Episode 1 – Fair Recruitment as the First Step Toward Successful Employee Retention
In our first episode, I, Debora Aust, founder of DAREconsulting and director of the Berlin Counseling Center for Nursing Professionals with Foreign Degrees (BBeFaP), speak with Helmut Hussmann, Head of Central Recruitment Services at Caritas Gesundheit GmbH, and Anne-Christine Wedeking, Director of the Fair Recruitment in German Nursing Seal of Quality, about how to recruit international nursing professionals in a truly sustainable way. In this episode, we delve into the process that begins long before the first day on the job.
We’ll share honest insights from Caritas Gesundheit Berlin and explain why the “Fair Recruitment” seal of approval serves as the essential guiding principle for both facilities and professionals. Learn how you can conquer the “Everest of recruitment” together and why fairness in recruiting isn’t just good for your conscience—it’s good for your team, too.
Tune in and take the first step toward successful employee retention!
Integration is not a sprint – Why international recruitment requires more than just a plane ticket
The shortage of skilled care workers is no longer just a forecast, but a reality we are already facing. Recruiting international care professionals is essential to ensuring care provision. However, Debora Aust, head of the BBeFaP, makes it clear in the podcast: simply entering the country is not enough – that is where the real challenge begins.
Berliner Beratungsstelle für Fachkräfte mit ausländischem Pflegeabschluss (BBeFaP)
Senatsverwaltung für Wissenschaft, Gesundheit und PflegeAbteilung Pflege
The gap between hope and reality
For many nursing professionals from countries such as Brazil, Mexico or the Philippines, migration marks a turning point in their lives. They arrive with clear goals: a career, further training, a better life. Yet the reality is often very different: protracted recognition procedures, bureaucratic hurdles and language barriers are just the beginning. Often more painful is the discrepancy between their qualifications and their day-to-day work – when highly specialised professionals suddenly find themselves doing basic care because their skills are not recognised or needed.
„Left on my own after landing“
A recurring theme in the podcast: there is a great deal of support before arrival, but afterwards many professionals feel isolated. Language barriers are not only a communication hurdle, but often the reason for social exclusion, in which professional competence takes a back seat to language ability.
„Managers are the key to success.“
Integration is not a one-way street, but a management task. Debora Aust highlights where the problems lie:
A lack of transparency: Those who do not know what to expect become frustrated more quickly and mentally check out.
Cultural misunderstandings: Different notions of ‘professional care’ lead to tensions that could be resolved through transcultural training.
A culture of diversity: Leaders must make integration a top priority – from mentoring programmes to actively fostering a welcoming culture.
Gütergemeinschaft zur Anwerbung und Vermittlung von Pflegekräften aus dem Ausland
Mehr Sicherheit bei der Anwerbung von Pflegefachpersonen aus dem Ausland
Conclusion: Make the most of opportunities rather than letting them slip away
Anyone who views new professionals merely as ‘stopgaps’ risks high staff turnover. However, those who see them as a professional asset, create the right structures and focus on genuine participation will benefit in the long term.
Listen to find out why fair recruitment and social support are not just a ‘nice-to-have’ but the only answer to demographic change – and why we need to learn from other countries to turn ‘recruitment’ into genuine ‘settling in’.
For the information leaflet in several languages: https://www.faire-anwerbung-pflege-deutschland.de/hilfe—downloads/#Infobroschueren
Here is the link to the website in various languages: https://fair-recruitment-nurse.com/
Instagram channel: https://www.instagram.com/fairrecruitmenthealthcare/
Toolkit on a welcoming culture and integration: https://dkf-kda.de/werkzeugkoffer-wi/
Der Beitrag BBeFaP Podcast “Arriving in Nursing” erschien zuerst auf DARE Consulting.
