Recruiter Behind Staffing MIQs Recognised by SEEK Awards

The health staffing recruiter who urgently placed over 200 registered nurses into Managed Isolation Hotels around the country has been selected as a finalist for Recruitment Consultant of the Year by the SEEK Annual Recruitment Awards.

Shristi Vinayagan, COVID-19 Staffing Lead at Geneva Healthcare, is one of five finalists for the award that recognises the achievements of the recruitment consultant, how they have excelled in an area of client and candidate engagement, and how they have contributed to the recruitment industry.

I feel honoured and privileged even to be a finalist and recognised for the mahi (work) that we collectively put in as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic,

says Shristi. This is a testament to all the kaimahi (workers) working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep us all safe.

While many nurses were happy to go to the frontlines, there are many challenges to staffing the MIQs, such as short lead times between requests for staff to attend shifts and the constant uncertainty around Alert Level restriction changes.

There is an enormous amount of work that goes into the MIQs behind the scenes, but I knew Shristi would do everything possible to help protect Aotearoa, New Zealand,

says Shane King, Temporary and Permanent Staffing Manager at Geneva Staffing, who nominated her for the award.

She was the first person I called on when COVID hit.

Shristi started at Geneva Healthcare in 2018 as a Temporary Recruitment Consultant and is now the COVID-19 Staffing Lead coordinating recruitment activity for COVID-19 related projects such as Managed Isolation, contact tracing, and vaccination rollout.

Group Chief Executive of New Zealand Health Group, and founder of Geneva Healthcare, Josephine Gagan, says she’s proud of everything Shristi and the wider Geneva Staffing team have achieved during such challenging times.

It’s humbling to know the health sector continues to appreciate the work we do, even after 25 years,

she adds.

SEEK will announce the winners of their awards on 17 February 2022.