Top Workforce Trends Impacting the Healthcare Industry in 2020

Top Workforce Trends Impacting the Healthcare Industry in 2020

TABLE OFCONTENTS

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

THE POWER OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN HEALTHCARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Why Engagement Matters What Does an Engaged Healthcare Employee Look Like?

HEALTHCARE’S TOP WORKFORCE CHALLENGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Fast-Growing Demand A Lack of Skilled Employees Widespread Employee Burnout Employee Turnover and Workforce Mobility Mass Retirements Workplace Transparency New Technology and A.I.

WORKPLACE TRENDS SWEEPING THEHEALTHCARE INDUSTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Companies are Investing in their Employer Value Proposition (EVP) Employee Recognition Giving Employees a Voice Learning and Development Companies are Investing in Healthcare Tech Innovation Empowering and Connecting the Workforce Improving Productivity in Patient Care Tech to Recruit and Retain Top Talent

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

INTRODUCTION

Like most businesses, the healthcare industry is dealing with a surge of organizational change due to technological innovation and a generational shift in the workforce.

But healthcare organizations need to navigate one other challenge that’s unique to its industry: a staggering talent deficit. With this comes a heightened sense of competition among healthcare businesses to recruit the best talent and to encourage them to stick around. As a result, employee engagement is becoming top-of-mind for healthcare organizations across the board.

This white paper will identify the unique workforce challenges healthcare companies are facing and reveal how leading organizations plan on tackling them.

Find out:

• Current trends and innovations that are helping companies evolve their people management strategies

• Which workplace technologies effectively increase efficiency and attract talent

• Where companies are investing in their employee engagement and recognition programs

• How to bolster EVP, align employees with company values, and elevate your employer brand

TOP WORKFORCE TRENDS IMPACTING THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY IN 2020 3

THE POWER OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN HEALTHCARE

Why Engagement Matters

It’s been proven time and time again that when organizations make it a priority to ensure their workforce feels empowered and supported in their roles, employees will give back by working harder and better.

The challenge is, everyone’s different. It’s tempting to believe there’s one blanket engagement strategy that works for everyone, but the struggles and triumphs your employees experience in hospitals or other healthcare facilities are very different from those experienced by retail workers or those in finance. And the effects of disengagement in healthcare have unique consequences and causes.

The top variable correlating to patient mortality in hospitals is the engagement level of nurses — topping even the ratio of the number of nurses to total patient days.1 While employee engagement is a vital business strategy for all companies competing in a tight talent market, the consequences of employee disengagement in healthcare can be dire. Healthcare professionals interact with customers, often face-to-face, on a daily basis. The healthcare workforce endures incredible physical and emotional strain, which is unique to the nature of the services it provides. Disengaged healthcare professionals have a direct and real-time effect on patient care — one that can mean life or death.

For companies in the healthcare industry in particular, engaged employees have a direct impact on your organizational performance and financial health.

Several studies show that engaged healthcare employees have a direct correlation to:


Higher-quality patient care2

Lower rates of patient mortality3

Safer workplaces for patients and employees4

21% higher productivity5

Higher net revenue for hospitals from every patient6

Higher HCAHPS ratings7

What Does an Engaged Healthcare Employee Look Like?

An engaged healthcare employee feels an emotional commitment to the company they work for and its goals. Engaged employees in the healthcare industry are more proactive, enthusiastic, caring and go the extra mile for patients, the team and the organization overall. You can see this embodied in the following actions:

• Listening to patients and answering questions regarding medications and discharge orders, unrushed

• Taking a final round to check patients before their shift is over

• Making eye contact with patients and making visitors feel welcome8

• Escorting patients to their destination or helping family members find their loved ones

• Remembering to wash their hands frequently

• Ensuring food is hot when delivered to patients

• Caring to avoid making mistakes when administering medications9

While healthcare organizations can’t change the stressful nature of the job, they can help employees feel engaged and better able to cope with the stresses that come with such a demanding role. Enabling healthcare staff to show their appreciation for one another, and feel recognized themselves, is a key factor in fostering healthy workplace environments.

