Wellstar Health System

Jandria Jackson

With overall employee turnover rates reaching 6.4 percent over the past year, healthcare organizations and leaders have become strategically tactful to attract and retain talent. As we continue to navigate the post-covid era, it is important for healthcare entities to extend far beyond posting an appealing job requisition and hoping for candidates in order to increase recruitment and retention. As a Healthcare Operational Leader, that has witnessed the fluctuations and trends within healthcare, I have adopted diverse approaches related to recruitment, relationships, reciprocity, rewards, and retention within the workplace. When I encounter new team members and continue to support current ones, I recall successful actions that have manifested into professional productive relationships.

● Recruitment

- I highly recommend establishing routine communication with your recruiter. Discuss the responsibilities and expectations of the role. This will provide the recruiter with adequate and vital information to identify proper candidates. Actively utilize resources such as LinkedIn, Indeed, professional society networking postings, and other sources to share the job posting. Also, once a candidate has been identified and the interview process begins, remember that the candidate is also interviewing the organization to determine if the role is feasible for them. Therefore, feel free to showcase the positive culture of the workplace, while simultaneously candidly sharing the expectations of the role. This action will provide both the leader and candidate with insightful information.

● Relationships

- The secret sauce to great leadership, in my opinion, resides in the ability to secure great relationships. Once the employee has been recruited, it is important to establish a positive professional relationship. Within the working setting, the professional relationship between the leader and team member fosters mutual respect and trust. Routine rounding and one-on-ones with the team members can improve communication and streamline support to further contribute to building the professional relationship. Building upon this element manifests in a variety of ways, such as enhanced patient care, increased productivity, and amplified job satisfaction.

● Reciprocity

- On the continuously developing journey toward navigating a healthy professional relationship, the aspect of reciprocity will be encountered on multiple occasions. Reciprocity is essentially mutual dependence. This view allows for both the leader and team member to maintain the perspectives of their roles. For example, the healthcare leader hires the team member to perform a specified duty. Comparably, the leader has been established to support the team member in successfully completing their role through proper training, equipment, communication, and other resources.

● Rewards

- Rewards tend to be an aspect that can be lost in the ever-changing daily flow of healthcare operations. Although, I would like to stress that it is important for leaders to acknowledge, celebrate, and reward team members for “wins,” whether they are small or large-scale. It does not always have to be in the form of a significant raise or promotion. It can be shared in the form of praise, shout-outs, team lunches, or written recognitions. Furthermore, it can be as simple as, “thank you for all you do.” Providing rewards and recognition can go a long way and increases the value that the team member feels that they can provide to the organization.

● Retention

- The constructive development effective recruitment, professional relationships, reciprocity, and rewards between the leader and team members strengthen retention within the organization. Retention stimulates the healthcare organization’s capability and viability to provide effective, safe, and accurate patient care. Furthermore, it exhilarates the strides and commitments to organizational values, goals, and mission.

Comprehensively, each of these elements grant Healthcare Leaders with the resources needed to support and sustain operations in order to provide excellent patient care. Therefore, it is paramount for us, as healthcare leaders, to recognize these facets and continue to intentionally incorporate them into their work ethics. Implementing these components will create a fruitful culture that consists of high-yielding partnerships between healthcare leaders and great team members to increase recruitment and retention.