Anyone else think the current COA metrics and stipulations are a joke? From my perspective, the expectations feel misaligned with the operational realities many recruiters are facing.
I genuinely appreciate the hard work and dedication of our top performers. However, I think it’s important to acknowledge that some of those team members have access to additional resources—such as administrative support—that significantly reduce their non-recruiting workload. Other recruiters are expected to meet similar performance standards while also managing administrative responsibilities independently. This creates a perception of inequity across the team.
Historically, many tenured recruiters managed large principal headcounts—often 60–80 coa—without additional support and while serving as the sole point of contact. Those titles were earned through sustained performance under challenging conditions. While compensation structures and business models have evolved, the current expectations combined with reduced support and compensation pressures are contributing to morale concerns.
There also appears to be inconsistency in how resources are allocated. Concentrating support around select individuals may drive strong results for a few, but it can unintentionally limit broader team growth and development. A more balanced distribution of resources could potentially create stronger, more sustainable performance across the organization.
Additionally, low level recruiters continue to absorb responsibilities outside of traditional recruiting scope—particularly in areas where ownership of process and payroll has shifted. When placement teams are not fully owning those processes, recruiters are often required to fill the gap. This increases workload without a corresponding adjustment in expectations or compensation.
Finally, I believe leadership alignment and transparency are critical during times of change. There are individuals within recruitment who bring deep institutional knowledge and strong operational leadership. Ensuring that the right leaders are empowered to guide strategy and execution will be important for long-term success. There needs to be advocating for equity, clarity in expectations, and a structure that supports both high performance and team-wide growth. The recruitment team deserves a win not more unrealistic goals thrown up against the wall hoping it sticks.
4 replies (most recent on top)
@m5 as a former compliance specialist, I’m so sorry that this was your experience. I had not realized how different the experience was from OS and OS or CS to CS until I moved into a different role. You, and your clinicians, deserve consistency.
@fa I'm not OP, but in my experience, the onboarding process is very fragmented. You have forms in several different places in the portal, exams in multiple systems, things being emailed over by DocuSign. Some forms might need to be reset, but they don't get reset by the onboarding specialist. The OS might be good about texting the clinician to "get things done asap", but very little context is added. I always receive calls from clinicians frustrated and confused about items and I have to jump in and walk them through where to find things or go in and reset the form for them. Also, like the other commenter, things get dropped due to human error and I have to project manage the process to ensure things are moving along at all times. The things that come up are never ending...I recently had to fix an IT problem for a WRS team member so she could complete a form on her end.
@fa I can’t speak for this individual, but in my experience it was when the ball is dropped by compliance (for whatever reason- training or just didn’t catch it) it fell to recruiting to explain why or make it right. It’s not just compliance, it process changes too… they change stuff that negatively impacts travelers and it was a “no big deal, it’s the recruiters problem to smooth it over” type of attitude… one of many reasons I escaped
@OP I’d like to hear more about this statement if you’re willing to elaborate: “When placement teams are not fully owning those processes, recruiters are often required to fill the gap.”