An Advisory Board study found that every 1% increase in hospital employee engagement, HCAHPS ratings increased .33% and patients’ willingness to recommend increased by .25%.10

It’s important to note that healthcare employees aren’t limited to medical professionals. They include staff working at the hospital cafeterias and workers responsible for maintenance and administrative tasks for medical staff. In fact, administrative jobs – like receptionists and office clerks – account for most of the growing need for healthcare employment (not physicians).11 Showing all employees they are appreciated is fundamental to increasing overall engagement and empowering employees to tackle tough challenges that ultimately mean better business. An Advisory Board study found that every 1% increase in hospital employee engagement, HCAHPS ratings increased .33% and patients’ willingness to recommend increased by .25%.12

The good news is that investing in employee engagement is a direct way to improve your business results. The bad news is, healthcare is currently facing some critical challenges that make engaging employees difficult — but they also make engagement all the more imperative.


1. Fast-Growing Demand

A large portion of the American population is growing older and living longer.

By 2060, nearly a quarter of the population (98M people) will be aged 65 or older.13 Baby boomers are continuing to retire and will gradually require more healthcare support. Chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, bronchitis, stroke, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease will grow more prevalent.

In 2017, the number of healthcare workers surpassed those of both manufacturing and retail.14 The Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates that to address this increased need, healthcare jobs will need to grow 18% or by 2.4 million between 2018 and 2026.15

In addition to recruiting new employees, healthcare organizations are under stronger pressure to retain existing employees. The pressure is especially hard on hospitals, as one study shows that more than 1.1 million new jobs are expected for home health care aides between 2016 to 2026.17 This means the competition for talent expands even more outside of the hospital walls.

“The entire healthcare sector is projected to account for a third of all new employment.” 16

- DEREK THOMPSON THE ATLANTIC

HEALTHCARE’S TOP WORKFORCE CHALLENGES

So what are the biggest obstacles facing healthcare organizations? Here are the seven most urgent workforce challenges in 2020.


2. A Lack of Skilled Employees

Through May 2019, the U.S. unemployment rate has hovered around 3.6% and continues to shrink.18 While this is fantastic for job seekers, it places a heavy strain on companies looking for talent since there are fewer candidates available for job openings.

For the healthcare industry, this problem is exacerbated. Healthcare has the highest percentage of job openings, and those openings are the toughest to fill. CareerCast, a job search portal that examined data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, published a list of jobs that are hardest to fill in 2019. Of the top eight jobs, six were in healthcare.19

In 2017, Good Samaritan Hospital in Nebraska shut down its Transitional Care unit because they couldn’t fill open nursing positions.21 Mayo Regional Hospital in Maine closed its clinic in 2019 because of a physician shortage.22 This lack of available professionals is only expected to get worse.

Research cites that growing STEM opportunities are steering students away from medical school or recruiting them upon graduation. Another theory is that new physicians, particularly millennials, are reluctant to start residencies outside of urban hubs. Meanwhile seasoned physicians – burned out and fed up with bureaucracy – are leaving the field early.23

Finally, in most industries new employees can be trained internally if they are lacking specific skills. This means recruiting is a little more flexible to those without extensive experience. For healthcare positions, that’s not possible; healthcare workers must come to a job already trained in the major skills.

Application Software Developer

Construction

Medical services manager

Medical technologist

Nursing assistant

Personal care aide

Registered nurse

TOUGHEST JOBS TO FILL AND PERCENT PROJECTED GROWTH 20

“I began to feel like an easily replaceable cog in the healthcare machine.” 24 - DR. AMY BAXTER

13%

12%

20%

14%

11%

39%

15%

Home health aide47%


3. Widespread Employee Burnout

With so many unfilled positions, existing healthcare employees must work harder or longer in jobs that are already physically and psychologically demanding. Many healthcare employees work long shifts on their feet. They must adjust to spikes and drops in adrenaline that naturally occur during a trauma. Add to that the psychological pressure of being responsible for life-saving actions, and interacting with staff as well as with emotional and vulnerable patients and family members.

Among physicians, burnout is described as a loss of enthusiasm for work, decreased satisfaction, increased exhaustion, cynicism and detachment.25 Burnout can result in high rates of depression, substance abuse and suicide.

