New Oakland Family Centers, a prominent nonprofit mental health organization serving communities across Michigan since 1991, has fundamentally transformed its talent acquisition strategy through the implementation of Workable, a comprehensive applicant tracking system (ATS). Facing the pervasive challenge of recruiting highly qualified clinical professionals in a critically undersupplied field, the organization transitioned from fragmented, manual processes and inadequate legacy systems to a streamlined, data-driven approach. This strategic shift has yielded significant improvements in hiring reach, pipeline standardization, document management, time-to-hire, candidate communication, and ultimately, employee retention, positioning New Oakland Family Centers as a more efficient and attractive employer in a highly competitive market.
The Growing Demand for Mental Health Services in Michigan
The landscape of mental health services in Michigan, much like the rest of the United States, has been characterized by escalating demand juxtaposed with a persistent shortage of qualified professionals. Data from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) consistently identifies large swaths of Michigan as Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), particularly in rural and underserved urban regions. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated this crisis, leading to a surge in mental health needs while simultaneously intensifying burnout and attrition among existing healthcare workers. Reports from organizations like the Michigan Health Council highlight a critical need for thousands of additional psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and counselors to adequately meet the state’s mental health requirements. This deficit places immense pressure on organizations like New Oakland Family Centers, which are on the front lines of providing essential care. The specialized nature of clinical roles, often requiring master’s degrees and specific state licensure, further narrows the available talent pool, making recruitment an arduous and resource-intensive endeavor.
New Oakland Family Centers: A Pillar of Community Mental Healthcare
Founded over three decades ago, New Oakland Family Centers has grown into a vital resource for Michiganders requiring mental health support. With 16 offices strategically located throughout the state, the organization employs a dedicated team of 319 professionals, offering a continuum of care that spans from routine outpatient therapy to intensive crisis intervention programs for clients facing acute mental health challenges. The diverse workforce comprises a critical mix of clinical and nonclinical staff, including therapists, nurses, nurse practitioners, psychiatrists, behavioral health technicians, call center operators, and drivers. This multidisciplinary approach allows New Oakland Family Centers to address a broad spectrum of mental health needs, ensuring comprehensive support for individuals and families. The organization’s commitment to community welfare is reflected in its continuous efforts to expand access to care, a mission inherently tied to its ability to attract and retain skilled personnel. Kathleen Kubiak, the HR Coordinator, bears the significant responsibility of managing all talent acquisition for the organization, a role made exceptionally challenging by the scarcity of clinical talent. "Clinical roles are the most difficult to fill," Kubiak notes, underscoring the demanding requirements for a master’s degree and a clinical license, which significantly limits the candidate pool, particularly in regions most affected by staff shortages.
Navigating Recruitment Challenges: The Pre-Workable Landscape
Prior to its adoption of Workable in mid-2024, New Oakland Family Centers grappled with a series of disparate and inefficient recruitment methodologies. The organization’s early approach was characterized by manual, labor-intensive processes. This included the rudimentary use of spreadsheets to track applicants, individual job postings on platforms like Indeed, and often, proactive cold outreach to potential candidates. While functional at a smaller scale, this method quickly became unsustainable as the organization grew and the complexity of its hiring needs increased.
Recognizing the need for more sophisticated tools, New Oakland Family Centers subsequently experimented with an applicant tracking system offered as an add-on by its Human Resources Information System (HRIS) provider. However, this solution was still in its nascent stages of development, presenting numerous operational barriers and failing to deliver the desired level of efficiency or functionality. This prompted yet another search for a more capable platform. A subsequent ATS was implemented and utilized for approximately one to two years. While it offered some improvements over previous methods, persistent operational issues and a lack of critical features meant it ultimately fell short of the organization’s evolving requirements. These repeated challenges underscored a fundamental disconnect between the available technology and the unique demands of recruiting in the mental health sector, particularly the necessity for broad reach, efficient scheduling, and robust candidate management. The cumulative effect of these prior systems was a fragmented hiring process, a suboptimal candidate experience marked by communication gaps, and an undue administrative burden on the HR team.
A Strategic Pivot: Why Workable Became the Solution
The decision to adopt Workable represented a pivotal shift in New Oakland Family Centers’ approach to its hiring infrastructure. The organization sought a platform that could not only address the immediate tactical shortcomings of its previous systems but also align with a more strategic vision for talent acquisition. The primary draw to Workable was a compelling combination of features designed to tackle their most pressing challenges. These included broader candidate reach through multi-board job distribution, seamless scheduling capabilities that integrated with their existing calendar system, and the valuable ability to flag candidates for future reconsideration, a feature crucial in a field with limited talent.
