By Betsy Johnson
In real estate you have either a Sellers or Buyers’ market. In the staffing world, we are experiencing an “employee’s” market. Currently it is difficult to recruit and retain staff and COVID has drastically shifted the workforce mindset over the past 2+ years. Healthcare specifically has seen a very large drop in both frontline workers and data and technology specialists as home life demands and work priorities and responsibilities have shifted.
For healthcare companies in today’s age, it is becoming critical to find and retain quality staff. It is of utmost importance that we encourage our youth to pursue careers that serve our communities as a nurse, physician, hospital tech, data management expert or working in different departments in our hospitals nationwide. We already have a shortage of staff and now more than ever the employee is looking for more than a certain salary or stability. There are endless options nationwide for people to relocate or change fields and work “behind the scenes” or try a new position. It is rare for people to stay in the same position for most of their career – with the internet and availability of jobs nationwide people have more choices than ever. Employees are searching for a value-based proposition, they want to feel part of the team and be heard – not just be an employee number.
Preparing a strong offer including a competitive salary, benefits including health and wellness, mental health, a flexible schedule, work from home days, if possible, as well as retention bonuses, and listening to your teams’ wants and needs will be more enticing in this market than just offering a higher salary. People are getting multiple offers and have the luxury of negotiating on their own behalf, as well as choosing the best hiring package that suits their life. As an employer, being aware of this will allow you to create compensation and benefits packages that are meaningful for the people you are trying to hire.
Another important aspect of the employee market landscape is that employers should focus on retaining their top talent and creating a working environment where people want to come to work and enjoy who they work with and what they do daily. Recognizing staff, offering mental health days, staying connected and encouraging leaders to check in with teams and ensure your employees are thriving is the best way to create a positive work environment and continue operating at the optimal level for your facility or company. Communication between leaders and staff is key, never underestimate the power of a thank you or great job as it goes a long way in creating a healthy work environment and employees feeling fulfilled and appreciated.
Creating healthy work environments with a strong benefit package, work from home benefits and/or a flexible schedule are the new normal in hiring and retaining the top talent in your field. At HIMpros we specialize in recruiting before a position becomes available, so you have a strong pipeline of candidates, and you have options of potential staff to hire. Recruiting and retention in this challenging environment is of utmost importance to maintain and hire for hospitals and healthcare specialties nationwide. Being open to negotiation and listening to potential new hire’s work/life balance requests are a requirement in finding and hiring the best person for the job and retaining them over time.
Flexibility, retention and resilience as well as speed to market for offers will facilitate the best results for employers and employees in an “employee’s” market. The bottom line is we are in a staffing crisis and finding ways to recruit and retain top talent in the healthcare space has never been more critical. Luckily this is our focus at HIMpros!
Betsy Johnson is the Founder and CEO of HIMpros. For more information, call (813) 798-2133, or visit www.thehimpros.com.