A 2019 Medscape report found that 44% of physicians are burned out. The survey of 15,000 physicians within 29 specialties also found that 11% of respondents were colloquially depressed and 4% said they were clinically depressed. The top reported factors for burnout were bureaucratic tasks (59%) and long work hours (34%). In last year’s report, 42% of physicians reported being burned out, 12% were colloquially depressed and 3% were clinically depressed.26

Top 10 specialties experiencing burnout in 2018 and 2019 are:27

Burnout, or chronic stress, is not limited to physicians. One report showed that 41.5% of nurse care managers, 32% of licensed practical nurses and 35.7% of administrative clerks experienced burnout.28 Another report indicated that one third of nurses are burned out.29 When so many employees across a hospital are burned out, you have an organization with employees who are primed to leave or who may stay but “quit in place.”

SPECIALTY BURNOUT RATE 2018

Critical Care 48%

Neurology 48%

Family Medicine 47%

OB/Gyn 46%

Internal Medicine 46%

Emergency Medicine 45%

Radiology 45%

Physical Medicine & Rehab 44%

Urology 44%

Allergy & Immunology 44%

SPECIALTY BURNOUT RATE 2019

Urology 54%

Neurology 53%

Physical Medicine & Rehab 52%

Internal Medicine 49%

Emergency Medicine 48%

Family Medicine 48%

Diabetes & Endocrinology 47%

Infectious Diseases 46%

Surgery, General 46%

Gastroenterology 45%

Medscape National Physician Burnout, Depression & Suicide Report 2019


4. Employee Turnover and Workforce Mobility

In 2017, the average hospital turnover rate was 18.2%30 — the highest recorded turnover in healthcare in almost ten years. According to one study, certified nursing assistants, patient care techs and registered nurses were the most likely to turn over.31

Younger physicians (45 and younger), particularly those in rural areas, are leaving hospitals at nearly twice the rate of older physicians.32 Nearly one quarter (23.8%) of all new healthcare hires left within a year and more than half (53.3%) left within two years.

Unfortunately, since 2014 the average hospital has turned over 87.8% of its workforce.33 And replacing an employee who has left the company is more complicated than just filling the job. There is a financial cost, which can add up to 33% of the employee’s salary34 — and that’s at the low end. When you consider subsequent delays in innovation and productivity, the cost of turnover is even higher.

Josh Bersin of Deloitte said that many studies put the upper end of that cost much higher — 1.5 to 2 times the employee’s salary, and that includes cost of hiring a new employee, onboarding and training, lost productivity and lost engagement.35 Add to that intangibles of the cultural impact and the loss of the institutional knowledge the former employee gained and then took when they left, and it’s easy to see the significant burden turnover has on an organization.

Employers are now more willing to overlook multiple short-term jobs for a strong candidate. The stigma of job hopping has diminished, even within the healthcare industry. One report found that 45% of employees who had been on the job less than a year applied for a new job after a bad day at work.36 With low levels of unemployment and the skills gap, the employee, particularly in healthcare, is likely to find opportunities.

“Unlike other industries that struggle with recruitment and retention, the talent shortage in healthcare isn’t just an HR problem: it’s a public health and safety issue.” 37

The median tenure of hospital employees has decreased from 6 years in 2012 to 4.9 years in 2018, a decrease of 18.3%.39

Today, it’s as easy to shop around for a new job as it is for new socks. The decision to pursue new employment can be made on a whim—after a trying day at work, after a negative encounter with a coworker, or after a bad performance review.

Dissatisfied healthcare professionals may leave organizations, but even newly hired employees may not have a long tenure. “Ghosting”38 – the practice of ending a relationship suddenly and with little communication – has now officially entered the professional arena. Candidates who have interviewed for a job, accepted a job or even started a job may suddenly disappear without a word, leaving the organization to restart the recruiting process.


5. Mass Retirements

In addition to employee turnover, the healthcare industry is facing a looming shortage of experienced professionals as baby boomers retire. Approximately 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day.40 According to the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), by 2020 nearly half of the current registered nurses will reach retirement age.41

The same dynamic affects physicians, where one-third of all currently active doctors will be older than 65 in ten years.42 Not only will hospitals lose employees but they will lose a vast amount of institutional knowledge.

6. Workplace Transparency

Not too long ago, companies benefited from universal discretion when it came to employee salaries, hiring processes, employee benefits, employee experience, and quality of leadership.

