Photo: Kirk Penton
Joni Ramsay (left) and Erin Kozak of Comfort Keepers at the KCR job fair earlier this week.
Erin Kozak has owned her own business for only nine months, but she already has plenty of experience when it comes to desperately trying to find employees.
The Comfort Keepers owner, however, said it’s up to employers to go the extra mile as well. She believes the health care industry is a two-way street when it comes to keeping staff levels at top levels.
“For employers it’s a little more difficult,” Kozak said. “We need to up our game and really look at how we’re recruiting and coaching and mentoring the people that we bring on board. They’re like consumers now. They obviously want to go where the pay is really good.
“… This is a national problem. It’s not just here. Registered care aides and health care aides, we are really short. It’s a big problem, and that affects the people that are getting the care.”
Comfort Keepers provides in-home health care services to help people remain safe and comfortable at home, and Kozak said she could hire two full-time employees today. Kozak also does staff supplementation for the bigger facilities, and they, of course, could hire many more than two if they were available.
Kozak took part in the KCR Community Resources job fair earlier this week, trying to spread the word that a few months of training could result in a full-time job in the industry.
“It’s very desperate,” Kozak said. “I don’t think everybody has quite opened their eyes to it yet, but for myself I’m a new business. I opened in October 2017, so I’m not big yet, but I know franchises like myself that are bigger than I am are experiencing the same issues I’m having but on a bigger scale.
“If I could get two registered care aides full-time, I could give them work, just like that.”
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