Beyond these specific functionalities, Workable’s design philosophy resonated deeply with New Oakland Family Centers’ long-term objectives. Previous platforms had inadvertently fostered a dependency on HR, where administrative actions often had to be performed by HR staff on behalf of hiring managers. Workable, by contrast, was designed to encourage direct engagement from hiring managers, empowering them to actively participate in the recruitment process by leaving comments, reviewing candidates, and making informed decisions directly within the system. This represented a significant cultural shift, moving from a centralized, HR-dependent model to a more distributed and collaborative hiring function. While this change necessitated an initial adjustment period during onboarding, the ultimate outcome was a more efficient and accountable hiring ecosystem where ownership was naturally dispersed across the organization, freeing up HR to focus on more strategic initiatives. This empowerment of hiring managers was seen as critical for speeding up decisions and ensuring that the most knowledgeable individuals were directly involved in selecting future team members.
Transforming the Talent Pipeline: Key Operational Enhancements
The implementation of Workable has brought about a comprehensive overhaul of New Oakland Family Centers’ recruitment processes, addressing long-standing inefficiencies and introducing capabilities previously unavailable.
Expanded Reach in a Niche Market
One of the most profound impacts of Workable has been its ability to significantly expand New Oakland Family Centers’ hiring reach, a critical advantage in the highly specialized and candidate-scarce mental health field. Clinical professionals, who typically hold master’s degrees and clinical licenses, represent a very thin talent pool, particularly in specific regions of Michigan. Workable’s multi-board distribution feature allows a single job posting to be disseminated across a significantly wider array of online platforms simultaneously. This automated syndication ensures maximum visibility, reaching passive and active job seekers across various professional networks and job aggregators. Kathleen Kubiak emphasizes this point, stating, "The amount of people who are getting to see our ads has definitely been impactful for us, especially in a field where there are not as many candidates. We want as many people getting eyes on our ads. Even if one job board hasn’t resulted in a mass amount of hires, we’re still getting our name out there." This broad exposure not only generates a larger volume of applications but also enhances the organization’s employer brand recognition within the professional community.
Streamlined Scheduling and On-Site Engagement
The nature of New Oakland Family Centers’ work, which involves supporting clients in acute mental health situations, necessitates that candidates experience the work environment firsthand before accepting an offer. This requires an in-person site visit as a mandatory step in the hiring process. Previously, coordinating these visits involved a cumbersome manual process, bridging the gap between phone screens and on-site interviews. Workable’s seamless integration with existing calendar systems, such as Microsoft Outlook, has revolutionized this stage. The HR team can now schedule these critical on-site visits directly within the Workable platform, eliminating the need for manual coordination, reducing scheduling errors, and significantly accelerating the progression of candidates through the interview pipeline. This efficiency is crucial for maintaining candidate engagement and preventing potential drop-offs due to delayed scheduling.
Automating Documentation and Communication Workflows
Before Workable, the administrative burden of managing documentation and communication was substantial. Sending a background check request, for instance, often involved navigating multiple tools, composing individual emails, and diligent follow-ups. Offer letters were processed through a entirely separate, disconnected system. Workable has consolidated these critical functions into a single, unified platform. Today, standardized background check templates, comprehensive full-time offer letters, and distinct contractual agreement templates for contract staff are all stored and deployed directly from Workable. Furthermore, a library of email templates for every stage of communication, from initial application acknowledgment to interview invitations and follow-ups, is readily available. Kubiak highlights the transformative impact: "It’s kind of like a one-stop area, which is nice to have it all saved in there. The email templates, having those all saved, it’s definitely helpful to be able to just click and send and not have to spend time drafting an email." This automation not only saves significant time but also ensures consistency and professionalism in all candidate interactions.
Tailored Recruitment for Diverse Roles
New Oakland Family Centers’ diverse service offerings mean that the hiring process for a therapist differs significantly from that for a nurse, which in turn is distinct from recruiting for a nonclinical operational role. Workable’s customizable pipeline structure addresses this complexity by allowing each department and role type to have its own unique interview stages and workflows. This flexibility ensures that the recruitment process is optimized for the specific requirements of each position, reflecting the nuances of clinical licensing, patient interaction, or administrative duties. When a new office opens or a new service line is introduced, the predefined processes can be immediately applied, ensuring consistency and efficiency across all 16 locations. Moreover, relevant departmental leaders can be added directly to a specific posting, empowering them to review candidates and participate in decision-making without the HR team acting as an intermediary at every step, further decentralizing and accelerating the hiring process.
Intelligent Candidate Prioritization
For hiring managers sifting through a high volume of applications, Workable’s AI candidate match score provides an immediate and valuable orientation to a candidate’s fit. This AI-powered assessment often serves as the first point of reference for hiring managers when opening a candidate profile, offering a quick snapshot of compatibility with the role’s requirements. Additionally, auto-disqualification questions are configured to filter out candidates who do not meet fundamental licensing, qualification, or experience criteria. This intelligent pre-screening mechanism ensures that only the most relevant and qualified candidates advance through the pipeline, significantly reducing the manual review burden on HR and hiring managers and allowing them to focus their attention on truly promising applicants.
