Employee Retention a Concern for Health Care Industry

CENTENNIAL, Colo. A new study by Health eCareers based in Centennial found that nearly one-third of health care recruiters in the U.S. rank employee turnover as their greatest staffing concern this year and say hiring the best health care employees is only part of the battle once you have them, you need to keep them. One method that works for a lot of employers in establishing a mentoring system, that allows staff to turn to each other for help when they need it, therefore building confidence and helping to form bonds. Seeing that employers have invested in their welfare also helps employees to feel more valued which, in turn, encourages them to stay in their roles. You can click here for more information if you think this might work for your business.

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The findings in regards to healthcare are part of Health eCareers new trends in healthcare recruiting blog series, which profiles the results of the 2015 Healthcare Recruiting Trends Survey. Turnover in hospitals has high numbers and results in high costs in the industry. According to 565 health care employer respondents in Health eCareers 2015 Healthcare Recruiting Trends Survey, almost 30 percent expect that they will have more job openings in 2015 than last year, and 45 percent expect to have about the same. However, 43 percent of respondents say finding qualified talent is their hardest obstacle.

Employee retention should be the first line of defense to combat the challenges created by turnover and is a key strategic imperative for 90 percent of hospitals, according to Health eCareers.

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the health care unemployment rate is 3.5 percent. Many economists feel full healthcare employment is between two and three percent, so this means we are very close to full employment, Bill Thomson, a health care staffing expert and account representative at Health eCareers, said in a statement.

Thomson said because most health care professionals are currently employed, its much more effective and efficient to invest in retention than to go out, recruit and train new employees.?

Thomson offers health care recruiters the following tips to help hospitals with employee retention.

By doing some research, we found that most HR software is good. So when it comes to hiring new staff, this process can be a lot easier. Hire someone who is a good fit, not who comes at a low cost. Employee productivity, a direct result of the quality of hires, is a key issue within the hospital and health care workforce. Thomson said recruiters should beware of promoting employees who do not have good leadership skills.

Push for impactful talent-management funding. Nearly 80 percent of Health eCareers survey respondents say employer brand and culture are important, while 17 percent say they are not priorities at this time. A report by PricewaterhouseCoopers found that health care systems invest significantly less in HR programs than other industries, and Thomson said its time for health care systems to step up to the plate and push for funding.

Emphasize the organization’s reputation in the recruiting process. Thomson said using differentiation and affinity are key when trying to appeal to an increasingly limited talent pool.

Recognize and own a few key goals at a time. Thomson warned that abrupt change can destroy a positive work culture, so it is key that leadership and the marketing teams identify the most important reasons why the facility is in business. If there are going to be big changes, it’s important to let staff know beforehand. As healthcare jobs are normally stressful anyway, staff not being notified of a change could be frustrating and could cause problems. Perhaps some healthcare centers could consider creating a private podcast for your employees. That way, members of staff could be updated on any news or changes by listening to the podcast. It could be recorded daily or weekly, depending on the notices. That could spread messages much quicker around a hospital or healthcare center.