation and brand does have significant cachet in the market and so whilst we are frustrated at not being able to offer higher salaries, we have always been able to attract candidates who share our values and purpose.”
For homeless organisations, funding is an ever-present concern as well as contract arrangements and ongoing uncertainty around the longevity of a role.
“The funding and duration of government contracts within the homelessness sector pose challenges for St Bart’s with regards to being able to recruit and retain good talent,” said Ms Drury.
“More often than not, the industry standard of short-term or rolling contracts makes it difficult to strategically plan ahead for staff and, ultimately, service investment. Without this guaranteed security of employment, some prospective staff shy away from applying because they are looking for greater security of tenure in their job.
“This security simply cannot be offered when contracts are not guaranteed to be renewed past their traditional two-year lifespan. Short-term contracts often do, however, roll over and continue, but the uncertainty of whether they will or not can be counterproductive to organisations who are looking to recruit and retain quality staff.
“Fundamentally, a shift needs to be made to long-term contracts – five years as a minimum – to assist with appealing to candidates that their role in the organisation will be confirmed for a longer period of time. Contracts need to be designed to provide long-term security to service providers to ensure that not just consumers have certainty about the support that can be provided, but also staff know they have a long-term employment opportunity.”
Meanwhile, RSPCWA has recently lifted its focus on staff training, employing a dedicated learning and development officer to design and implement organisation-wide development programs.
“We have recently introduced a new set of values and they’ve been extremely well received,’ said Mr Cave.
“They are responsible; safe; professional; compassionate; and accepting. The team has embraced them, and they are really shaping the way we work, leading to the highest net promoter scores we’ve seen in staff surveys for many years.”
Mr Cave knows it is actions like this that will continue to improve retention rates.
“Like everyone in WA we are currently feeling the impacts of labour shortages and we know competition for skilled employees is tight,” he said.
“But our team is responding well to a noticeable shift in culture, a renewed focus on training and other staff-centric measures that are positively influencing their overall satisfaction.”
St Pat’s Michael Piu believes the key to attracting and maintaining staff is to respect their existing skills and experience and support them to become confident leaders.
“This applies not just to staff but former clients and volunteers, as the learnings of lived experience are vital to ensuring our programs are targeted and delivered appropriately,” he said.
“It is important to us that St Pat’s workforce is reflective of the diverse range of people who make up our community. This in turn strengthens our organisation and, as our staff grow and develop - perhaps moving on to new projects or organisations - they take with them that knowledge and leadership skills which can build the capacity and capability of our sector as a whole.”
