Shortage Of Employees And Staff Retention Management Essay

Shortage Of Employees And Staff Retention Management Essay Retention of nurses at healthcare organizations has been a problem for several years. With the aging population in the United States the nursing shortage will become more critical. The case at Grayson County Regional Health Center indicates a problem with employee retention. The group that is most affected are the nurses where retention rates have ranged from 15%-50 %( Fried and Fottler, 2010) over the last several years. The best ways to retain employees is to first screen and select the best qualified employees. This can be done through automated screening tools, peer interviews, and retention focused management. Three organizations will be compared in this article. The 30 nursing homes in New York and Connecticut, the Jupiter Medical Center in Jupiter Florida will be referred to as examples of how retention problems can be solved. The Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho is another organization that has successful solved recruitment issues and has created a culture where people stay due to good working conditions and benefits. Solutions to retain employees once they are hired will be discussed by creating a culture where people feel appreciated. Recommendations will be given to solve Grayson County Health Centers employee retention problems. Good job! Shortage of Employees and Grayson County Regional Health Center Grayson County Regional Health Center is a private non-for-profit 225 bed acute care hospital located in a rural community in a southeastern state. The hospital provides a range of inpatient and outpatient services. There is 24 hour emergency care offered. The hospital serves Grayson County and three other neighboring counties. The population of the county is 60,879 with 53% African Americans, 42% Caucasians and 5% Hispanics. (Fried, et al. 2010) The area suffers from economic hardships where many of the manufacturing jobs have relocated. The Employee turnover at the hospital is a 40%, and for nurses the turnover rate has ranged from 15-50% the last few years. (Fried, et al .2010) Medicare and Medicaid are heavily relied on for the income at the hospital. The hospital is not able to pay competitive market wages for the nurses and other professionals. The result is the hospital is under staffed and the quality of care is a concern. There are many things to consider to how this situation can improve. Can better communication between the staff and the management be implemented, to create an environment where employees feel valued? A retention specialist position or committee should be considered for retaining employees. Not retaining employees can cost an organization a lot of money. Do you have an estimate of how much it can cost? If more employees stayed with the organization money could be reallocated to pay staff a competitive wage. Another question to be answered is if anyone in the community can be retrained for th e jobs at the hospital, where unemployment is so high in this county. Retrained for jobs such as†¦? The costs of employee turnover can be radically changed by retaining more employees. One example given by Quint Studer (2006) if an organization with 3000 employees which have an average salary of $45,000 a year , a 1% reduction in turnover equals more than 1.3 million in a years time. One of the problems at Grayson County was the inability to pay employees competitive wages. Wages being one of the crucial ways to help retain employees it would be beneficial if the costs saved from employee turnover could create a way to pay the employees better. In the text by Fried et al. (2010 p.198) states that recruitment and selection are the key to retention, one important part in the selection process is to screen the job applicants to see if they fit with the organizational values and have the skills necessary for the work. Another consideration is it can be easier to teach skills than to change attitudes of employees. Determining which applicant fits the organization can be done by asking behavioral questions in the interview to gain insight to the skill sets the applicant possesses and their values. How do behavioral questions differ from personality tests? Having peers involved in the interview process can help with the selection process to find an applicant that fits best with the organization. The first 30-60 days are the most crucial to retaining an employee. The employee turnover can be 25% in the first 30-60 days ( Studer, 2006). Making sure to follow up with new hires to clarify expectations, recognize efforts and encouragin g the employee to give helpful examples of past work experience that would be beneficial for the organization can help with retention in the crucial first 30-60 days. These tactics have been proven to work at a 340 bed hospital in Downers Grove, Ill where a reduction of employee turnover improved by 36.5 % in a years time. ( Studer, 2006) The Healthcare Advisory Board (HCAB) conducted an extensive review of recruitment and retention strategy and identified each strategy relative effectiveness. The HCAB review yields five effective retention strategies: Firstly, selecting the right employees. Secondly, management improving the orientation and on-boarding processes by creating a buddy program and other opportunities that help new employees establish professional and personal relationships with colleges. Thirdly, monitoring turn over to identify specific root causes, including identifying managers whose departments have high turnover. Fourthly, efforts in developing and implementing ways to retain valued employees in the organization will reduce turnover percentages. Fifthly, although marginal in its effectiveness the HCBA recommended systemically attempting to reverse turnover decisions. (Fried et al. 2010). Other retention strategies given by Fried et al (2010) Where to create a culture where people want to stay because they enjoy their work. The manager does this thru empathy and truly caring for the welfare of the employees creating authentic connections with each staff member. This can allow for better focus on problem solving in the organization. A generic strategy for retention is through competitive compensation, differential and premium pay through signing bonuses, forgivable loans, and extensive benefits. In Jupiter Medical Center (JMC) in Jupiter, Florida Paul Dell Uomo (2009) reported that they suffered from recruiting and retention problems which were a problem in opening up more beds to serve the community. After weighting the options it was decided to outsource the recruitment function which helped in organizing hiring practices. This cut costs including a 1 million dollar decrease in contract labor (Uomo, 2009).