12 Strategies for Healthcare Employee Retention for Building a Stable and Satisfied Workforce

The healthcare sector, a critical pillar of every society, faces unique challenges, especially when retaining skilled professionals. The turnover rate for healthcare professionals rose to 45%, and is estimated to hover around the same numbers, shared U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Retaining talent can be particularly challenging with high burnout rates, strenuous shifts, and the constant pressure of life-saving responsibilities. However, a satisfied and stable workforce is crucial to delivering consistent, high-quality patient care.

The current deficit in healthcare personnel is alarming, necessitating a significant boost in staff numbers to meet the care needs of patients. Projections suggest that by 2025, there will be a deficit in the US of:

• 446,300 home health aides
• 98,700 medical and lab technologists/technicians
• 95,000 nursing assistants
• 29,400 nurse practitioners

A notable number of healthcare professionals have exited the sector, leading to a severe staffing shortage for patient care.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, the healthcare sector has reduced 524,000 employees. Notably, nursing and residential care roles account for approximately 80% of this decline.

Healthcare employee turnover: stats & facts

Healthcare employee turnover refers to the rate at which healthcare workers leave their jobs within a given time frame, voluntarily or involuntarily, and are replaced. Turnover can be an indicator of the workplace environment, job satisfaction, management effectiveness, and the overall health of an organization.

Factors contributing to healthcare employee turnover:

• Burnout: The healthcare industry, especially frontline roles like nursing, often involves long hours, emotional stress, and physical demands, leading to burnout.
• Compensation: Competitive salaries and benefits are crucial for retention. If employees feel they can get better compensation elsewhere, they're more likely to leave.
• Work-life balance: Odd working hours, extended shifts, and on-call duties can disrupt personal lives, pushing employees to seek opportunities that offer better work-life balance.
• Job satisfaction: Factors such as the nature of job duties, relationships with colleagues and superiors, recognition, and opportunities for growth play into job satisfaction.
• Organizational culture: A toxic work environment, poor communication, lack of appreciation, and limited professional growth opportunities can deter employees from staying.
• Safety concerns: Especially pertinent in healthcare settings, if employees feel their personal safety or health is at risk, they might choose to leave.
• Training and development opportunities: The rapidly evolving nature of medicine and healthcare means continuous learning is essential. Lack of training or growth opportunities can lead to higher turnover.

Addressing employee turnover is critical in the healthcare sector, not just from an operational and financial perspective, but also to ensure the delivery of high-quality patient care. Having said that here are some stratgies to retain employees in the healthcare industry.

How to retain employees in healthcare sector and reduce turnover

Here are strategies healthcare institutions can adopt to retain their employees effectively.

1. Recognition and reward systems

Feeling recognized and appreciated for one's contributions plays a significant role in job satisfaction and overall morale. Instituting a robust recognition and reward system can be instrumental in retaining top talent.

This entails conducting regular performance reviews wherein employees receive constructive feedback and acknowledgment for their achievements.

Tangible rewards, such as bonuses or pay raises, can complement non-monetary incentives like public recognition, additional vacation days, or opportunities to attend conferences and seminars.

An 'Employee of the Month' program, where staff members can nominate their peers based on various criteria, can also foster a culture of appreciation and community.

2. Work-life balance and emotional well-being

The demanding nature of healthcare jobs can sometimes take a toll on employees' emotional and physical well-being.

Organizations should prioritize creating an environment that promotes a healthy work-life balance to counter this. Offering flexible scheduling options, such as compressed work weeks or varied shift timings, can greatly enhance employee satisfaction.

In addition, implementing wellness programs that focus on both physical health and mental resilience can make a profound difference. This could encompass providing gym memberships, organizing counseling sessions, or even introducing meditation and relaxation workshops.

Establishing peer support groups can also be beneficial, offering a platform for employees to share experiences, discuss challenges, and provide mutual support, thereby nurturing emotional well-being.

3. Subsidies for essential needs

Financial support for basic needs such as food, housing, and transport can significantly improve retention of healthcare employees.

Such incentives are often given in travel nursing roles, enabling nurses to enhance their earnings. These added benefits are among the reasons why many permanent staff nurses switch to agency-based roles.

For healthcare institutions, this translates to a need to up their game to retain their resident, full-time workforce. By extending these subsidies, healthcare centers can ensure their staff enjoys greater financial stability, allowing them to allocate more of their earnings to other personal needs.

4. Support for relocation

Providing aid for relocation expenses is an effective strategy to lure more staff to your facility, ensuring a larger local employee base. This becomes especially crucial for remote regions grappling with a dearth of healthcare professionals.