Today, companies like Glassdoor have placed the power back into the hands of workers. These anonymous job review sites provide employees a megaphone to share every – granted, subjective – detail of their experience working at a company. Prospective employees make employment decisions based on company reviews and ratings — sometimes never making direct contact with the company.

One survey revealed at least 50% of candidates look at workplace reviews from sites like Glassdoor before making a career decision.45 HR and recruiting teams today invest time and money in ensuring their company pages are attractive. They also respond to employee and/or ex-employees comments — especially negative ones to mitigate damages to the employer brand.

“Technology has changed the entire recruitment and job search process — for better or worse. For recruiters and hiring managers, it’s easier than ever to find candidates to suit niche skills or even sway candidates who might not be actively job searching. Job seekers can even reach out directly to employers, create online profiles to attract recruiters and apply for jobs with the click of a button.” 44

- SARA K. WHITE CIO MAGAZINE

“ Since 2014, the average hospital has turned over 87.8% of its workforce.” 43

- NURSING SOLUTIONS INC 2019 NATIONAL HEALTH CARE RETENTION

& RN STAFFING REPORT


7. New Technology and A.I.

Companies across industries are being disrupted by a surge of technological advances. For healthcare organizations in particular, the overhaul of old systems with new ones is particularly crucial and challenging.

As hospitals compete for patients and employees, they turn to technology to make processes more efficient. From using technology to schedule nurses and maintain electronic health records (EHR) to performing robotic surgery, organizations are feeling the urgent need to keep up with new technologies that enable healthcare professionals to do their jobs better.

But there are two major challenges. One: it’s unrealistic to expect healthcare organizations to continually update the tech stack as innovations hit the market. However, falling behind on one’s tech stack – from implementing tablet and smartphone technologies on the floor to incorporating augmented reality in physician training – has dire implications for a business’s ability to deliver the best patient care and employee experience. Finding the balance is a challenge for every healthcare organization.

The second major challenge is implementation. Incorporating technologies like 3-D printing, EHRs, and remote patient monitoring doesn’t happen overnight; businesses must make sure their health information technology (Health IT) is well integrated with existing systems, and train users to understand how to operate the technology correctly, efficiently, and safely. This is a complex process that – done well – will boost productivity and patient care within the organization.46

Companies have the opportunity to invest in the right technologies and tools to adapt to a changing work norm. Next, we’ll explore what trends are emerging from efforts to overcome these challenges by some of the leading healthcare institutions.


WORKPLACE TRENDS SWEEPING THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY

Companies are Investing in their Employer Value Proposition (EVP)

An Employer Value Proposition (EVP) is a reflection of what value candidates and employees think they will gain from working in an organization. In order to stay competitive in a tight talent market, healthcare organizations are allocating more resources to developing and communicating a strong EVP to current and prospective employees.

According to Gartner,47 EVP includes:

1. Opportunity: career development and advancement opportunity, organization growth rate

2. People: manager, coworker and leadership quality, leadership reputation

3. Organization: market position, social responsibility, product and service quality

4. Work: aligning employee interests with their role, work/life balance

5. Rewards: compensation, health and retirement benefits and time off.

According to SHRM, 84% of the top 100 most attractive companies in the world have a defined EVP.48 Improving an EVP is not just about defining what the organization is and promoting its employer brand to future hires; it is also about thinking about current employees. To maintain high EVP, employers must actively engage their workforce.

Here are three ways companies are beefing up their EVP.

1. Employee Recognition

Peer-to-peer recognition is a powerful lever for improving employee engagement across an organization.49 It is also invaluable for training employees on specific behaviors — like living company values or achieving milestones — that can greatly boost the success of your organization. For companies making it onto the “top places to work in healthcare” lists, a commitment to employee recognition and engagement is a common denominator.50

Unfortunately, 77% of healthcare professionals don’t feel valued for their contributions.51 In 2017, 66% of employees said they would quit a job where they didn’t feel appreciated, and in 2012 that percentage was 51%.52 Considering retention is a growing challenge for healthcare organizations across the board, it’s time employers invested in employee recognition technologies.

