Struggles with healthcare employee retention

When an employee leaves, the workload increases for those workers left behind, which in turn affects the quality of care given to each patient. If patients are then unhappy with their experience, this could directly impact revenue, which in turn could negatively affect the staff. The vicious cycle continues when more employees leave due to feeling unsatisfied about their working environment.

Why is retention such as problem in the healthcare industry?

Healthcare organizations that are experiencing higher than normal employee turnover rates should first address why there has been a recent spike. Once dealt with, employers can begin to change their retention rates for the better. Before this can occur, hiring mangers should ask themselves these few probing questions:

• Has my organization changed its management approach in the past few months?
• Have their been increases in the staff’s workload?
• Are their growth opportunities for employees or resources to further their career?
• Do employees report high rates of dissatisfaction with certain areas of the company or management?

Once answered, these results could shape the way healthcare entities create strategies to retain their workers. With the introduction of telemedicine and laws like the Affordable Care Act, healthcare workers must be more efficient and versatile than ever, which can cause significant amounts of stress. Research tends to show that incredibly stressed employees tend to switch jobs quickly should the workplace environment not improve.

To lessen this burden, many healthcare organizations are boosting wages, offering employee engagement activities, providing support resources and involving their staff during the hiring process. Though not all entities can afford to significantly raise salaries, offering incentive opportunities or bonuses for employee referrals or giving out gift cards to high-performing workers can boost workplace morale.

Office morale is important considering the line of work your employees are in. Depending on the industry, they may be dealing with seriously ill or dying patients, which over time, can negatively impact their emotional state. Providing in-house counselors or resources to deal with these workplace struggles can help them continue to perform to their best ability and be more grateful to your organization.

Through implementing peer interviews, new hires will have the opportunity to meet their coworkers before their first day, streamlining the onboarding process and making them feel more comfortable at work. It also allows for employees to feel empowered about having a say about those they work with.

Integrating a healthcare aptitude test or other pre employment tests into your hiring process will also cut down on wasted time spent interviewing unqualified candidates. Poor hires cause major losses in money and time for a company, which is why these tests go beyond the resume, providing accurate results about what skills candidates actually possess. Contact EmployTest today to learn more about how we can help your healthcare organization improve its employee retention rates!