The healthcare retention crisis is still in full swing, and clinics are getting creative to prevent employee burnout. While the overall speed of burnout in the healthcare industry has slowed from the alarming plummet of 2020, engagement, alignment, and resilience have all continued trending downward in the past two years. As burnout and job dissatisfaction continue to trend, here are some new ways to keep your employees happy, engaged, and staying at your clinic.

Offer Flexible Hours

Scheduling often dramatically impacts a person’s willingness or ability to stay in their current job position. Whether they want to spend more time with family, explore other options outside of work hours, or simply get a three-day weekend, offering a flexible schedule can allow your employees to customize their schedules and adapt their job to their life goals. If your employees don’t need to be at work five days a week, consider offering the option to work four 10-hour days rather than five eight-hour days. 

Provide More Paid Time Off

Working long hours is a recipe for burnout. If you have the option, giving your employees a larger bank of paid time off (PTO) will ensure they can care for themselves before burnout sets in. Increasing an employee’s PTO the longer they stay at your clinic is another great way of recognizing and incentivizing  their loyalty.

Job Splitting

Job splitting is an excellent option for providing your employees with flexibility. Job splitting is when two employees share the duties of a single job that doesn’t require continuous coverage by the same person throughout the week. Both people might change from a full-time to a part-time shift, allowing for greater flexibility and schedule customization. It also allows different employees to take on other parts of a single job, which can help people focus on the aspects of a job they enjoy the most and increase their job satisfaction. 

Upskilling

As job requirements and technology quickly shift, upskilling allows your clinic to save time and money on finding new employees by training your current workforce instead. By offering manageable training sessions over an extended timeframe, you can steadily broaden your employees’ skills and give them the opportunity to advance or move laterally in your company, as well as seamlessly provide coverage when necessary. Upskilling makes employees feel valued and keeps your clinic competitive.

Talk To Your Employees About What They Want

By implementing some positive changes in your workplace, you can preemptively improve the quality of your workplace before you start losing employees. But at the end of the day, there’s no substitute for simply coming out and asking your employees what you can do to keep them happy at your clinic. 

Consider the following options to create a personalized plan to improve your employees’ experience:

• Distribute a survey to all your employees asking about their goals, priorities, and changes that might enhance their working experience. Don’t forget to also ask whether there are any things your employees feel unsatisfied with as well.
• Schedule a one-on-one meeting with your workers to discuss factors that would improve their experience at your clinic. Keep the focus on their job satisfaction and long-term goals.
• A suggestion jar is a fun and informal option to solicit recommendations from your employees. It can also help if employees want to remain anonymous as they suggest changes. Place it in a central area and encourage your employees to use it. 

Find New Hires Fast (And Keep Them There)

When it comes to hiring new employees, you need to be agile and adaptive. A slow hiring process can hurt your clinic in more ways than you might think. It’s not just about being short-staffed in the interim when you’re still trying to find new employees: you need to think about your current employees, too. 

Extended job vacancies can increase the workload of your other employees as they struggle to cover an empty position. If your hiring process has too many redundant steps — such as extra interviews that do little to narrow down your hiring options or job requirements that exceed what is realistically necessary for the role — your existing employees may get tired of the increased workload while waiting for a new hire to come through. 

And, of course, you need to be careful to retain new hires once you bring them on board. That means you must provide adequate training, support, and an open line of communication so new hires can express their needs and concerns. By being attentive to your new hires without forgetting your existing employees, you can strike the perfect balance for retaining your people. 

Streamline Your Hiring Process

Sadly, you can only do so much to retain your employees. Sometimes good workers might leave your company for reasons outside of your control, such as moving to a different state or making a dramatic career change. In those cases, you need to quickly fill empty roles with quality employees who will stay for the long haul. One way to streamline your hiring process is by working with a quality staffing agency like MyTeam Medical Staffing. 

We help match your clinic with qualified workers whose goals align with your unique work environment. By focusing on the individual aspects that make your clinic unique, we can connect you with employees who will be a good fit in your workplace for years to come. For more information, reach out any time!

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