For a recognition program to be effective, it should follow these guidelines:

• Recognition should be given frequently

• Recognition should not exclusively be top-down, but should be multi-directional

• Recognitions should be tied to organizational values

• Recognition culture must be championed by senior leadership

Employees want to feel their work matters; having purpose and being recognized for helping their company achieve its mission is a huge driver of productivity, morale, and overall job satisfaction. Employee recognition is one of the most effective ways to give employees purpose and also tie that purpose back to organizational values.53

64%

20%

HR & engagement leaders who believe always-on feedbackis essential to an engagement program

Companies that have this type of tool in place.60

77%

Healthcareprofessionals whosay they don’t feel

valued at work.51


LEVERAGING RECOGNITION BEYOND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

1. Encourage Employees Referrals

Employee referrals are one of the most effective ways to hire smart and well. Employee referrals mean less time to hire, less cost, improved quality of hire and, interestingly, reduced turnover and improved engagement for both the candidate and the employee.54

Employee recognition programs are a perfect way to incentivize and recognize employees for bringing you the best talent out there. Given the unique challenges around recruiting and retaining healthcare workers today, it’s worth noting that referral hires have higher job satisfaction and stay 70% longer at their jobs compared to non-referral hires.55 For 51% of recruiters, referrals are a less expensive way for recruiting.56

Launching a referral program as part of your overall recognition strategy streamlines the referral process and creates a consistent experience for employees. Referral bonuses can be integrated with recognition by setting up tiers of recognition points that are distributed depending on how long the referral hire has remained at the company or the level of the employee being referred. This approach can significantly reduce the cost-per-hire and ensure strong hires for the long-term.

2. Promoting Compliance Training

There are continuously changing laws and regulations in healthcare – including tax reform, pricing transparency to suppliers and other regulations – that require time and resources to stay on top of. Medical professionals must take time to take compliance tests, and HR must find ways to oversee this. A mistake in compliance could compromise the credibility of the hospital and cause the organization to be fined.

Leveraging employee recognition to drive compliance training is a great way to engage employees, align them with your organization’s values, and ensure the credibility of your company isn’t compromised. Recognizing employees for being compliant helps establish a culture of integrity, where employees are encouraged to do the right thing; Gallup research showed that business units with high employee engagement have 28% less internal theft or shrinkage than their bottom-quartile counterparts.59 Engaged workplaces also make for safer environments for patients and employees.

“Employee referral programs are known to have the highest ROI of all recruitment methods.” 57

“How should rewards be integrated into the compliance and ethics program?...[It] helps remind employees that compliance and ethics is valued, and that it is a part of everything that matters in the company.” 58

- JOSEPH E. MURPHY JD, CCEP, COMPLIANCE STRATEGIST


2. Giving Employees a Voice

Understanding what your employees value out of work and the organization’s vision is a huge advantage for building strong EVP. In an increasingly competitive talent market, healthcare employers must build cultures of strong employee feedback that educate them on what their employees need to be successful in their roles. Otherwise, there’s no stopping workers from shopping for new opportunities.

Getting feedback isn’t a new concept for healthcare organizations. Patient satisfaction surveys are sent out regularly, if not daily. Now, a similar cadence for getting frequent employee feedback is becoming common place. So what are the benefits of continuous employee listening?

• It takes a frequent pulse of the workforce

• Fluctuations in employee attitudes are better captured

• Realtime listening allows issues to be addressed quickly

• Addressing employee concerns increases employee satisfaction and greater patient satisfaction.

Most healthcare workers operate under highly stressful situations and – as we covered earlier – are very prone to employee burnout. Taking a regular pulse of employee sentiments, engagement, and mental wellness is key to ensuring the team as a whole feels empowered to do their best work every day.

When evaluating engagement technologies to support this, it’s best to find a solution that not only enables manager to understand employee sentiment frequently, but also equips the manager with tools to take action on the feedback. Feedback doesn’t just benefit employees or the employee-manager relationship. It empowers employees to share their ideas with organizational leaders directly — including how to improve EVP or operational efficiency.

