The job of a nursery manager is a stressful one. In a survey by Tinies Childcare of 500 nurseries, 44 per cent said they suffered from daily to monthly staff shortages and 31 per cent of managers named staffing as their biggest daily headache.
It is imperative that every nursery has a back-up solution for days when staff are absent, to ensure the correct adult:child ratio in each room.
Smaller nurseries may have enough staff they can rely on to cover sickness and holidays, but others need to consider the option of an agency.
The survey highlighted that a nursery without a relationship with an agency encounters an increased likelihood of not being able to find staff when it's most vital. However, many big nurseries do now have a preferred supplier list of agencies and do have some sort of relationship in place.
What is gained by this?
An agency that knows its nursery well will understand the managers'
staffing needs. A nursery in this position can reduce time, money (up to 20 per cent on overall staffing costs) and effort spent on advertising, interviewing and reference-checking. Time saved in the recruitment process can be better spent on running the nursery.
The survey showed that, on average, 19 per cent of nursery staff leave every year, the majority citing pay as their biggest concern. Nursery staff salaries are 20 per cent lower than their equivalents in the nursing sector and 35 per cent lower than teachers. No wonder it is becoming increasingly difficult to entice quality childcarers into nursery work.
Some nurseries view agencies as expensive and unnecessary. However, there usually comes a day when a nursery needs emergency or high quality permanent staff fast. Nurseries working closely with a selected agency can be assured they will always be first to receive the best candidates whenever they need them at preferential rates.
