How to Retain Employees in Healthcare: Gratitude
Improving leadership communication is important for retaining healthcare workers. While physicians cannot address the larger challenges that plague the entire healthcare industry, they can improve the lives of healthcare workers, many of whom have made significant sacrifices over the past 4 years.
“Leadership has always been an important lever in improving the work conditions of clinicians. It is only now, as we face a crisis in our healthcare system due to burnout and turnover, that we feel it is essential to pay attention to it,” said Amy Young, PhD, a specialist in leadership communication and a professor in the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. “The opportunity has always been there.”
Dr Young and her colleagues have published 2 papers that explore how improvements in leadership communication can remedy some of the challenges currently facing the healthcare industry, such as staffing shortages, burnout, and turnover. Positive leadership communication can be an effective tool to reduce burnout and turnover, they write.
Leaders should prioritize fulfilling employees’ psychological needs for affirmation, inclusion, and appreciation for their contributions, according to Dr Young. Doing so may help promote a healthier and more productive work environment and improve employee engagement and loyalty. All levels of leadership, from manager to executive, can make employees feel valued. Through daily interactions or broader channels of formal communication, leaders should strive for open communication, transparency, and genuine connections, she said.
There was a clear need for interventions in healthcare, even before the pandemic, Dr Young said. Existing approaches to addressing burnout and turnover primarily focused on reducing workloads, having more flexible work schedules, and increasing compensation. Ongoing staff shortages and financial shortfalls in healthcare centers and hospitals, however, have made it difficult to actually implement these approaches.
Today, most workplace conversations are transactional and often focus primarily on relaying information for managing patients, Dr Young said. However, employees want a workplace where they can feel a sense of purpose and meaningful connections to others. “Don’t underestimate the power you have to make a positive impact on others by simply choosing to treat colleagues with kindness and compassion. The positive leadership intervention was simply showing how to lead and get things done, while treating colleagues well,” she said.
It is theorized that human beings are evolutionarily hardwired to need more from their interactions than just a simple transaction. Words and non-verbal gestures that convey to others that they are affirmed, valued, and belong to the social group fulfill basic psychological needs, according to Dr Young.
Any leader concerned about employee well-being could benefit from leadership training, said Dr Young, who contends that if leaders recognize the humanity in their employees, they can earn exceptional engagement and unwavering loyalty.
Leaders at all levels affect whether employees feel valued. For supervisors and managers, it is often the day-to-day interactions that matter, according to Dr Young. For executives, they can learn to convey appreciation through communication channels such as blogs and videos. Understanding how to be honest, transparent, and personable can be essential.
“Leadership is incredibly important, perhaps more so than ever before,” said Sam R. Patel, MD, founder and partner of Astra Culture in Chicago, Illinois, a consulting firm that advises medical clinics in setting up medical spas and introducing cash-based services. “It is increasingly difficult to retain team members across all roles within the healthcare industry, from nurses to front desk receptionists. Today, employees are looking for more than just good pay.”
“Strong leadership is crucial in recognizing these needs and making decisions that prioritize employee well-being, such as offering competitive pay, growth opportunities, and a balanced lifestyle. Leaders must ensure employees feel valued, have opportunities for advancement, and are provided with a supportive and balanced work environment to prevent high turnover rates,” said Dr Patel.
Executives need to be mindful of how some of their decisions affect employees throughout the organization. For example, a change in reporting structure or a new employment policy may inadvertently negatively impact employees. Without knowing it, executives can give the impression that they don’t care about employees. “For healthcare providers in private practice, it’s essential to focus on both competitive pay and benefits to retain staff,” Dr Patel said. “This includes offering health benefits, vacation time, maternity and paternity leave, and opportunities for professional growth. Employees today value work-life balance and are willing to accept slightly lower pay if it comes with a comprehensive benefits package and a supportive work environment.”
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“Don’t underestimate the power you have to make a positive impact on others by simply choosing to treat colleagues with kindness and compassion.”
Regularly talking to employees about how they are doing is paramount. Employees may be reluctant to share how they may be struggling out of fear it will reflect negatively on them. Whether quiet quitting or active quitting, a struggling employee is less effective, Dr Young said. By asking employees how they are doing, they may share important insights that could make a difference for the healthcare practice.
This article originally appeared on Renal and Urology News
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