What would make you consider working in NHS admin right now?

[Helpmethinkofasolution]

I have never known things as bad as this. Job getting no applicants, successful applicants regularly turning down jobs and then us having to go back to the start in terms of recruitment.
When I started in 2018 I remember there were 200 applicants for most band 4 jobs. Where are those people now and what is going to attract people to apply again?

Is it post Covid wariness of the NHS? Is it that we used to be flexible but now WFH jobs are even more flexible? Is it that the private sector is paying more? To my (possibly un- observant) eye, it doesn't seem like there are loads of admin jobs out there offering much more money. Unless it's that there is less responsibility with these private sector admin roles.

We used to get a good stream of working mums (generally) who would appreciate an interesting and flexible job with good sick pay, annual leave and ok pension but they are no longer applying.
This won't be used in any recruitment campaign, I'm just genuinely interested (and bloody worried that I'll be doing six peoples jobs forever!)

Salary is band dependent but if you work shifts and weekends you get enhancements. Every late I work, my last two hours are paid at 1.6 my basic hourly rate because I finish at 10pm and after 8pm is considered anti social hours. Any weekend I do, every hour is 1.6 my basic hourly rate. That's how the salary tends to go above 25k. If I work every weekend it makes a huge difference to my pay packet at the end of the month. Literally hundreds more than my basic pay. Takes my salary to more like 28k.

Still not fabulous for the level of responsibility I have but better than basic.

@GeraldtheHerald sorry, I only just noticed your reply.

The policy is either three periods of illness in a year or two consecutive weeks. So, I took one day, saw the doc the next morning and went straight into work from the docs. I might as well have taken a week because it made no difference.

I had a day off in July when I got some weird bug that lasted 24 hours. One day when my dad was rushed to hospital. Which was put down as compassionate leave so I do need to query this tbh.

After three periods of illness (I think I said two? I was wrong, sorry!) Even if they amounted to three days in a year, you're put on a level one warning. It's not serious and nothing to worry about, it's level three that can result in action taken against you.

But still, I'd rather not be on ANY level of warning. Drag yourself in before you're ready so you don't make life difficult for managers who need to get your shifts covered? You're not thanked for it, it still goes down as one period of illness.

I'm band 4 clinical (yes, you can be!). I'm masters educated in relevant areas. In fact I'm way more highly qualified than some managers - just not in the right way which is obviously vital. My level of education is higher than sayyyy, someone with a bachelor in architecture. They're the one qualified to design buildings!

In other trusts, my role is band five as it is recognised to have band 5 responsibilities. But it is what it is. I'm applying for a secondment to do another MSc which they will pay for and which will make me a band 6.