How These Four Organizations Built Thriving Employee Referral Programs

Referral programs don’t work just because they exist. They work when they’re visible, frictionless, and built into the employee experience. These four organizations reimagined how referrals fit into their hiring strategy, and the results speak for themselves.

1. Fairview Amplified Employee Referrals from 6% to 29%: Sourcing 451 Nursing Hires and Achieving 93% Retention

Industry: Healthcare
Employees: 50,000+
Tech Stack: iCIMS, Infor Lawson

The Challenge‍

Fairview’s referral program was hidden in spreadsheets, barely promoted, and underperforming. Only 6% of hires came from referrals, and the recruiting team was stuck in manual tracking mode.

What Worked

• Introduced referral awareness on day one during onboarding
• Promoted the program across facilities with banners and flyers
• Rolled out a text-based referral solution with no login or app required (see how)
• Sent referral reminders and bonus prompts via SMS

The Results

• Referral rate grew from 6% to 29%
• 1,152 referral hires, including 451 in clinical roles
• 93% retention rate for referral hires
• 1,600+ hours saved in tracking
• Application-to-hire rate of 23.3% vs. 5% industry average
• 4.5/5 employee experience rating

Takeaway‍

If you’re still relying on spreadsheets and email blasts, your referral program probably isn’t working. Fairview made it mobile, visible, and part of the daily flow—and it paid off.

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2. Compassus Sourced 158 Nursing Hires and Reduced Turnover by 76% in 10 Months

Industry: Home Health & Hospice
Employees: 10,000+
Tech Stack: Workday

The Challenge‍

Their Workday referral process required multiple steps and email logins, hardly ideal for busy nurses in the field. Awareness was low, and so was engagement.

What Worked

• Replaced login-heavy steps with a 15-second, text-based referral option (like this)
• Promoted bonus campaigns via text for hard-to-fill roles
• Built in referral nudges around onboarding and milestone dates
• Made payout visibility part of the employee experience
• Introduced Leaderboard prizes on a quarterly basis 

The Results

• 301 referral hires, including 158 nurses
• Turnover reduced by 76% among referral hires
• Time-to-fill dropped by 16 days
• Referral application-to-hire rate hit 35.1%
• 4.72/5 average employee satisfaction
  

Takeaway‍

If nurses have to log in to refer, they won’t. Make it fast, mobile, and bonus-friendly – and your referral numbers will speak for themselves.

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3. Ebenezer 5x’d Employee Referrals, Cut Turnover by 79%, and Filled Jobs 32 Days Faster

Industry: Senior Living
Employees: 5,000+
Tech Stack: iCIMS, Infor Lawson

The Challenge‍

Ebenezer’s referral program wasn’t driving results. Only 5.5% of hires came from referrals, and most employees didn’t even know the program existed. With high turnover and a competitive hiring market, something had to change.

What Worked

• Launched a simple, text-based referral option with no app or login (yep, like this)
• Promoted the program using SMS campaigns and physical signage in facilities
• Focused outreach around roles with high turnover and staffing gaps
• Saved their TA team hours by ditching spreadsheets for automated tracking

The Results

• Referral rate jumped to 30%
• 512 hires through employee referrals, including 42 RNs and 179 Resident Assistants
• 79% reduction in turnover among referral hires
• Time-to-fill shortened by 32 days
• Application-to-hire rate hit 28.4% vs. 2% industry average
• 50+ hours per month saved in manual tracking
• 4.6/5 average employee satisfaction with the new process
  

Takeaway‍

Your employees can’t engage with a program they don’t know exists. Ebenezer made referrals loud, visible, and ridiculously easy – and saw results take off.

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4. Interstates Boosted Field Employee Referrals, Cut Turnover by 50%, and Saved $113,000 in 8 Months

Industry: Manufacturing
Employees: 1,500+
Tech Stack: iCIMS, UKG Pro

The Challenge‍

Interstates needed skilled field talent fast, but their referral program was buried in spreadsheets. Tracking took 10 hours a week, and most employees didn’t know it was even a thing.

What Worked

• Implemented a text-to-refer experience that worked for their field employees
• Sent targeted SMS campaigns to drive referrals for new projects
• Gave recruiters a live dashboard to track results and prove ROI
• Integrated with their existing ATS, iCIMS, and payroll systems for smoother operations

The Results

• 304 referral hires in 8 months
• Turnover reduced by 50% among referral hires
• Time-to-hire improved by 10 days
• $113,000 saved in recruitment costs
• Application-to-hire rate hit 22% (vs. 10% from other sources)
• 96 hours of manual admin time saved
• 4.65/5 employee rating for the new referral experience

Takeaway‍

Spreadsheets don’t scale. Interstates made referrals easy for the field, tracked ROI in real-time, and finally got leadership the results they needed.