Care Workers in England Leaving for Amazon and Other Better-Paid Jobs
Care workers are leaving the social care sector to become Amazon warehouse pickers, and other better-paid jobs. The retailer is luring staff, offering 30% higher wages, while some workers are also leaving the care sector as they disagree to the ‘no jab, no job’ policy.
Resultingly, the National Care Association has warned that care homes in England could face a staffing shortfall of 170,000 workers.
Furthermore, another inconvenience to the care sector are the slowing rates of the double Covid vaccinations amongst care home staff, of which 87,000 workers in England currently do not have the double jab. By November 11th, these workers must be fully vaccinated against the virus to continue their frontline work.
Along with the struggle to retain staff across the UK in this sector, a care home manager told the Guardian that a new Amazon warehouse in Nottinghamshire is currently tempting staff with 30% more pay.
Anita Astle, the manager of a care home in Nottingham, has reported that they have recently lost two members of staff to the retail giant, and a further six to the NHS who are paying higher wages, and where vaccination is not yet mandatory. On top of this, they have also lost a further six members of staff who have left their positions, as they refuse to take the vaccine.
An evening housekeeper has left their position, which paid a rate of £9.30 an hour, to pick Amazon orders at the warehouse for £13.50 an hour. The retailer also pays a £1,000 joining bonus. “She said she loves her job and doesn’t want to leave but going to Amazon she can work three days a week and earn more,” said Astle. “Society doesn’t value the work being done in social care.”
Three quarters of care homes across the country have reported that they have experienced an increase in staff leaving their jobs. The reasons they have reported are that staff prefer a job with less stress and higher pay, and that are without the mandatory vaccination rule, which comes into effect in November.
Anita Astle said that the vaccine policy is also demotivating staff who are happy to take the jab. This is because of the message being conveyed, which is effectively “it’s a sector that doesn’t value you and takes away your choice”. She also pointed out that those members of staff who left their jobs due to not wanting to have the vaccine, are still able to visit those who they previously cared for, due to there being no restrictions on visits from unvaccinated people.
There were estimated to be more than 120,000 social care vaccines administered to care staff before the pandemic, and the government last month calculated in a worst-case scenario that as many as 68,000 care workers could be lost because of the decision to make the vaccine a condition of employment.
Sources: Yahoo! News & Head Topics