The Association Blog

Trouble hiring and retaining medical staff? This strategy can provide insulation against employee turnover.

According to the latest report generated from new 2023 Compensation & Benefits Study, the median employee turnover rate in the animal welfare sector is 33.3%. This plays out in the form of staffing & retention challenges at many shelters—particularly in regards to medical team staff.

When they had trouble filling several full-time veterinary assistant positions, SPCA of Wake County decided to try listing the openings as part-time. “We’ve been able to supplement full-timers with part-timers,” reported VP of Strategic Initiatives, Lisa Kroll, in the recent Roundtable session, Winning Staff Retention Through Compensation & Benefits.

The strategy worked so well they’ve opened more of these part-time positions for several roles. Kroll shared that both full-time and part-time medical team staffers are less stressed–with part-time employees representing less of an investment in terms of benefits.

As an added bonus, once several of the part-time staffers were integrated into the department, they let Kroll know they would be interested if any full-time positions opened up.

“We’re insulating ourselves against turnover right now,” she said, “and hopefully growing a bench.”

For more tips like this, listen to the recorded webinar, Winning Staff Retention Through Compensation & Benefits.

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Photo: SPCA of Wake County/Facebook