Recruiting and Retaining Quality Workforce, Essay Example

Abstract

Recruiting and retaining high performing personnel in the healthcare industry is cost effective and impacts the quality of care and reputation of the organization. Leadership attitudes and practices directly influence the successful workforce and organizational culture. Employees want more than just a job; a career and personal satisfaction are primary motivators. Recognizing problem areas and creating strategies for resolution will foster employee satisfaction and create thriving and high quality workforce.

Recruiting and Retaining a Quality Workforce

Employee recruiting and retention in the healthcare industry involves leadership and dedication to understanding the needs of the organization as well as the employee. Recruitment strategies include various methods to attract quality applicants. Recruitment strategies alone are not enough to create quality workforce. Once the high performing quality candidate is successfully recruited, the goal then shifts over to retention.

Employee turnover historically is an issue covering all industries. In the healthcare industry the problem can mean the difference in life and death. Nursing turnover plays a vital role in the success of a hospital or medical facility. Arkansas Children’s Hospital realized a 127 percent annual turnover and decided change was indicated and needed. Leadership began to investigate a retention plan strategy of job embeddedness. This strategy is a broad group of influences on employee retention involving the relationship between the employee and the organization as it relates to the employee and personal life (Chandra, 2010).

The theory of job embeddedness takes multiple factors into account which link the employee’s personal life with their professional life. The physical environment, community, financial needs, as well as social and other factors which ‘link’ the person to the position are involved. The idea is to find the right fit between the person and the job with compatibility between the job and the person. Job embeddedness therefore is more than just getting a job and receiving a paycheck, but rather viewing a job as a life component. The final dynamic in the theory is one of sacrifice. This looks at what the benefits are and what could be sacrificed by leaving the job.

Arkansas Children’s Hospital took this model and focused on the ‘fit’ of the organization by improving hiring methods, focusing on people skills, and using role-playing exercise (Chandra, 2010). The results show a reduction in turnover from 127 percent annual to 15 percent annually. Job embeddedness represents the potential and existing employees as a whole; job and life overflow into one another and recognizing this can benefit the person and the organization. Establishing and maintaining job embeddedness theories includes job descriptions tailored to the position, cross-training and career planning for long term goal achievement.

Leaders have the power and authority to create and initiate programs to support and education employees in a quest to create an exemplary workplace (Gilster & Dalessandro, 2008). Learning should be implemented and continued throughout the tenure of the employee. Leadership is critical in recognizing the need for continual learning and the effects on creating a successful workforce. Organizational assessment is the first step in identifying and attempting to solve problems. Main Line Health system in Pennsylvania faces the challenge of competition and leadership is continuing monitoring and looking for programs and incentives to attract and retain employees.

Main Line Health assessed their current practices and recognized the need for an open-shift management technology system to assist in nursing shift filling. A paper system was being employed which was labor intensive and presented a number of problems in adequate nursing staffing issues. They were also facing the challenge of talent versus position in filling the nursing shifts. The leaders and management formulated a strategy through technology to enhance the centralized nurse staffing office which operates 24/7 and facilitates open-shift staffing. Open-shift staffing provides an infrastructure to make a system centralized across the organization which motivates nursing staff to provide the coverage the system needs based on specialties and time frames (Valentine, Nash, Hughes, & Douglas, 2008).

Once implemented a lead nurse managed the system and provided education on the process. The results were impressive and increased Main Line Health’s ability to leverage the staff. The program over 18 months showed cost savings, with an increase in adequate staffing and employee satisfaction. The Main Line Health system plans to continue this practice and also explore other technology programs.

The Mayo Clinic recognizes the importance of technology in their organization; however, the importance of the human factor is also prevalent in how they conduct business. Three of the Mayo Clinic sites including Arizona, Minnesota and Florida train staff on the importance of exceptional service (Anonymous, 2004). Customer satisfaction is the goal for these sites and their recruitment practices focus on teamwork and not individuality. Nadia Williams (2009) also supports this concept of the human touch: face-to-face delivery methods provide a greater sense of belonging with buddy schemes and coaching methods.

