5 Healthcare Employee Engagement Trends to Expect in 2019

Employee retention rates in the healthcare industry are relatively poor when compared to other sectors. Hospitality is the only industry

2 min. read

Employee retention rates in the healthcare industry are relatively poor when compared to other sectors. Hospitality is the only industry with a higher turnover rate than healthcare.

Focusing on employee engagement helps guard against this trend. High employee engagement naturally corresponds to stronger retention rates. In this field, it also results in better-quality care for patients.

That’s why learning how to boost healthcare worker engagement is important. The following are the latest employee engagement trends to achieve this goal in 2019.

#1: Provide Feedback

Surveys indicate most employees want to receive more feedback than managers currently provide. However, most employees also dislike the annual review process.

Managers can work around this problem by implementing a continuous performance management system. With the right tools, offering feedback on a regular basis is much easier.

#2: Offer Recognition

Recognizing employee contributions is one of the most effective ways to boost engagement. Workers simply appreciate knowing their work is valued.

This can be particularly true of healthcare workers. Their roles often involve significant amounts of stress. A manager expressing gratitude can go a long way towards making that stress less bothersome.

#3: Compensate Fairly

Proper compensation can also make workplace stress much more bearable. This is a trend worth focusing on every year. As average compensation packages in the healthcare industry change, managers should proactively research them to ensure they’re still offering fair pay and benefits. Workers will go elsewhere if they believe they can get better pay for a similar job.

#4: Offer Growth Opportunities

It’s important to boost engagement throughout an organization. Every employee plays a crucial role, and everyone benefits when all workers are actively engaged.

That said, it’s also important to understand how exceptionally ambitious workers can offer major benefits to the organization if they’re more engaged. Someone who is already willing to go the extra mile by default will be even more productive if they’re truly enthusiastic about their work.

These top performers often want opportunities to build their skills and take on new challenges. Being stuck in the same role for years isn’t appealing to them. On the other hand, they’ll be more likely to stay with the organization if managers actively provide them with chances to grow.

#5: Setting Concrete Goals

Setting various types of goals yields various benefits. For instance, employees want to know how they will be evaluated. Engagement will rise if you set concrete goals for them to achieve.

However, those goals should also tie into the organization’s overall mission.

Healthcare workers have unique opportunities to help people. That may be a major reason they entered the field. If they know their employer’s values reflect their own, they’ll find more meaning in their work. Thus, it’s smart to share information about the company’s values and mission with employees. Doing so establishes larger goals for everyone.

Low retention rates may be common in healthcare, but they don’t have to be. Managers simply need to learn how to boost engagement. These tips will help.

- Rae Steinbach

Rae is a graduate of Tufts University with a combined International Relations and Chinese degree. After spending time living and working abroad in China, she returned to NYC to pursue her career and continue curating quality content. Rae is passionate about travel, food, and writing, of course.

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Torrent Consulting