The continued healthcare employee shortage has been caused by a multitude of factors, including, but not limited to, burnout among employees and poor management conditions. These struggles lead skilled employees in the healthcare field to prematurely leave their positions, decreasing retention rates across the industry, and impacting the workload and stress level of the remaining employees.
Causes of Decreased Employee Retention in Healthcare
As hospitals and other healthcare organizations increase employee demands, employees are more likely to suffer from burnout, which can lead to struggle with employee retention in the healthcare field. Forbes categorizes burnout as a condition that occurs when an employee has become completely exhausted by their workload and, specifically regarding healthcare, the mental strain of a career that deals so closely with life-or-death situations. Employees suffering from burnout are more likely to experience low retention rates as they find themselves persistently stressed and overwhelmed by their careers.
Another cause of low employee retention in the healthcare field is poor management. There is an ongoing trend in the workforce that insists employees must build resilience, and while this contributes to a feeling of burnout among employees, it is also a result of management improperly distributing work, focusing only on the metrics produced by employees rather than the employees themselves. This can lead to feelings of disdain directed toward management that eventually cause employees to seek opportunities elsewhere, further decreasing the retention rate of the healthcare organization.
Addressing Retention
Despite factors like burnout and poor management conditions, employers in the healthcare industry are capable of improving employee retention in their organizations. Forbes notes the cost of increased turnover rates in the nursing field, as well as the strain that continuous employee turnover places on the healthcare labor force. There is a national shortage of healthcare professionals; however, employers are finding creative solutions and utilizing tested strategies to increase employee retention.
Employers are making an effort to learn more about their employees’ wants and needs to further not only their careers but to improve their personal lives as well. Gallup presents a list of what employees want most from their employers, including benefits, such as paid parental leave and childcare reimbursement, as well as management that supports a stable work-life balance and healthy work culture.
Increasing and Maintaining Employee Retention
Culture plays a major role in influencing retention and overall employee satisfaction. Developing a positive work culture that relies on mutual respect and active listening is proven to increase retention rates in the healthcare industry. Many organizations now have positions like ‘Director of Workplace and Employee Experience’ and ‘Director of Culture’ responsible for overseeing culture at the leadership level and working toward ensuring work-life balance for employees. Some healthcare organizations are seeing increased retention rates through engagement with employees and offering the benefits requested. These benefits include paid parental leave and childcare tuition discounts, allowing employees to better balance their personal responsibilities with their responsibilities to the public as healthcare workers. Add-ons like training programs for resiliency are also proving to be successful in positively impacting the overall employee experience.
While cultivating a positive work culture is a core of building a connected workforce and improving retention rates, continued education in the healthcare field remains a reliable way to increase employee retention. Workforce development is a key method of continued education in the healthcare industry. Developing programs to boost recruitment and retention strengthens the greater workforce within the healthcare industry. One way to implement these recruitment and retention strategies is through ensuring pathways for educational and career advancements for employees. Organizations must continue to practice upskilling and reskilling with their employees to ensure continued success in the healthcare field.
One method of continued education is to offer healthcare certification programs. Emerge Education offers a variety of healthcare certification programs to promote upskilling and reskilling for your employees, including but not limited to programs such as Surgical Technologist, Medical Assistant, Phlebotomy Technician, and Professional Medical Coder.
Supporting the advancement of employees through upskilling and reskilling ensures their continued presence in the industry and increases retention rates. Emerge’s Workforce Navigator solution helps employers aid employees through program offerings, providing certifications that make them eligible for advancement.
Tuition reimbursement plays a strong role in aiding the efforts of workforce development strategies. Healthcare education is not accessible to everyone interested in entering the industry, but organizations can take the first step in introducing new candidates through tuition reimbursement. Tuition reimbursement has become a powerful tool to combat low retention rates across multiple industries, and introducing tuition reimbursement for healthcare workers will serve the same purpose.
Despite the ongoing struggle regarding retention rates in the healthcare industry, employers are taking the proper steps toward creating positive work environments through a culture of active listening and mutual respect, the offer of tuition reimbursement, and continued education throughout employees’ careers. It is crucial to show appreciation for healthcare professionals at this time as they continue to navigate the uncharted waters of the ever-evolving healthcare industry.