This philosophy was created after the Mayo Clinic realized the need for a different approach. Instead of just taking care of patients, they decided to implement the concept of satisfied patients who will return for their healthcare as needed. The company policy is that staff must always be clean and immaculately presented without any corner-cutting (Anonymous, 2004).  Although different from traditional healthcare industry methods geared towards curing ailments, their ‘satisfied customer’ philosophy has proven successful in both recruiting and retaining quality workforce, and in high customer satisfaction.

Effective recruiting and retaining a quality workforce has many components and strategies to promote job satisfaction. The type and location of a healthcare facility will also impact the success of recruiting and retention strategies. Leadership plays a vital role in recognizing and implementing the appropriate approach. However, prevalent factors include honesty in recruiting and continual teaching and education for job expectations.

References

Anonymous. The personal touch: keeping loyalty in hand. Strategic Direction. Bradford: January 2004, 20(1), pp. 21-24. Retrieved February 23, 2010 from http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.fgcu.edu/pqdweb?index=4&sid=7&srchmode=1&vinst=PROD&fmt=3&startpage=-1&clientid=8631&vname=PQD&RQT=309&did=580941371&scaling=FULL&ts=1266945917&vtype=PQD&rqt=309&TS=1266945945&clientId=8631&cc=1&TS=1266945945

Chandra, Stroth. Job embeddedness as a nurse retention strategy for rural hospitals. Journal of Nursing Administration. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc. January 2010, 40(1), pp 32-35. Retrieved February 23, 2010 from http://ze7cm3rw7t.search.serialssolutions.com.ezproxy.fgcu.edu/directLink?&atitle=Job%20Embeddedness%20as%20a%20Nurse%20Retention%20Strategy%20for%20Rural%20Hospitals&author=Chandra%20Stroth&issn=00020443&title=Journal%20of%20Nursing%20Administration&volume=40&issue=1&date=20100101&spage=32&id=doi:&sid=ProQ_ss&genre=article&lang=en

Gilster, Susan, Dalessandro, Jennifer. Creating a successful workforce culture. Nursing Home. February 2008, 57, pp 22-27.  Retrieved February 23, 2010 from http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.fgcu.edu/pqdweb?index=7&sid=4&srchmode=1&vinst=PROD&fmt=3&startpage=-1&clientid=8631&vname=PQD&RQT=309&did=1477231041&scaling=FULL&ts=1266938681&vtype=PQD&rqt=309&TS=1266938889&clientId=8631&cc=1&TS=1266938889

Valentine, Nancy, Nash, Jan, Hughes, Douglas,& Douglas, Kathy. Achieving effective staffing through a shared decision-making approach to open-shift management. Journal of Nursing Administration. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc. July/August, 2008, 38 (7/8) pp. 331-335.  Retrieved February 23, 2010 from http://ze7cm3rw7t.search.serialssolutions.com.ezproxy.fgcu.edu/directLink?&atitle=Achieving%20Effective%20Staffing%20Through%20a%20Shared%20Decision%2DMaking%20Approach%20to%20Open%2DShift%20Management&author=Nancy%20M%20Valentine%3B%20Jan%20Nash%3B%20Douglas%20Hughes%3B%20Kathy%20Douglas&issn=00020443&title=Journal%20of%20Nursing%20Administration&volume=38&issue=7%2F8&date=20080701&spage=331&id=doi:&sid=ProQ_ss&genre=article&lang=en

Williams, Nadia. Effective staff inductions lead to broader benefits. Personnel Today. Sutton: April ;;7, 2009, pp 39. Retruieved February 23, 2010 from http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.fgcu.edu/pqdweb?index=2&sid=2&srchmode=1&vinst=PROD&fmt=3&startpage=-1&clientid=8631&vname=PQD&RQT=309&did=1690741081&scaling=FULL&ts=1266938265&vtype=PQD&rqt=309&TS=1266938546&clientId=8631&cc=1&TS=1266938546