Why Coaching for Engagement Beats Retention Strategies Every Time
The workforce shortage continues to be a top concern across the entire healthcare industry. Frontline staff consistently voice concerns about working short-handed.
And for good reasons. They’re concerned about the quality of care and their own mental health, trying to do more with less.
And yet, in the background, there is a festering issue that often gets swept under the rug. Disengaged employees.
Are You Hanging on to Warm Bodies?
These are the people who do the bare minimum, create drama, and often consume the greatest amount of the manager’s time for coaching and disciplinary action. Yet many leaders won’t let them go because they’re a warm body in an already stretched workforce.
The problem is, if left in place, these disengaged employees are costing you more in:
- Their teammates have to pick up the slack because the disengaged do less (and often mediocre) work.
- Your leadership credibility. The disengaged are still gainfully employed; they assume you’re ignoring the bad behavior, or are just paying lip service to your stated standards and values.
- They’re underperforming and, therefore, not performing well enough to even achieve break-even on what you pay for their wages and benefits.
We’ve done hundreds of focus groups with staff over the years, and there is a consistent response to the question, “Would you rather work shorthanded or with disengaged teammates?”
The answer is always the same. They would rather work short. Why? At least they know what they’re getting into. They won’t be dealing with resentment that comes from having to pick up the slack AND listen to the complaining.
The bottom line is this—if you’re retaining troublemaking, underperforming, disengaged staff, you are doing more harm than good. Your top performers see it and
could be checking out because of it.
In our half-day workshop, Coaching for Engagement and Improved Performance, we help organizations quantify the cost of disengagement and provide solid solutions for addressing low engagement while boosting morale among top performers.
Find out how we can help elevate engagement and retain your best.
Tags: attracting and retaining top talent, coaching, controlling turnover, Disengaged Employees, effective management, Employee Engagement, employee satisfaction, high-performers, management effectiveness, top performers, turnover
