Regina Temple’s Insights on Retaining Healthcare Workers

Hospitals and health systems were already facing challenging times before the COVID-19 pandemic brought new hurdles to the forefront. One of the biggest difficulties was managing inpatient capacity overload while trying to shift more procedures to an outpatient setting. Fast forward to today, hospitals deal with an even larger patient population with a higher demand for inpatient healthcare services and increased employee turnover.

The importance of a disciplined management system and employee retention plan is vital. Hospitals lacking these key elements will likely struggle with the current healthcare system demands. Regina Temple points out that hospitals should focus on four key elements vital to employee retention. By implementing these elements, hospitals can build stronger, more resilient teams that can face the challenges of the times and overcome them.

Planning

Employees don’t like surprises at work, so developing plans for changing patient volume is critical to workforce management. Even with the pandemic over, times are still volatile, and hospital volume can still be reasonably anticipated. However, some managers are still surprised.

A majority of events that drive patient volume, as well as management systems, can be anticipated. These events should be incorporated into projected staffing plans. Even when hospital volumes change in the blink of an eye, many last-minute staffing changes can still be avoided. Efficient management systems can recognize these patterns and quickly respond to the necessary changes.

Scheduling

One of the most attractive aspects of working in the healthcare industry is having a predictable and recurring schedule. According to Regina Temple, a key factor in keeping employees engaged is giving them a voice and choice in scheduling. By leveraging today’s technologies, it’s become easier to give healthcare professionals the flexibility they need to better balance their work and personal lives. This sense of autonomy can motivate employees, making them more committed and loyal to their jobs. Ultimately, when healthcare workers feel empowered and in control of their schedules, they are likelier to stay with an organization long-term.

Follow-up

Regularly following up on staffing plans helps ensure they deliver what they need on time. Effective scheduling systems don’t only measure the outcomes; they can tell a manager how to adjust to improve results. Also, balancing patient demand with efficient staff schedules is a continuous process. Avoid last-minute schedule changes and give employees a voice in their schedule so they feel better about staying on board.

Employee Engagement

Many front-line managers rate difficult conversations, coaching, and engaging their teams as their biggest challenges. Leadership competencies and skills should be essential in recruitment, especially for front-line leaders. Leadership and technical skills should be considered when it comes to internal promotions.

According to Regina Temple, balance the coaching on performance and development of staff with recognition for contributions and achievements. Front-line leadership skills include recognizing employee performance and personal and professional milestones to make employees feel valued.

Management systems are crucial in making sure a hospital has the proper resources in the proper places at the proper time. With no employee retention strategy, filling excessive vacancies can become expensive, adds Regina Temple.

Regina Temple has served in the healthcare community for over 30 years with experiences ranging from for-profit to not-for-profit organizations, unionized to non-unionized facilities, and acute care settings to outpatient centers. Read similar articles on healthcare and leadership from Regina Temple by following this page.