How to Increase Employee Retention in Healthcare

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, employee retention in healthcare was already a challenge. With the added stress of the pandemic, many healthcare workers are struggling to keep up with the demands of their job. Here are some tips to help increase your employee retention in healthcare.

1. Recruit the Right Associates

The first step to increasing employee retention in healthcare is to ensure that you are recruiting the right associates for your health organization. When looking for new employees, be sure to find individuals who are passionate about healthcare and have the personality traits that align with your organization’s culture.

2. Make New Employees Feel Welcome

Making new employees feel welcome is a key part of employee satisfaction. New employees who feel like they belong at an organization are more likely to stay with the company for the long term. There are a few things you can do to make new employees feel welcome, such as:

• Assign a mentor to help them adjust to their new role
• Include them in social activities and events
• Give them a tour of the facility and introduce them to their co-workers
• Help them understand your company’s culture and values

3. Provide Development Opportunities

Employees are more likely to stay with an organization if they feel like they are progressing in their careers. This will not only help them be more successful in their role, but also increase their satisfaction with their job.

Therefore, it is important to provide development opportunities for employees. Some ways to do this include:

• Offering mentorship programs
• Providing on-the-job training
• Offering continuing education courses
• Giving employees the opportunity to take on new assignments
• Allowing employees to participate in decision-making processes
• Encouraging employees to attend conferences and seminars
• Giving employees the opportunity to shadow other healthcare professionals

4. Offer Mentorship Opportunities

Mentorship programs can be beneficial for both new and experienced employees. Mentorship programs can help employees feel supported in their careers, connected to their organizations, and motivated to stay with the company. Some ways to offer mentorship opportunities include:

• Creating mentorship pairs or groups
• Hosting mentorship events or workshops
• Providing mentorship training for managers and supervisors
• Encouraging employees to be mentors

5. Offer Competitive Salaries and Benefits

Healthcare workers are in high demand, so it’s important to offer competitive salaries and benefits in order to attract and retain the best employees. In addition to offering competitive salaries, benefits like health insurance, retirement savings plans, and paid time off are also important factors in attracting and retaining employees.

6. Create a Positive Work Environment

A positive work environment is crucial for employee retention. Healthcare workers are under a lot of stress, so it’s important to create an environment that is supportive and positive. Some ways to create a positive work environment include:

• Promoting teamwork and collaboration
• Encouraging open communication
• Recognizing and rewarding employees for their hard work
• Providing opportunities for professional development

7. Improve Associate Engagement

Another way to increase employee retention in healthcare is to improve associate engagement. This can be done by:

• Encouraging two-way communication between management and employees
• Giving employees the opportunity to provide feedback
• Offering recognition and rewards for a job well done
• Make sure that employees feel like they are part of a team

8. Provide Relaxation And Destressing Opportunities

Working in healthcare can be stressful. It’s important to support employees’ physical and mental health in order to help them stay healthy and cope with stress. Employees who are able to cope with the stress of their job are more likely to stay with the organization. 

To help employees cope with this stress, it is important to provide relaxation and destressing opportunities. Some ways to do this include:

• Encouraging employees to take breaks during their shift or use their vacation time
• Offering yoga or meditation classes
• Providing a quiet space for employees to relax
• Providing resources to stay physically healthy, like gyms or fitness classes
• Offering mental health resources, like counseling or stress management classes
• Creating a culture of wellness in your organization

9. Create a Formal Retention Plan

While the tips above will help increase employee retention in healthcare, it is important to have a formal retention plan in place. Without a formally documented retention strategy, your efforts to improve retention may be less successful.

A formal retention plan should include:

• An analysis of turnover data to identify trends
• A review of current retention programs and their effectiveness
• Identification of key employees who are at risk of leaving the organization
• The development of targeted retention strategies for high-risk employees
• The implementation of the retention plan
• Ongoing evaluation of the retention plan to ensure its effectiveness

10. A Connected Team is a Productive Team

Employees who feel connected to their team are more likely happy with the team. Therefore, it is important to create a sense of team connection among employees. Some ways to do this include:

• Encouraging employees to get to know each other
• Organizing team building activities
• Fostering a sense of team pride
• Recognizing employees for their contributions to the team

11. Resonabble Flexible Scheduling

With the hectic nature of healthcare, many employees appreciate the ability to have a flexible schedule. This could include allowing employees to set their own hours, work from home when needed, and take advantage of flexible vacation days.

12. Implement an Employee Recognition Program

An employee recognition program is a great way to show your employees that you appreciate their hard work. These programs can help boost morale and motivation, and they can also help retain employees who feel appreciated in their job. Some ways to implement an employee recognition program include:

• Giving awards or bonuses
• Hosting appreciation events
• Writing personal thank-you notes
• Publicly recognizing employees for their achievements

13. Conduct Frequent Structured Interviews

Conducting frequent structured interviews is a good way to check in with employees and see how they’re doing. These interviews provide an opportunity for employees to give feedback about their job, their manager, and the company. 

These interviews can be used to gauge employee satisfaction, identify areas of concern, and gather suggestions for improvement.

Final Thought

Increasing employee retention in healthcare can be challenging, but it’s important to retain the best employees in order to provide quality care for patients. With the tips above, hope you can develop a strategy that will help improve employee retention in your healthcare organization.