Retaining Employees in the Healthcare Sector

Name

Institution

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 stands at 16.2%, and the average attrition rate for bedside Registered Nurse is roughly $60,000. 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 work on flexible schedules, not subject to heavy workloads or excessive overtime. It is also vital for hospitals to retrain its care providers. Through continuous learning, employees gain essential skills that improve performance and productivity.

Retaining Employees in the Healthcare Sector

Retaining the workforce is a concern for every sector because the attrition rate is not just costly but disruptive for the clients, teams, and organizations. A report produced by Nursing Solutions Inc shows that the turnover rate is 16.2 percent and the average attrition rate for bedside Registered Nurse being approximately 60 000 U.S. dollars (Jonsson et al., 2020). As a result, it costs the hospital an average of 7.86 million U.S. dollars per year. When one considers each of the percentages in turnover carefully, there is no doubt that the hospital can save 410 500 U.S. dollars every year, which means this is an issue that is worthy of serious consideration. Research indicates that the same industry has done less in addressing this issue, and because of that, 37 percent of healthcare workers are expected to leave their profession within the next two years (Jonsson et al., 2020). The rationale of this discourse is to provide insights into the solutions for this problem.

One way of increasing employee loyalty and retaining them in the healthcare sector is by fostering teamwork and communication. Collaboration is an essential aspect among healthcare workers because it creates a positive patient experience (Tenedios, 2019). It is rare for an individual healthcare provider to dispense service wholly on his or her own. Fostering teamwork and communication is pivotal in the provision of excellent patient service, resolving conflicts, reducing medical errors, as well as establishing clarity around task assignments. When the leader can communicate organizational goals and expectations efficaciously, the team can understand how their tasks fit into the entire strategy of the hospital (Tenedios, 2019). Furthermore, clear lines of communication provide the workforce with a point of contact whereby they can get answers to their questions, and this increases their loyalty, making them want to remain in the workplace.

The other way of making the employees in the healthcare sector want to remain in the profession is by providing a competitive compensation. To retain a pool of talent in the healthcare sector demands the satisfaction of the employees and engaging them (Khalid & Nawab, 2018). As the industry continues to expand, and the demand for quality workforce augments, competitive bonuses and salaries, and other benefits are becoming significant as far as the retention of healthcare workers is concerned. Considering the high attrition rate of the workers, the leaders have to be accountable for the high rate of turnover. They are supposed to weigh it against the expenses of giving competitive compensation (Khalid & Nawab, 2018). It is worth noting that this strategy applies with equal force to the other sectors.

Another approach which is fundamental in retaining the workforce is improving employee engagement. There are many factors ascribed to low employee engagement. These include heavy workloads, excessive overtime, lack of flexibility in the workplace, and unpredictable schedules (Turner, 2018). Even though most of these contributing factors can be avoided, leaders can substantially enhance hospital staff management. Some of these specific leadership actions encompass celebrating teamwork, recognition of excellence in patient care, conducting informal check-ins with staff, as well as taking steps on the survey’s outcomes.

Further, it is essential to invest in education and continual learning. Professional development, coupled with ongoing knowledge, enhances the technical and people skills of healthcare professionals (Turner, 2018). The two skills are necessary when it comes to the provision of exceptional patient experience, increasing employee satisfaction, and improving productivity. Continual learning can be promoted by demonstrating a clear growth path and giving training opportunities.

In a nutshell, retaining employees in the workplace is fundamental for productivity and improved performance in the workplace. The employees have issues, and unless the management is keen enough to notice them and respond to their cry, they cannot give their best. As discussed above, some of the ways which increase the morale and loyalty of the employees are giving them competitive salaries, improving employee engagement, and fostering teamwork and communication, among others. Achieving so will make the company grab a higher proportion of market share.

References

Jonsson, R., Lindegård, A., Björk, L., & Nilsson, K. (2020). Organizational Hindrances to the Retention of Older Healthcare Workers. Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies.

Khalid, K., & Nawab, S. (2018). Employee participation and employee retention in view of compensation. SAGE Open, 8(4), 2158244018810067.

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

Turner, P. (2018). Retaining Talent in Health Sector Organizations. In Talent Management in Healthcare (pp. 285-313). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.