Retaining Healthcare Workers

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to critically analyze why the retaining of health employees is integral in achieving productivity and improved performance. There are various issues that employees encounter in their day-to-day activities that are supposed to be addressed by the stakeholders involved. Those issues serve as a hindrance; hence they are unable to reach their maximum potential. In this study, we will discuss ways to improve employee morale and loyalty to help achieve organizational set goals. Retaining health employees would be a primary concern because its turnover rate is relatively high, and the average attrition rate for bedside Registered Nurse is roughly $64,000. By examining the turnover rate, a substantial amount would be saved by the hospitals if only they address the matters of attrition. Teamwork and communication are significant aspects that help healthcare employees to create a positive patient experience, not to mention the provision of excellent services. Through cooperation, leaders can communicate effectively to their subordinates, and it helps to improve employee engagement. To enhance healthcare employees’ productivity, they should be given a living wage, subject to compensation. It is also vital for hospitals to have flexible methods on how to address the issue of low performance.

Retaining Healthcare Workers

Employee retention is one of the leading elements that facilitate the achievement of organizational set goals, more importantly, in the healthcare sector. The estimated cost of replacing a registered nurse leaving the workforce stands at $64 000. Moreover, low turnover necessitates continuous care for patients and improving the quality of service delivery. Retaining competent employees help to improve physician involvement in the health system since they can practice more effectively. Maintaining healthcare employees is significant, in that the anticipated lack of healthcare workforce compounds it. In this era, the demand for healthcare services is expected to rise. Seemingly, most of the healthcare employees falling in this generation will to regulate their working hours or even to retire early, thus creating a dire need for competent healthcare workers (Lavoie‐Tremblay et al., 2010). If a significant turnover rate of high-performing healthcare workers happens to an organization on the basis that they are not happy or feel less engaged, the overall performance of the system will be significantly halted. Retaining healthcare employees is somewhat a challenge to many organizations; however, some measures can be put in place to ensure a low turnover rate of employees in the healthcare sector.

Maintaining a happy and well-engaged staff can be the difference between the lifeblood of a healthy healthcare sector or a dwindling industry. Ranging from food service, facility maintenance to the proper treatment of healthcare employees are significant at ensuring quality delivery of services to the patients and achieving the organizational set goal. First, it is vital to pay healthcare employees a living wage. Many healthcare employers do not pay more than minimum wage, and even worse, their employees are entitled to compensation at various levels such as housekeeping and dietary positions, among other positions. The impact can play a significant role in high turnover rates as these healthcare workers feel neglected. Their continuity is integral to the well being of the organization. An organization rendering healthcare services should improve on how they take care of their employees in terms of salaries and wages. To achieve high performance in their work, healthcare workers should feel the services they are offering to the organization are worth the compensation.

It is also advisable for a healthcare organization to survey employee engagement and satisfaction. Hospitals should conduct surveys more often to gauge how satisfied their workers are, without ignoring the employee engagement as it is vital to overall hospital performance. Concentrating on employee satisfaction can only sort individual needs at the expense of the organization while focusing on healthcare workers will always result in mutual success (Tenedios, 2019). Whenever an employee feels engaged on organizational matters, they tend to be psychologically devoted to the organization’s success. Each department should work to develop an impact strategy aimed at perfecting specific areas of engagement.

Another way to retain employees is by conducting a peer interview on new hires. It is mostly done to ensure that indeed the hired healthcare employees are fit for the organization, both technically and behavioural wise. The method is a vital element of slowing down the turnover. It is quite a success finding and recruiting employees who are interested in working for the organization as opposed to searching for any job for the sake of making money to make one’s end meet (Holtom et al., 2008). Disinterested employees tend to drag the general operation of the hospital system since some employees need supervision. Interested employees have the passion and drive to execute what is required of them, and this leads to competent service delivery to the patients and organization success. Also, peer interview helps the employees to have a chance to assess the cultural fit of the future environment.

In conclusion, low performing healthcare employees should be given guidance on how to better their performance instead of provoking them or even lay-offs. It is crucial to address the employees and tell them precisely what they need to do. By doing that, employees feel there is a chance they can improve; they are shown some sense of consideration. It is an excellent method to use on workers without them feeling intimidated. All the above aspects are significantly crucial at ensuring employees retention at healthcare workers. Perhaps, if healthcare organizations are better at taking care of their employees, they can record a low turnover rate.

References

Lavoie‐Tremblay, M., Paquet, M., Duchesne, M. A., Santo, A., Gavrancic, A., Courcy, F., & Gagnon, S. (2010). Retaining nurses and other hospital workers: An intergenerational perspective of the work climate. Journal of nursing Scholarship, 42(4), 414-422.

Holtom, B. C., Mitchell, T. R., Lee, T. W., & Eberly, M. B. (2008). 5 turnover and retention research: a glance at the past, a closer review of the present, and a venture into the future. Academy of Management annals, 2(1), 231-274.

Tenedios, G. (2019). Baby Boomer Employees’ Influence upon the Health Care Sector. International Review of Business & Applied Sciences, 8.