Nursing homes in the US have a turnover rate of
53.3%
Dedicated and compassionate people fuel the healthcare industry. Facilities rely on these workers to provide essential services for their patients.
However, it’s a demanding industry with a high staff turnover. For example, nursing homes in the US have a turnover rate of 53.3%.
The whole industry grapples with recruitment and retention challenges, but focused strategies help you build a more prosperous and dedicated workforce. Your facility will flourish when you equip your healthcare HR team with the right processes and support them with technology.
What is HR in the healthcare industry?
Human capital management is critical to a successful healthcare system, and HR covers staff recruiting, hiring, and training, including the items to the right.
However, healthcare HR involves much more than these tasks.
Clinical and non-clinical staff are arguably the most important asset and requirement within the healthcare industry. Supplies and technology are also essential, but each individual clinic or facility and the industry as whole depends on the skills, motivation, knowledge, performance, and availability of its health workers.
Delivering quality patient outcomes requires guiding health workers toward high levels of each of these. That’s where HR comes in.
Human resource teams are the support system for health workers. HR works with organizational leaders to create policies that guide and benefit staff, patients, and the public. HR executes those policies from day to day, whether related to safety and security or records management, patient care, or intake.
The result is an efficient process and a positive workplace experience and culture, influencing daily operations, compliance, and patient outcomes.
In basic terms, HR covers staff recruiting, hiring, and training, including:
Technology in healthcare HR: 6 best practices for 2024
Registered nurses have more job opportunities than any other profession. By 2026, the occupation is expected to grow 9% faster than all other industries.
Yet staff shortages are a persistent issue, leading to a fiercely competitive job market. Hiring and retaining nurses, other health workers, and non-clinical staff requires an organizational culture that values and nurtures employees through training, growth, innovation, and connection.
6 Healthcare HR Best Practices
Streamline selective
hiring
Offer training and development
Boost employee engagement
Maintain your legal compliance
Leverage
automation
Go the
extra mile
1
Streamline selective hiring
The average healthcare facility spends $4,700 to hire a candidate, and it takes about eight months for a new hire to become productive in their new position. At the same time, competition for new healthcare staff has remained high over the last few years, with an average of 1.8 million job openings per year.
Finding and retaining employees in a strong labor market is challenging and may require more attractive benefits for employees to engage candidates, such as higher salaries, flexible scheduling, and comprehensive benefits.
Yet, making the wrong decision can be detrimental. A bad hiring decision is expensive and forces facilities to face losses in hiring and training fees and valuable HR time and resources, while also taking a hit to company culture and experience.
A consistent pool of quality job candidates is a more proactive approach and provides highly qualified talent with specific skill sets that actually meet your needs. Finding the right employee may lead to long-term relationships and cost savings over time.
Adopting selective hiring involves an analysis of your current vacancies and trends within your organization leading to openings. Then, consider new policies to address concerns or adopt programs to attract candidates, such as referrals or sign-on bonuses.
Finally, nail down your recruiting, hiring, and onboarding process. Leverage modern software that automates job postings and engagement and tracks candidates through to onboarding.
Some of the recruitment features to look for include:
- Automatic postings to multiple job boards
- Support for different languages
- Insights on referrals, trends, and referral channels
- Background checks
- Candidate tracking
- Automated follow-ups and communication
76% of candidates said a positive experience influenced their decision-making process. If you are serious about attracting talent, technology will help you find the right people and keep them in the loop.
2
Offer training and development
More than 50% of healthcare workers say they would like to upskill. Providing education opportunities benefits both your healthcare organization and employees.
Training programs mean a more experienced team, leading to smoother operations, fewer mistakes, and better patient care. Staff can perform a wider range of tasks and develop soft skills, such as communication, empathy, and problem-solving, that improve patient and professional interactions.
