SAMHSA has developed a Recruitment and Retention Toolkit for that provides many resources for substance abuse and addictions treatment programs.
What is in the Toolkit
- Steps to establish a strategic recruitment and retention plan
- Tactics for attracting candidates and then selecting the right ones
- Options for orientation and "onboarding" to bring the candidate into the work culture
- Strategies for supervision that help develop and retain workers
- Mechanisms for recognizing workers
- Ways to establish relevant and effective training
- Methods to address work stressors and promote wellness
In pilot tests reported at the 2011 NIATx/SAAS convention in Boston, programs reported it was helpful to use a single job opening as the focus of change efforts aimed at improving recruiting and retention practices; changes were easy to spread or adapt once developed.
Lessons to learn from the Toolkit
- Organizations have a wide variety of Human Resources (HR) staffing and practices
- HR must be handled by at least one full-time person in most organizations; making changes to recruitment and retention requires a team effort and leadership support
- Focus not only on credentialing, but also on retention
- Ensure employees understand all the services provided by the organization so they can refer clients and spread the word about job openings
- Technical assistance in adapting tools for use at a specific organization can be very effective