CASE STUDY:

Healthcare organizations might gain insights from John Deere, an agricultural equipment manufacturer. Deere began measuring employee morale every two weeks, typically asking team members how they felt about the value of their contribution on an on-going project. Deere managers call this question the motivation or happiness metric. One manager noticed that a star employee’s self-rating decreased two periods in a row, although the employee’s performance had not changed. The manager asked the employee about it and found the employee was concerned about career development. The manager was able to address these issues and resolve them. Because performance had not yet been affected, the feedback tool was the only way to recognize the employee’s growing dissatisfaction at an early point.61

64%

20%

HR & engagement leaders who believe always-on feedbackis essential to an engagement program

Companies that have this type of tool in place.60

77%

Healthcareprofessionals whosay they don’t feel

valued at work.51


3. Learning and Development

Millennials – now officially the largest working generation – highly value development. Forty-two percent of millennials say learning and development is the most important benefit when deciding where to work, yet 58% say their current companies aren’t providing it.62 Furthermore, 86% of millennials say that training and development would keep them from leaving their job.63

Millennials aren’t the only ones who value continued learning. Employees across generations say that they would leave a job that didn’t provide training.64 Employees recognize their skills can become obsolete quickly, and they want to prepare for it—with the help of their employer.65

In healthcare, continuous learning is all the more important as new regulations and new treatment options are constantly developing. Medical professionals need to continue learning to stay certified in technical skills and to develop managerial skills. By building training into the budget, incorporating career development and continuous learning as part of performance reviews and exploring learning options, such as microlearning,66 employers can assist healthcare employees in progressing in their careers.

When an organization provides learning and development opportunities for an employee, it demonstrates caring and a long-term view of the employee’s value. This goes a long way in building employee engagement and loyalty.


Companies are Investing in Healthcare Tech Innovation

For healthcare employees to succeed in their roles, they need to do their jobs quickly, efficiently and accurately. This greatly depends on having access to the latest technologies. This not only touches patient experience; investing in the right employee engagement technology connects the workforce and aligns workers to the vision and goals of the organization.

There are three key areas in tech that healthcare companies are investing in.

1. Empowering and Connecting the Workforce

Boosting In-Hospital Connection: Wireless technology enables several moving parts of working hospitals, from patient monitoring to nurse/doctor communication to EHRs to sync for accurate and real-time data. This is especially critical for short-staffed work environments and ensures patient safety. Workflow automation through these devices allows for fewer transcription errors, less administrative tasks, and real-time data analysis.

Enable Manager / Employee Feedback: Implementing reliable digital communication channels between employees and managers allows for frequent rounds of feedback that not only make workflows more efficient, but also creates an improved experience for employees and patients. Negative employee relationships with their managers is one of the top reasons workers leave their jobs, and often these misunderstandings can be mitigated through regular, efficient check-ins.

Support Employee Recognition: Employee recognition is a key element of building a positive and healthy work environment for employees. Healthcare specialists, operating under high-stress and always on-the-go, are very prone to feeling like their contribution to a business aren’t recognized. Employee recognition technology helps build positive work culture, boosts teamwork, and promotes transparent communication.

2. Improving Productivity in Patient Care

Telehealth: Telehealth not only allows remote patient to get clinical services, but with a shortage of physicians, it allows healthcare specialists to serve more patients in a given time. In 2017, 71% of healthcare providers were already using telehealth or telemedicine tools to offer virtual treatment to patients.67 Incredibly, home monitoring of chronic diseases has reduced hospital visits by as much as 50%. Use of telehealth technology by Intensive Care Units has helped reduce mortality rates by 15 - 30%.68

Health IT & EHRs: By 2017, 96% of all non-federal acute care hospitals had acquired certified health IT.69 EHRs allow for improved communications between physicians, gives physicians access to a patients’ full medical history, and reduces data errors during transcription.70 Through improving information security, increasing efficiency in information transfers and analysis, healthcare organizations use Health IT to reduce costs and deliver better patient care.71

Augmented Reality (AR): A 2019 analysis by Research and Markets predicted that the AR and virtual reality (VR) market in healthcare will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 23.13% between 2019 and 2025.72 Physicians are able to leverage AR and VR technology to perform precise surgeries, see through skin to plan for complex procedures and create detailed 3D medical images, among other actions. Healthcare companies are already actively implementing this technology, and these forms of treatment and procedures will only grow more common.73

“Across industries, consumers have become accustomed to using virtual technology for both real-time and asynchronous interactions. Health care providers can no longer wait to catch up.” 74

- TOM CASSELS NATIONAL STRATEGY PARTNER AT ADVISORY BOARD


Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) & Robots: A.I. is already well-embedded in the everyday procedures of healthcare organizations – from helping healthcare professionals understand the regular habits of patients and arming physicians with better data to give medical advice. It allows for faster and more accurate diagnosis, early detection, and treatment.75 In fact, 54% of healthcare professionals believe there will be widespread adoption of A.I. by 2023.76

By implementing technology tools, finding and updating patient records becomes more secure. Creating employee schedules takes less time. Other administrative tasks – like screening drug candidates, streamlining finance processes and adverse event reporting – can be done faster to save time and money.

