Manage My Employees

One industry, healthcare, has all but escaped the draconian impact of the economic recession. However, healthcare is, as other industries are—battling low employee morale.

According to a survey by CareerBuilder (referenced in this article: Healthcare employers battle low employee morale | Healthcare Finance News) nearly 4 of 10 healthcare employees report low motivation and 1 in 4 say they have no loyalty to their employers.

Losing good employees costs the leaders of any organization dearly. This is especially true in healthcare where job knowledge and experience is valued so highly (or it should be).

What can healthcare employers, or any employer for that matter do to ramp up morale:

Get innovative about employee incentives. Think in terms of low-cost but meaningful rewards. Don’t stop your recognition program just because the budget doesn’t permit you to reward like you once did, instead revamp.

Flexibility. Be flexible with work schedules, personal days off, etc. This perk is highly desired by employees who are  parents and need flexibility to meet family needs, or, for employees who want flexible part-time schedules.

Give more work independence. