Healthcare can be a high stress field, and this pressure often leads to significant problems for employees and businesses within the industry. One significant issue is turnover rates. According to a survey from Compdata, the average turnover rate for the healthcare industry in 2017 was 20.6%.
One approach to addressing issues with high turnover that many healthcare businesses are starting to focus on is employee engagement. When employees are more engaged, they are more likely to express higher levels of job satisfaction. They’re also less likely to look for new employment opportunities. Furthermore, businesses with higher engagement rates tend to perform better than their competitors and they also provide better service to their customers.
With a better strategy for employee engagement, including getting and giving feedback with tools like 360 reviews, healthcare businesses can do more to keep valuable team members while also taking steps to improve the overall quality of care they provide. The following trends cover some of the strategies healthcare businesses are using to improve employee engagement.
Setting Clear Goals
Employees need to know what is expected of them and how their performance will be evaluated. When staff know how to meet the goals of the organization, they will be more satisfied and engaged with their work.
This will serve to help healthcare businesses keep employees. It will also improve a company’s ability to achieve its mission in a way that is more beneficial to its customers, staff, and the organization as a whole.
Opportunities for Growth
Healthcare workers generally come to the job with a significant amount of training, but this does not mean they have no room to develop as professionals. Each time you invest in the professional growth of your employees, you add value to the business.
Modern workers want opportunities to learn and develop in their jobs, and this is especially true for younger employees. A Gallup survey found that 59% of Millennials said opportunities for growth and development was an important factor in looking for a job. A development program can be great for boosting employee engagement and also serve as an attractive feature for potential recruits.
Better Communication
Open communication is one of the keys to developing a healthy workplace. Company leaders should regularly meet with employees to provide them with feedback on the work they do. Beyond that, there should also be accessible systems employees can access to communicate with leadership.
In addition to formal channels of communication, leaders should regularly contact employees to talk with them in person. Managers should encourage employees to address any issues that may arise.
Improving the Work Environment
Having a positive environment can be one of the most important factors in employee engagement. If there are problems with company culture or just high levels of negativity in the workplace, it can be very easy for employees to tune out.
Healthcare businesses should assess their company’s culture and take steps to improve the work environment when possible. A positive work environment leads to happier employees, and happier employees are more engaged in their work.
Compensation & Appreciation
Healthcare can be a tough field to work in, and team members should receive fair compensation for the work they do. If you are not providing fair compensation, your employees will be unhappy and engagement will suffer.
Along with developing a strategy to ensure fair compensation, you do not want to overlook showing appreciation to your employees. In a survey from the Boston Consulting Group, appreciation was listed as the top factor for ensuring happiness on the job.
Although the healthcare industry can often be a high-pressure environment, there are many ways for employers to make adjustments to improve employee happiness and engagement. By following the above steps, you’re providing the best environment possible to foster strong relationships with your staff.