3. Tech to Recruit and Retain Top Talent

Up-to-Date Tech Stack: Healthcare organizations armed with the latest technologies not only benefit from operational efficiency and security. They empower employees to be more productive and – above all else – set employees up for success in their roles. Stressed employees that feel ill-equipped to provide top-quality care are the ones most likely to taking calls with outside recruiters.

Employee Recognition: Healthcare employers are abandoning inefficient, manual legacy recognition programs for streamlined, digital recognition platforms. The truth is, many companies offer recognition programs; whether they are used is another story. In a 2018 Achievers’ report, 36% of North American employees noted “lack of recognition” as the number one reason they consider switching jobs.77 Recognition platforms offer greater transparency, increased employee adoption, and offer employees a consistent experience. Superior platforms enable frequent recognition, are aligned with company values, and have mobile capabilities for employees on-the-go.

Employee Listening Technology: Healthcare institutions are implementing technologies that allow teams to communicate openly and clearly with their managers. When employers empower employees to have open and fluid communication, it not only impacts patient safety, but also improves employee job satisfaction. Organizations have noted a reduction in nurse turnover when responsibilities and tasks are communicated clearly because it creates an environment of mutual support and greater feedback between employees and managers..78

Strong Corporate Values & EVP: Employer efforts to create strong EVP means they not only need to build on meaningful corporate values but also make sure those values stick. Healthcare companies are investing in recognition technologies that reinforce organizational values and encourage employees to feel their successes through their company’s values.79 The fact is, “76% of millennials consider a company’s social and environmental commitments before deciding where to work,”80 Without offering employees a vision to get behind, healthcare organizations are passing by a golden opportunity to boost retention and engagement.


WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?

Changes in the workforce are inevitable. And for organizations across the board, those changes are only going to become more dynamic.

While the prospect of constant change can be daunting, there is good news. These are exciting times—opportunities for forward-thinking organizations to advance their culture and gain competitive advantage. The evidence repeatedly shows that an engaged workforce is vital to overcoming these obstacles. They stay with their organizations longer, perform better, have higher levels of patient engagement, and higher levels of safety and compliance.

Now more than ever, it’s important for healthcare organizations to create environments where employees feel valued, appreciated and supported. Soliciting regular feedback from employees (and acting on it), supporting career development, investing in up-to-date technology, and recognizing employees frequently are proven ways to get there. Soon, the benefits of that engagement will be felt throughout your organization and those it serves.


Achievers Employee Success Platform delivers proven tools for organizations to empower every employee as an owner of organizational culture and engagement. Built on over a decade of engagement

science leadership, hundreds of global customers rely on Achievers’ dynamic employee recognition, coaching, and continuous listening tools for their people to feel valued and heard, to align on

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1. Blizzard, Nick. “Nurse Engagement Key to Reducing Medical Errors.” Gallup, 2005, https://news.gallup.com/poll/20629/nurse-engagement-key-reducing-medical-errors.aspx

2. Employee Engagement Determines the Quality of Patient Care. Healthcare Compliance Solutions, Inc., 2015, http://hcsiinc.blogspot.com/2015/11/employee-engagement-determines-quality.html

3. Blizzard, Nick. “Nurse Engagement Key to Reducing Medical Errors.” Gallup, 2005, https://news.gallup.com/poll/20629/nurse-engagement-key-reducing-medical-errors.aspx

4. Rigoni, Brandon and Bailey Nelson. “Engaged Workplaces Are Safer for Employees.” Gallup, 2016, https://news.gallup.com/businessjournal/191831/engaged-workplaces-safer-employees.aspx

5. Questback. “How continuous listening eclipses employee engagement surveys.” Personnel Today, 2018, https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/how-continuous-listening-wins-over-employee-engagement-surveys/

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Top Workforce Trends Impacting the Healthcare Industry in 2020

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