Remarkably, about 60% of zones experiencing a scarcity of primary care experts are in rural settings. Given the shortage of essential staff in these areas, relocation assistance can act as a magnet, drawing more professionals to consider such regions for employment.

Shouldering the housing expenses of these workers further reinforces their financial cushioning.

5. Competitive compensation and benefits packages

To attract and retain top-tier talent in the healthcare industry, it's vital that organizations offer competitive compensation packages in line with market standards.

But beyond the basic salary, comprehensive benefits can be the deciding factor for many professionals. These can include health insurance coverage (with options for family members), dental and vision plans, retirement savings accounts, and other financial incentives.

On top of this, providing unique benefits such as childcare services, extended maternity and paternity leaves, or even student loan repayment assistance can make an organization stand out as an employer of choice in the healthcare sector.

6. Clear career pathways and advancement opportunities

Healthcare professionals, like individuals in any field, seek growth and progression in their careers. To retain staff in the long term, it's imperative that they see a future within the organization.

This means offering clear career pathways, showcasing advancement opportunities, and regularly revisiting roles and responsibilities to ensure they align with individual aspirations and skills.

Hosting regular career development sessions, where employees can discuss their goals and map out potential routes to achieve them, can be invaluable. Such efforts show employees that the organization is invested in their long-term career and personal growth.

7. Cultivating an inclusive and positive work culture

The environment in which healthcare professionals work plays a pivotal role in their decision to stay with an organization. Prioritizing a culture that values collaboration, communication, and mutual respect is essential.

This means actively promoting diversity and inclusion initiatives, providing platforms for open dialogue, and ensuring that the voices of all staff members, regardless of their position, are heard and valued.

Organizing team-building events, feedback sessions, and cultural sensitivity trainings can further enhance the cohesiveness of the team. When employees feel they are part of a supportive community that values their contributions and respects their individuality, they are more likely to remain committed to the organization.

8. Enhancing communication and feedback mechanisms

Open channels of communication can be a game-changer in any organization, especially in the healthcare sector where clarity and understanding are paramount. Establishing regular town hall meetings, feedback sessions, and open-door policies can help employees feel heard and valued.

An environment where concerns can be raised without fear of retaliation and where feedback is acted upon can significantly boost employee morale.

In addition, using tools or platforms that facilitate seamless communication between different departments or shifts can reduce misunderstandings and foster a sense of unity and collaboration among staff.

9. Ensuring workload management and fair staffing ratios

Burnout is a prominent concern in the healthcare industry, and one of the primary contributors is excessive workload.

By ensuring proper workload management and maintaining fair staffing ratios, healthcare institutions can mitigate the risks of employee exhaustion and dissatisfaction.

Implementing an efficient scheduling system, providing occasional breaks during especially challenging periods, and employing additional part-time or floating staff during peak times can help in evenly distributing the workload. This not only ensures the well-being of the employees but also guarantees that patients receive optimal care.

10. Providing safe and state-of-the-art work environments

The physical environment in which healthcare professionals work plays a significant role in their job satisfaction. By ensuring that facilities are modern, well-maintained, and equipped with the latest technologies, healthcare institutions can offer their staff the tools they need to do their jobs effectively and efficiently.

Prioritizing workplace safety, through both infrastructure improvements and continuous training, ensures that employees feel secure in their working environment.

Moreover, simple gestures such as providing comfortable break rooms, ensuring clean and well-stocked restrooms, or even creating a relaxation space where employees can decompress can have a profound impact on their overall job satisfaction.

11. Foster a sense of purpose and community

While financial and professional incentives are crucial, it's equally vital for healthcare employees to feel connected to a larger purpose. Healthcare organizations should consistently reinforce the impact their employees have on patients' lives and the community.

Organizing community outreach events, patient appreciation days, or even sharing success stories can remind staff of the real-world implications of their efforts.

Additionally, hosting events, gatherings, or socials for employees can help foster a sense of belonging and camaraderie among peers, making them feel like they're a part of a larger community and not just a faceless entity.

12. Empower employees with autonomy

Healthcare professionals are trained individuals who thrive when given a certain degree of autonomy in their roles.

Micromanagement can be stifling, reducing morale and job satisfaction. Instead, organizations should trust their employees to make decisions within their area of expertise.

For instance, allowing nurses or clinicians to have a say in the treatments or care plans they administer, or letting them participate in departmental decision-making processes, can make them feel valued and trusted.

Such empowerment can lead to increased job satisfaction, reduced burnout, and a stronger commitment to the organization.