Closing the Communication Loop: Enhancing Candidate Experience
One of the most impactful changes at New Oakland Family Centers has been the dramatic improvement in candidate communication, an area that previously suffered from significant gaps. In the past, candidates who did not advance through the process often received no communication, leaving them in a state of uncertainty. Workable has rectified this by ensuring that every applicant now receives an automated acknowledgment upon applying. These acknowledgments are routed through an assistant’s no-reply email address to prevent unnecessary inbox clutter for the HR team. Crucially, candidates who are disqualified at any stage now receive a timely notification when they are moved out of the pipeline. This commitment to transparent and prompt communication is vital for maintaining a positive employer brand and fostering goodwill, even among unsuccessful applicants. "Closing that loop is something we haven’t been able to do before, which has been really great," says Kubiak, emphasizing the significance of this improvement for the overall candidate experience and the organization’s reputation.
Quantifiable Impact and Strategic Business Outcomes
The transformation at New Oakland Family Centers from a rudimentary, spreadsheet-based operation to a sophisticated, multi-location organization with a defined, multi-stage hiring workflow has been profoundly managed and accelerated by the Workable platform. The strategic implementation of Workable has not only addressed tactical recruitment challenges but has also generated measurable business impacts across several key areas.
Accelerated Time-to-Hire and Operational Efficiency
The structured HR function, coupled with templated documents and clear deadlines facilitated by Workable, has significantly improved the organization’s time-to-hire. By segmenting the recruitment, onboarding, and credentialing processes into distinct, manageable stages, each with automated triggers and standardized templates, New Oakland Family Centers can move candidates forward more efficiently. Faster hiring directly translates to reduced operational gaps in patient care, especially for critical clinical roles. Every day a position remains unfilled represents a lost opportunity to serve a client in need, or places additional strain on existing staff. By reducing the time from initial application to a new hire’s start date, Workable directly contributes to the continuity and expansion of vital mental health services across Michigan. This efficiency also means the HR team, operating with the same headcount, can manage a significantly larger volume and complexity of hiring, effectively scaling their capabilities without proportional increases in staffing costs.
Boosting Retention Through Engaged Recruitment
While direct causality is complex, the data indicates a positive trend in employee retention. Turnover at New Oakland Family Centers is trending downward in 2025, marking the first full year of Workable’s operation since its implementation in mid-2024. This improvement can be attributed, in part, to several factors influenced by Workable. The active referrals portal, for instance, engages existing staff in the hiring process, which often leads to better-fit candidates who are already familiar with the organizational culture and mission. Employees referring their networks typically have a vested interest in the success of their referrals, fostering a more cohesive and supportive work environment. Furthermore, an improved candidate experience, characterized by transparent communication and a streamlined process, likely sets more positive expectations from the outset, leading to greater job satisfaction and reduced early turnover. When candidates feel respected and well-informed throughout the hiring journey, they are more likely to become engaged and committed employees.
Empowering Hiring Managers and Distributing Ownership
A cornerstone of Workable’s success at New Oakland Family Centers has been the fundamental shift in how hiring managers engage with the recruitment process. Previously, their involvement was limited, often relying on HR as an intermediary for administrative actions. Now, hiring managers are empowered to leave comments, review candidate profiles, disqualify applicants, and even communicate directly with candidates within the platform. This distributed ownership model not only accelerates decision-making but also ensures that the individuals with the most direct understanding of a role’s requirements are actively shaping the talent pipeline. This empowerment fosters a greater sense of responsibility and accountability among departmental leaders, transforming them from passive recipients of candidates to active participants in building their teams. The HR team, in turn, can transition from purely administrative tasks to a more strategic, advisory role, focusing on talent strategy, employer branding, and broader organizational development.
A Model for Future Growth in Critical Healthcare Sectors
New Oakland Family Centers’ journey with Workable serves as a compelling case study for organizations operating in critical, talent-scarce sectors. The ability to grow from a basic, manual hiring operation to one that effectively manages recruitment across 16 offices with a sophisticated, multi-stage workflow underscores the transformative power of a well-chosen and strategically implemented applicant tracking system. The higher application volume, particularly in the Metro Detroit area, is a testament to the expanded reach afforded by multi-board distribution. The downward trend in turnover in 2025, coupled with an active referrals portal, highlights the broader organizational benefits of a positive and efficient hiring experience.
As Michigan continues to grapple with the complexities of mental health service provision and the persistent demand for qualified professionals, New Oakland Family Centers is now better positioned than ever to meet these challenges. By optimizing its talent acquisition process, the organization ensures a steady influx of skilled professionals, enabling it to continue its vital mission of providing comprehensive mental healthcare to communities across the state. This strategic investment in robust HR technology not only streamlines operations but also reinforces the organization’s capacity for sustained growth and its enduring commitment to the well-being of its clients and staff.
