The healthcare industry is arguably one of the sectors that demands the most from its employees. As a result, many areas of the healthcare industry are struggling with staff retention, reducing burnout, and maintaining a high quality of service.

Ensuring the well-being, satisfaction, and productivity of healthcare workers is undoubtedly one of the largest hurdles faced by managers in the industry. An issue underscored by factors from unpredictable work environments to often limited resources.

Amongst these ongoing challenges with the workforce, there are still lives to be saved and protocols that need to be followed.

Could modern trends in business and employee engagement be a solution?

In recent years, especially in the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic, there has been a tangible shift in how businesses manage their workers, specifically in the private sector. This has largely been a reaction to a mixture of changes in the way employees now expect their workplace to align with their personal needs and values.

The reasons for this are many and varied but can be summed up via two particularly striking examples.

A younger generation entering the workforce who are more aware of the value of their own mental and physical health.

The pandemic highlighting some of the issues around both personal wellbeing, health and the impact of work on said wellbeing.

The most obvious result of this has been 'The Great Resignation'. The name assigned to the period of time after the pandemic where people soft quit and outright walked away from their jobs in droves, for a variety of reasons.

Healthcare managers might roll their eyes at the idea of a staff nurse taking a few days off as a mental health break, or of a junior doctor turning down a patient for their own reasons. But there are a number of trends in the world of work that have emerged to combat the deceptively complex problem of keeping employees engaged, efficient, content and, above all, productive at work.

Organizations in the private sector, recognizing the cost of employee burnout, are increasingly focusing on creating a healthy work environment.

This usually means accommodating employees work-life balance, offering flexible working and providing support such as private healthcare. The onus of employee mental health has shifted from the individual to the organization — which has created a shared responsibility for overall well being.

This has manifested itself in different ways, from flexible working shifts to improved healthcare packages.

Of course the healthcare services industry has not been immune to this, although with less of a focus than private sector employees.

The post-COVID 19 landscape has seen mental health and wellbeing steal the limelight in employee engagement strategies. And in health care, where stress can be exceptionally high, a more proactive approach to mental health has become essential. Burnout and fatigue contribute heavily to decreased productivity and increased staff turnover, which directly affects patient care.

Implementing mental health and wellbeing support for healthcare workers

Offering healthcare workers support, whatever their role in the workplace, is key to managing the effects of stress on mental health.

Some of the main ways that healthcare managers can create an open dialogue about mental health, is to help to establish an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), offer flexible work hours, and regularly screen for job stress and burnout.

And while taking care of existing health care professionals is one thing, building and offering support networks is also key to attracting more people to the industry. And considering the struggles with recruiting healthcare professionals in the current climate, looking at the work culture and support resources should also take care of some of the future needs of employees.

The trend of remote work was initially sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nowadays, offering remote work as part of a job package can have a significant impact on job satisfaction, work-life balance and with managing work related stress.

While healthcare has traditionally been an on-site job, certain back-end functions such as administration, data entry, billing, HR, staff training and health consulting can and often have transitioned to remote work.

Even some roles which might be seen as more hands-on can offer work from home days. For example for administrative duties or for offering remote support or telephone consultations.

As private sector firms have realized the intrinsic benefits of remote work (cost savings, increased productivity), the hybrid work model has become the default for many — marrying the best of both on-site and remote practices.

Hybrid roles have fast become the preferred option for employees for their flexibility and perceived improvements to work life balance.

In fact, hybrid and remote job roles see up to 7 times more applicants than full time in office based jobs. 47% of employees prefer hybrid working, and around 77% would consider quitting a job if their remote or hybrid working options were removed.

It's estimated in several reports, including one by McKinsey in 2022, that around half of all jobs in healthcare could be done either remotely or via hybrid working.

But the benefits of remote, hybrid or flexible work are more significant when looked at through the lens of stress levels. While working from home can potentially decrease stress responses, some reports suggest that the lack of connectivity for some can lead to alienation and even have a negative impact on mental health.

Offering flexible working arrangements might be the most beneficial outcome for managers.

Supporting remote and hybrid work in a healthcare setting

Within a health care setting, it might be more suitable to look at flexible scheduling and hybrid work for office based or administrative tasks. Identifying the opportunity for remote work for the right health care roles can lead to a boost in job satisfaction and productivity. Yes, remote work can lead to a boost in performance of up to 13% according to some studies.

But ensuring that people are connected through efficient networks and are able to communicate with their team remains more important than ever.

There are numerous technological tools that can be leveraged by the healthcare workforce for more seamless remote and hybrid working. Such as:

Communications tools such as Slack or Teams

The option to offer virtual consultations, remote assessments or even home visits for patients as required

Productivity tools such as Trello, Asana and Monday

Digital signage software for announcements, collaborative information and employee engagement solutions

3. The digital transformation of learning and development

With the recognition of continuous learning as a key component of employee engagement, leveraging the power of digital platforms for learning and development (L&D) has proven to be a game-changer. Especially in healthcare, where the knowledge landscape is constantly evolving, digital L&D platforms allow employees to stay updated and engaged.

Digital platforms provide access to a vast array of knowledge sources, interactive learning methods, and resources that can be accessed at one's own pace, leading to a more enriching and impactful learning experience.