Other forms of training provide practical skills that improve critical thinking, medical knowledge, and quick responses. You might include simulations, case-based learning, or mentoring where staff can shadow colleagues and learn how to handle various scenarios.
Some training will be recurring to support compliance. For example, a HIPAA refresher course and first aid training may be available once a year. Or you might offer sessions on CMS compliance or recognizing unethical practices, such as fraud, abuse, or waste.
Software is an invaluable tool for training and development. With the right software, you can create custom learning and development systems and track progress through each course. Assign training to individual employees, collect digital signatures and acknowledgement, and receive alerts when renewals are due.
3
Boost employee engagement
Engaged healthcare workers are more likely to stay in their jobs. Roughly 72% of nurses with high workplace engagement say they are unlikely to quit in the next year.
But what exactly does an engaged employee look like? Studies found that engaged healthcare workers show dedication, energy or enthusiasm, and flow in the workplace.
Several factors influence work engagement, including:
- Social support
- Recognition
- Collaboration
- Professional resources
- Personal resources
The more positive these factors are, the higher the work engagement, and the better the work performance and patient outcomes. Building a positive culture is critical to improving engagement and can be as simple as increasing leader visibility, improving two-way communication, and recognizing staff excellence.
4
Maintain your legal compliance
Healthcare HR teams face unique industry challenges with substantial reporting, records, safety, and security burdens. Documentation and data management are key to these processes within the HR department.
At the basic level, HR teams must confirm that policies and contracts abide by local, state, and federal labor laws and union agreements. On top of that, compliance with staffing ratios, PBJ reporting, HIPAA obligations, licensing requirements, and personnel records are also essential.
For example, EEOC Regulations state that personnel files need to be kept for at least one year, and payroll records need to be kept for at least three years.
Finding ways to streamline compliance is critical, and the easiest route is via software.
Employers need to withhold payroll taxes and deductions from employee wages and file tax reports on time. If you have over 50 employees, healthcare coverage reporting is required under the Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA).
Plus, there are PBJ reporting obligations. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires staffing data every quarter, including census data and turnover rates.
Noncompliance with any of these regulations can lead to steep penalties, costly fines, and even legal action. Finding ways to streamline compliance is critical, and the easiest route is via software.
Monitor training commitments to ensure refresher courses are up to date, automatically deduct accurate payroll taxes, auto-track HPPD and submit PBJ reports with one click, and more. Customizable software helps you meet legal obligations on time without the risk of a financial penalty.
5
Leverage automation
Repetitive administrative tasks are the bane of every worker’s existence. While necessary, constant admin tasks like document collection and training reminders put pressure on your HR department and take time away from more valuable employee-facing tasks.
Automating tasks, from onboarding to time management and scheduling, improves workflows and frees staff to engage their roles in more meaningful ways. In fact, 46% of organizations that use data AI tools like automation see benefits in time savings.
In addition, automation reduces user errors, further driving operational and financial efficiencies. The right technology can process payroll, collect signatures, generate reports, and more.
6
Go the extra mile
A positive work culture is one that brings beneficial change to an organization. It often starts with good leadership practices that bridge gaps, align teams, and set the work tone, such as communication and collaboration.
However, there are other ways to attract and retain candidates, including:
- A suite of employee benefits, including health insurance assistance programs
- Attractive compensation
- Opportunities for advancement, including leadership programs and promotions
- Work-life balance with flexible work options and mental health programs
Manage perks and compensation with HCM software. Empeon, for example, will improve your employee experience with a scalable benefits package and on-time wage payments.
Technology is the ultimate partner for your HR team
Employee management can be complex, and in the healthcare industry, there are a range of pain points to consider. Healthcare leaders must understand the industry’s competitive nature and go the extra mile to retain staff. To make this happen, equip your healthcare HR professionals with Empeon.
Improve your recruitment processes, boost employee engagement, offer staff training, and maintain compliance with a buildable solution. Chat with one of our experts, and book your free demo with Empeon today.
