How can you compete with sky-high locum rates?

Locum rates are sky-high. 

We don’t need to tell you that. But what we can tell you is how you - as a medical imaging company - can compete with them when you're trying to attract people to work for you. 

It's nigh-on impossible to compete financially with the locum rates that are on offer for qualified medical imaging specialists. These can be between 2x and 3x higher than NHS bandings, with many radiographers and sonographers opting to go down the locum route at the moment to boost their earning potential. This is having a knock-on effect on the commercial sector too, and many of our medical imaging clients are finding that their apps roles are being gazumped by locum opportunities. 

But there are ways you can compete…

First off, think about retention

The simplest way to compete is to not have to! By having a solid retention plan in place, you can avoid creating gaps in your team that need to be filled by the exact people who could be tempted by the lucrative locum route. 

When you're thinking about retention, the key is to understand what your people care about and build it around that. Perhaps it's access to high quality training or professional development opportunities? Maybe it's predictable hours with less time away from home? Or maybe it's a bumper benefits package? This is a great time to run an engagement survey to figure this out if you haven't already. Then build out your internal comms to make sure everyone knows how to access what's on offer to them.

The final piece in the puzzle to execute a great retention strategy is to regularly talk to your people. By having regular 1-1s you can pick up on any issues earlier, reducing the chances of people leaving (or at the very least, giving you a heads-up that it might happen!). 

Now, we're not saying this is a foolproof strategy against losing talent to the pull of locum, but a strong retention plan coupled with the long-term stability of a commercial role can mean you're less impacted. 
 

If you are having to compete, though

Then there are a few ways that you can make your overall package and offering more attractive to prospective employees. These are the things you should think about really focusing on and shouting about in your external comms. 

Do what you can with compensation and benefits

Chances are, you can't offer a salary that directly compares with locum rates. But if you can afford to close the gap somewhat, you may be able to offer something that feels a little competitive. You can then use other elements of your overall package to bridge the gap. 

Getting creative around bonus structures can also help. To reward long service and good performance, milestone bonuses can be an effective retention tool as well as offering your employees a little extra cash in return for their efforts and commitment. This, plus any profit-sharing or equity options you can offer, give a long-term financial benefit that locums simply don't get. 

The other element to consider is your overall benefits package. Locum work doesn't provide the same benefits as permanent work, so making sure your benefits are competitive is a good way for you to stand out. Think things like healthcare, paid leave, parental leave, employee assistance programmes, childcare assistance. These are all things that make a difference to people long-term, and any enhancements you can make to these to go above the industry standard is likely to make you stand out.

Lean into the certainty of commercial roles

Whilst locum offers high earning potential, what it doesn't offer is certainty. From regular travel, to weaker support systems, locum isn't for everyone. You want to be appealing to those people who aren't sure if locum is for them.

When you're talking about your employment opportunities, focus on what's great about what you offer compared to those weak spots of locum work. Whether it's less travel - meaning easier family and personal life planning - or a proper support network in the form of a permanent team, use these elements to appeal to prospective candidates. 

Talk about progression and development

Professional development was the second biggest reason people wanted to move roles in the first half of this year, according to conversations we've had with our candidates. 

Something a permanent role can offer - that locum can't - is the opportunity to do funded training and development. This often stalls when taking on locum roles, and is something people often weigh up when deciding between their options. Offering funded training and development can be the more appealing option to candidates who want to continue to grow their career for the long term, rather than simply capitalising on the short term financial opportunities locum offers. 

We'd recommend you shout about what you offer in your ads and your external comms. Mentioning a professional development budget is a great start, but getting down to the specifics about what you can offer is even better.

It's the same with career pathways. Demonstrating what growth looks like with you is a great place to start - so make it really clear what progression looks like in your organisation. Think employee career stories, clear career ladders, and comms that centre around progression.
 

Ultimately, this comes down to being smart and tactical about your messaging

Whilst locum is financially appealing, there are lots of reasons why it's not the right route for many people. Our best advice? Frame the permanence of your opportunity as the biggest benefit long-term for all of the reasons we've listed above. This'll help you compete on things other than salary and show the long-term value of pursuing a career with you. 

You could also use a recruiter to help you with this.

And that's where we come in! If you're growing your apps team this year and want support getting the right people into your team, get in touch on adam.leeder@fmctalent.com