In healthcare practices and facilities, the ability to retain a strong workforce is critical. When Healthcare Professional (HCP) leaves, it can cause disruption in their department, as well as create holes that other employees need to fill. This can be mitigated by having a strong network of contingency workforce, locum pool, bank staff and the engagement of a robust recruitment agency. However, even with the engagement of seasoned locum healthcare professionals, it takes a moment for a healthcare practice to gain its full momentum to continue to offer excellent services to patients. This disruption, albeit temporary, may lead to more turnover and even lower productivity if workforce contingency is not adequately managed. It is therefore imperative that hiring managers in the healthcare environment manage employee turnover rates by creating a culture that empowers workers and increases job satisfaction
Review Your Hiring Process
The first step to reducing employee turnover rates is by hiring the right people. This means that hiring managers should make sure that they have clearly defined job requirements and qualifications, as well as a thorough screening process for applicants. Working with a seasoned recruitment agency or partner brings in a wealth of experience to your hiring practices. It’s not just about selecting good candidates; it’s also about selecting the right ones. The recruitment process should involve a thorough screening process that will ensure that only highly qualified healthcare professionals are employed by your organization. This can be done through a comprehensive assessment of credentials and experience. It is also important to consider how your company’s culture will fit with each potential employee in order to ensure an effective match between individuals and positions.
Invest in a strong, positive company culture.
A strong, positive healthcare brand culture is a key factor in reducing the high HCP turnover rate. Building a practice culture requires effort and dedication from both management and healthcare professionals. Here are some steps to help you build a strong positive culture:
- Define your values and mission - Clearly articulate your practice's values and mission statement. This sets the tone for the culture you want to build and provides a framework for decision-making. The values should align with your practice's mission and be relevant to the patients you serve.
- Communicate your values - Once you've identified your practice's values, communicate them clearly to all HCPs. This will help ensure everyone is on the same page about what is expected of them as well as how they should treat patients, stakeholders and each other. Encourage open and honest communication between facilities and HCPs. It is crucial that healthcare brands create a safe space for employees to share their ideas and opinions. This will help ensure your organization is creating high-quality care for patients.
- Train HCPs - Once you've established your values, it's important that healthcare providers understand what they mean and how they should be applied in practice. This can be done through a variety of methods including training sessions, one-on-one conversations with supervisors or even just by providing HCPs with a copy of the values document. It is important to keep reinforcing these messages over time so that they are not forgotten or ignored.
- Create a Culture of Accountability - One way to ensure that your HCPs are living up to the values you've established is by making sure they are held accountable for their actions. This can be done through performance reviews, group meetings and other forms of feedback. It is important not to have just one person hold HCPs accountable for their actions. While it may be difficult, try to get multiple people involved in this process so that there are multiple points of view. This will help ensure that your HCPs are being held accountable fairly and consistently.
- Share Your Values With Employees - It's important that employees understand the values of their organization so that they can create a safe space for patients where high-quality care is provided in a compassionate manner.
- Evaluate - Once you've established your values and how they should be applied, it's important to assess whether or not they are being followed. You can do this by evaluating patient care outcomes, employee satisfaction surveys and staff turnover rates.
- Recognize and reward employees - Show appreciation for employee achievements and contributions. Celebrate success, both individually and as a team. - You can also reward employees by providing recognition, incentives and promotions. Encourage growth - Effective healthcare organizations recognize that all employees have the potential to contribute more than just their tasks and responsibilities. This means providing them with opportunities for professional development, as well as support when needed.
- Promote work-life balance - Offer flexible work arrangements, paid time off, and other benefits to support employee wellness and work-life balance.
- Invest in training and development - Provide opportunities for employees to grow and develop professionally, such as training programs, mentorship, and career advancement opportunities.
- Encourage teamwork - Foster a sense of community and teamwork by organizing team-building activities and encouraging collaboration.
- Lead by example - The culture of an organization is shaped by the actions and behaviours of its leaders. Lead by example by embodying the values and culture you want to cultivate.
Building a strong, positive organisation's culture takes time, but the benefits are well worth the effort. By prioritising and promoting a positive work environment, you can create a culture that supports employee satisfaction, engagement, and success. When employees feel that they are part of a supportive team and are working towards the same goals, they are more likely to feel happy and fulfilled at work. This can have a positive impact on productivity, reducing turnover and improving employee retention rates.
Celebrate wins together.
- Celebrate wins together.
- Make sure to celebrate wins in a way that is meaningful to the employees, as well as meaningful to the company. Take time to celebrate the small (and big) wins, and let healthcare professionals know that you appreciate their hard work, in all capacities of patients care. This will help foster a sense of camaraderie, which will in turn improve employee morale and engagement levels.
Encourage employee feedback and communication.
- Encourage employee feedback and communication.
- Use surveys and polls to gather feedback from your employees. For example, you can ask them if they feel like their ideas are heard by management or if they think the company is headed in the right direction. You may also want to ask about things like salary, benefits, work hours and other topics that relate directly back to turnover rate reduction efforts--if people are happy with their paychecks but unhappy with their job descriptions (or vice versa), then this will help you make adjustments accordingly so everyone's happy!
- Be open-minded when receiving feedback and ideas from employees; it doesn't matter how small or insignificant an idea may seem at first glance because there could be something hidden within its depths which would make all the difference when implemented correctly later on down the road."
Offer challenging opportunities for growth.
Provide opportunities for growth
Employees who feel they are growing and learning are more likely to stay with your company. Even if you don't have a formal mentorship program, you can give employees the opportunity to work on projects they're passionate about, or mentor them yourself. Provide training and education opportunities as well--it's never too late to learn something new!
Engaged employees are more productive, loyal, and happy to be part of the team!
If you want to reduce turnover, you need to focus on engagement. Engaged employees are more productive and loyal than their disengaged counterparts. They're also happier to be part of the team, which means they're more likely to stick with you.
An engaged employee is one who feels a sense of ownership over their work--they feel like part of a big picture rather than just another cog in the machine. In other words, they feel valued by their employer and have faith that what they do matters for something bigger than themselves (i.e., company success).
Conclusion
We hope this article has inspired you to take a look at how your Healthcare facility is doing, and strategies to implement to improve your practice. While it's important to create an environment where employees feel valued and supported, it's also crucial for companies to understand that by investing in their people, they will be rewarded with more productive and loyal workers who are happier at work!
