A new study by Health eCareers found that nearly one-third of healthcare recruiters in the U.S. rank employee turnover as their greatest staffing concern this year and say hiring the best healthcare employees is only half the battle – once you have them, you need to keep them.
Bill Thomson, a healthcare staffing expert and account representative at Health eCareers, offers healthcare recruiters the following tips to help hospitals with employee retention.
1. Hire someone who’s a good fit, not who comes at a low cost
Employee productivity, a direct result of the quality of hires, is a key issue within the hospital and healthcare workforce. Thomson cautions that recruiters should beware of promoting employees who do not have good leadership skills.
2. Push for impactful talent-management funding
Nearly 80 percent of Health eCareers’ survey respondents say employer brand and culture are “important,” while 17 percent say they are “not priorities at this time.” A report by PricewaterhouseCoopers found that healthcare systems invest significantly less in HR programs than other industries, and Thomson says it’s time for healthcare systems to step up to the plate and push for funding.
3. Emphasize the organization’s reputation in the recruiting process
Although the recruitment industry spent a whopping $16 billion dollars on advertising last year, Thomson questions the value of advertising if a brand evokes little name recognition or positive emotional value. Instead, he says using differentiation and affinity are key when trying to appeal to an increasingly limited talent pool.
4. Recognize and own a few key goals at a time
Thomson warns that abrupt change can destroy a positive work culture, so it’s key that leadership and the marketing teams identify the most important reasons why the facility is in business.
What are you doing in your organization when it comes to employee retention?