Are Prospective Urgent Care Workers Being Lured Away by False Promises?

Urgent care as a field of employment is taking hits in the form of wage inflation, turnover, a dearth of well-qualified applicants, new hires who “ghost” their employer by not showing up for the job they applied for (and got)…. While it’s likely some have simply burned out from working in healthcare over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears that others are being lured away to industries where the proverbial grass looks greener—today. The banking industry could serve as a good example, but also as a cautionary tale for team members who are pondering a change in their working lives. One national bank in Ohio recently conducted a PR blitz to celebrate an increase in its minimum wage. Laudatory press ensued. You had to read a little deeper, though, to learn that the same company reduced its workforce by 5% as it posted record earnings, all the while continuing to increase automation (making certain positions redundant), consolidating branches, and otherwise moving toward greater “efficiencies” that could further reduce payroll. The bottom line is that there actually is no shortage of workers. It’s just that prospective employees are flocking to whatever industry is offering the best hiring incentives at the moment. And the question is, what happens when the music stops and all the seats are taken?