Read how Xoxoday Empuls helped a digital Healthcare enterprise achieves 2x increase in engagement with rewards and recognition

Founded in 2014, this leading health cloud enterprise, with 1200-1500 employees spread across 1600+ global locations, focuses on unifying patient data for global healthcare providers.

Challenge

Initially, the company had an R&R (Rewards & Recognition) program that aligned with its corporate vision.

However, as they grew, the program's scalability issues emerged due to excessive meetings, email communications, and other inefficiencies, causing visibility challenges and delays.

Solution with Xoxoday Empuls

• Streamlined awards structure: Established an organization-wide award system with customization options, ensuring inclusive and timely employee recognition.
• Tools integration: Integrated Empuls with existing HRMS and collaboration systems like Zoho People and Slack, enhancing the user experience.
• Automated jury awards: Simplified and automated the previously complex jury awards process to increase transparency and reduce administrative work.

Outcomes

• Enhanced recognition & reward distribution: There was a 380% increase in awards and gift points distribution in a year, thanks to the ease of use of Empuls, fostering a deeper sense of belonging among employees.
• Boosted employee engagement: The platform transitioned recognition from emails to an interactive space, resulting in engagement rates jumping from 38% to 76%.
• Aligned with core values: Empuls allowed shoutouts for contributions based on company values, reinforcing desired behaviors.
• Efficient jury awards: Empuls streamlined jury awards, ensuring better efficiency, fairness, and recognition of significant contributions.

ROI with Xoxoday Empuls

• 97% active employee adoption
• 5x rise in award distributions in a year
• 2x surge in employee engagement
• 1,031 appreciations linked to core values

The company is eager to further harness Xoxoday Empuls by exploring new features that cater to their evolving needs, ensuring that their R&R program remains dynamic and customized to their specific requirements.

Improve healthcare employees retention with Xoxoday Empuls. Schedule a demo with our expert to discuss tailoring a recognition program for your needs.

Conclusion

Healthcare professionals are the unsung heroes of our society, and retaining them is essential for the well-being of both patients and organizations.

By fostering a culture of appreciation, offering competitive compensation, supporting career growth, promoting work-life balance, and providing comprehensive wellness programs, healthcare organizations can nurture and retain their invaluable workforce.

Remember, the more you invest in your employees' well-being and professional growth, the more likely they are to stay committed to their vital work in the healthcare industry.

FAQS

1. What is the cost of employee turnover in healthcare?

The cost of employee turnover in healthcare is significant and multifaceted. Direct costs include expenses related to recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and training new staff. Indirect costs can stem from reduced productivity, overworked remaining staff, decreased morale, and potential errors or reduced care quality.

For instance, when considering the turnover of a registered nurse, estimates suggest that the cost can range between $40,000 to $64,000 per nurse.

These figures factor in recruitment expenses, orientation, and training, decreased productivity until the new employee reaches the proficiency of the previous one, and potential overtime costs for other staff covering the vacancy.

Beyond the tangible costs, high turnover can negatively impact the facility's reputation, which can, over time, affect both patient numbers and the attraction of top-tier talent.

2. How to reduce employee turnover in healthcare?

Reducing employee turnover in healthcare involves a combination of strategies:

• Ensure that salaries and benefits are in line with or exceed industry standards.
• Offer ongoing training and career advancement opportunities.
• Foster a positive, inclusive, and supportive work culture.
• Implement open-door policies and encourage feedback.
• Provide flexible scheduling and ensure reasonable working hours.
• Recognize and reward hard work, achievements, and dedication.
• Introduce wellness programs, stress-reduction workshops, and mental health resources.

3. How to motivate healthcare employees?

Motivating healthcare employees can be achieved by:

• Offer opportunities for continuous learning, upskilling, and advancement.
• Regularly acknowledge and reward outstanding work.
• Create a supportive and inclusive atmosphere that values teamwork and collaboration.
• Trust employees with decision-making responsibilities and involve them in broader organizational strategies or changes.
• Ensure that remuneration reflects the value and effort they bring to the organization.
• Constructive feedback helps employees understand their strengths and areas for improvement, fostering growth.

4. How to increase employee engagement in healthcare?

To increase employee engagement in healthcare:

• Engage them in discussions about facility operations, patient care improvements, and other relevant decisions.
• Use surveys, town hall meetings, and suggestion boxes to gather employee input.
• Foster camaraderie through team outings, workshops, and other team-building exercises.
• Offer workshops, seminars, and courses that enrich their professional knowledge.
• Ensure that employees are well-informed about organizational goals, changes, and updates.
• Programs that focus on the physical and mental well-being of employees can enhance engagement as they feel the organization cares for their personal well-being.