Today’s workforce has more choices than ever before about how and for whom they work. That’s why employers must think differently about recruitment and retention strategies especially in healthcare settings. Why? Because the loss of staffing continuity can have life-threatening impact on patient outcomes; not to mention staff morale.
Last week, I was speaking with a CEO about her recruitment challenges. Operating with a lean structure, she was devastated with three resignations in just under two weeks. While many healthcare organizations have recruitment challenges, they can be magnified for those in rural settings or those struggling to maintain competitive wages.
Employers must do recruitment to fill positions but also need to retain the ones they have.
Here’s the chicken and the egg situation. I’ve witnessed organizations spending huge amounts of money on recruitment tactics and very little on retention strategy to address the high levels of employee turnover. When you have good employees, what are you doing to ensure that you are creating and sustaining a culture where they not only want to stay but are actively recommending your company to family and friends? This is the multi-million-dollar question.
Recruitment isn’t going to be as big an issue if leaders first focus on retention and keeping the good associates they already have.
Sign-on bonuses are a tactic that attract candidates but do not influence retention. In fact, I have found sign-on bonuses to be counterproductive. Long-term, loyal employees are often resentful of sign-on bonuses especially when their wages are stagnant. During a focus group, one 20-year veteran nurse said of sign-on bonuses, “I’m insulted. I have given two decades to this organization and they (administration) will be paying a new hire a bonus while I will be the one helping to bring her up to speed.” This sentiment is not unusual. Another nurse stated, “I guess I will have to leave and reapply to get in on this good deal.”
Culture and employee engagement are the backbone of retention.
Are you consciously creating a culture in the shifting healthcare landscape where people want to stay? How do you create this culture in today’s marketplace?
If you’re unsure of the answer, then we have an offer you cannot afford to miss. We have created a course to teach you exactly how to answer these questions and create an environment that will keep your retention high and your culture and company satisfied.
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