Following our article last week on adopting a proactive approach for holiday staffing, this week, we explore the tangible, immediate rewards of taking action now. For aged care facilities, pre-booking your casual and temporary staff is not just about avoiding a crisis; it’s a strategic decision that delivers significant operational, financial, and personal benefits.
It’s simple supply and demand: the closer you get to the festive season, the scarcer the talent and the higher the associated costs become. Here is a deeper look at three key benefits of confirming your holiday roster in the coming weeks.
1. peace of mind: reducing staffing stress.
The holiday season is stressful enough for facility management without the added burden of daily "ring-arounds" trying to fill gaps. Pre-booking your staff delivers a tangible stress reduction and gives peace of mind for you and your permanent team.
Regain focus and control: Securing these shifts well ahead of time fundamentally changes your approach from scrambling daily to operating with strategic calm. You gain back valuable time in the final quarter to focus on critical facility management duties, resident care planning, and supporting your permanent team's holiday arrangements, instead of being tied up in last-minute recruitment.
Preventing permanent staff burnout: Your existing staff may already feel anxious about not being able to secure their preferred holiday leave, or feel the the pressure of covering additional shifts during peak periods. Knowing that a full, qualified contingent of agency staff is confirmed far in advance protects your permanent team from feeling overloaded, safeguarding their morale and reducing the risk of burnout during the highest-pressure period.
Seamless Handover: When staff are booked early, you can schedule brief facility orientations or introductory meetings well before their first shift. This ensures a smoother handover, familiarity with facility protocols, and most importantly continuity of care for your residents.
2. securing the gold standard: accessing the best talent.
Agency workers are organised professionals who plan their holidays and preferred shifts well in advance to secure competitive rates and specific locations. This early commitment is precisely why pre-booking gives your facility priority access to the top-tier talent pool, securing the most experienced and trusted candidates before anyone else. Beyond mere availability, early booking also gives our team the necessary time to meticulously match a candidate's specific clinical skills and personality to your facility’s environment and resident needs. This process guarantees a far better cultural and clinical alignment than any rushed, last-minute placement can provide.
3. the hidden savings: lower costs for travel staff accommodation.
For regional, remote, or specialised facilities that rely on Travel Aged Care staff (like rural/remote area nurses or relief facility managers), pre-booking delivers a critical, often overlooked financial saving: accommodation costs.
Accommodation costs during the December/January period surge dramatically. By confirming your travel staff requirements now, you can leverage early booking advantages:
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Discounted Rates: By securing serviced apartments, Airbnbs, or hotel rooms well ahead of the holiday rush, you avoid the seasonal spike that can inflate costs by 50% or more. This direct saving goes straight back into your operational budget.
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Premium Locations: Early planning ensures your staff are housed in comfortable, convenient, and high-quality accommodation, rather than being forced into expensive, low-standard options at the last minute. Better accommodation helps attract and retain the best travel staff.
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Budget Certainty: Locking in accommodation costs now, alongside transparent agency rates, provides your finance team with complete predictability over your peak period expenditure.
the bottom line: proactivity = peace of mind.
Pre-booking is the natural, essential next step to a proactive staffing strategy. It is the single action that converts planning into operational certainty. And the best part? Pre-booking with Randstad Health and Aged Care is completely risk-free as our flexible cancellation policy allows you to cancel a pre-booked shift up to one hour before the start time without incurring a fee or penalty.
contact us.
Don't wait until the last-minute scramble forces you to pay a premium for limited choices. Ensure that your facility is staffed by the best aged care talent, at the best rates, with zero managerial stress.
Contact us today to review your staffing needs and lock in your festive roster to avoid holiday staffing stress.
Call 1300 289 817 or
request more info
Matt Hodges
national director - health & aged care