Perhaps the main challenge for health care workers is to find the time to commit to personal development. Many healthcare institutions schedule some kind of mandatory staff training. However - in the digital era - allowing staff access to other sources of training and development to allow them to progress their careers can not just help individual employee engagement, but also help to upskill workers, fill skills gaps and recruit internally.

How to improve development opportunities for healthcare workers

Investing in robust digital L&D platforms that assist employees in consistent professional growth is beneficial not just for the employee, but the organization too.

Access to online training is one of the most obvious ways to give staff members access to learning resources.

An inclusive and efficient way to offer learning is by using a display or digital signage network. Displays and screens that are used in staff rooms or in meeting rooms can be optimized for training; whether that's showing e-learning videos, presentations or streaming webinars.

These can be especially beneficial for casual or general skills training such as:

Positivity and maintaining an optimistic mindset

These are all skills that can be taught via a casual skills training course which might not necessarily need the time commitment and focus of other courses.

And while they might not all be CV worthy skills, they can be a strong addition to an individual's skill set. Many of them can also be highly beneficial for improving the mental health of the health care workforce and even improve peer support.

4. Personalization and the employee experience

Employee engagement strategies are not one-size-fits-all. Private sector employees are increasingly expecting personalized experiences that make them feel valued and their contributions recognized.

In the healthcare sector employee recognition is a unique challenge, but one that shouldn't be shrugged off as irrelevant to the industry. A mixture of peer support and recognition can work wonders for employee satisfaction and help people see how their hard work benefits the both organization and patients.

In the private sector, companies are using analytics and feedback to understand employee needs, their strengths, challenges, aspirations, and crafting a unique employee experience.

Within healthcare, this might look like focusing on a stronger teamwork culture, looking at how to be a more inclusive workforce or giving frontline staff greater autonomy and decision making powers.

Seeking feedback from the workforce can help with optimizing the workplace experience.

How to improve the healthcare workforce employee experience

Healthcare managers can invest in tools that provide insights into individual employee needs and adopt a more flexible style of managing employees. This can mean a number of things such as:

Seeking regular (and/or anonymous) feedback from staff members

Understanding what motivates employees to perform

Offering rewards or recognition for certain accomplishments

Offering support and well being resources

Giving access to resources to help staff manage their mental and physical health

Tailoring training, interactions, rewards, and recognitions to individual needs can create a more engaging and satisfying work environment.

The adage 'employees don't leave jobs, they leave managers' holds especially true in the healthcare sector, where a significant portion of employee dissatisfaction often stems from poor leadership or workplace inefficiencies.

Leaders today are expected to be empathetic, transparent, communicative, and supportive. They play a crucial role in making employees feel valued and engaged.

And this is especially true when it comes to the health care workforce, where stress and burnout are more commonplace. This also impacts the patient experience, with stressed or discontent staff giving below par patient care which also reflects badly on department management.

Yes, managing hospital staff, specific departments or remote teams comes with a high degree of its own stress. But a focus on training and improving organizational leaders or heads of department in interpersonal skills or effective task scheduling can improve more than just staff engagement. It can also have a positive impact on the performance of the entire department, improving the patient experience and employee health too.

Improving leadership within the healthcare industry

Nurturing positive leadership skills isn't just for your management team (although obviously they need them too). Improving the leadership skills of health care workers can improve team performance and nurture more autonomy.

Training programs can be used for enhancing their communication, empathy, and people management skills. All of which can make a significant difference to both the confidence and abilities of health care professionals, and also improve the end service.

Artificial intelligence has been the buzzword on everyone's lips over the past couple of years. And the healthcare industry is expected to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this growing technology in the coming years.

With elements such as patient diagnoses and treatment scheduling to staff scheduling being automated across hospitals and healthcare facilities. And while the rise of AI in healthcare is forecast to change everything from how patient centered care is structured and delivered, to the roles of the healthcare worker in the workplace.

In fact, a report from Deloitte expects 35% of jobs in the UK to be automated out of existence in the next five to ten years.

At the moment, AI as an accessible tool can be used for processes such as automating reports and research, speeding up administrative processes and even helping with things like team handovers. (Google)

Predictions do suggest that more AI focused tools will become available to healthcare organizations in coming years. This could change roles such as HR and admin, and contribute to an improvement in services support and a reduction in overwork, stress and burnout.

It's not just doctors, nurses, surgeons and specialists who make up the workforce in health care. We're talking about everyone from pharmacists, to cleaners, HR workers and support staff.

Mental health has become a strong focus for young workers in other industries, as has work life balance.

And while support is often available for professionals working in the health industry, taking care of the staff is more important than ever.

As health system leaders struggle with attracting and maintaining sufficiently trained professionals, and healthcare centers see more people leaving than ever before, there needs to be more focus on ensuring that healthcare nurtures the people who make it work: the staff.

And that means everyone from janitors and orderlies, to consultants and surgeons.

Using digital signage for healthcare professionals

Healthcare organizations are increasingly understanding that digital signage is more than just a display with instructions for visitors and patients. Increasingly, the digital displays in hospitals, surgeries, care facilities, pharmacies and other healthcare locations can be used for broader applications.

What are the workplace trends affecting the health care industry? We look at trends affecting staff retention, burnout and job satisfaction in healthcare.

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Trends in Healthcare Employee Engagement

Trends in Healthcare Employee Engagement

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