Check out the top employee retention strategies in healthcare to ensure seamless service in hospitals
The healthcare industry is among the most sensitive sectors in any government. Over the years, there has rampant movement of healthcare employees from one institution to the next. This has raised concerns among the policy makers and the public. There is a need to develop employee retention strategies in healthcare, to ensure quality service delivery. Below is a list of retention strategies in healthcare:
Offering a worthy wage
The first step to retaining employees is by paying a living wage. The healthcare professionals should be paid more than the minimum wage. This helps to motivate the employees. Usually, motivated workers are also committed to the organizations they work for.
Survey both employee engagement and satisfaction
It is unfortunate that most healthcare organizations focus more on engagement surveys than on employee satisfaction. Both engagement and employee satisfaction are important to the healthcare industry. Engaged healthcare professionals, will focus on the organization and themselves whereas satisfied employees will focus on themselves.
Using peers to interview new recruits
This involves using the frontline employees, to recruit new employees into the healthcare sector. The new hires are able to meet some of the people they will be working along with, which improves retention rate. Furthermore, the peer-interviewing panel is able to advice the human resource department of the employees who are fit to work with the organization.
Focus on high performers
While you should pay attention to low performers and help them where need be, top performers also need to be recognized. The management needs to find time to understand the needs and challenges of high performers. This way, they will be in a position to retain top talents.
Perform constant supervision/meetings
In a hospital setting, it is crucial to perform regular rounds to ensure that everything is going well. As the top medical officer, it is important to visit the supervisors and inquire if there have been unusual incidents. You might also ask if there are employees who need to be recognized. Through the rounds, you can identify problems, which might lead to employee disengagement.
Provide emotional support
Mostly healthcare workers have been reported to experience emotional toll, because of handling sickly individuals. Having on-site counseling services helps them to deal with the emotional stress. External counseling agencies might also be invited to provide emotional support to the nurses, doctors and other subordinate staff members in the healthcare institutions.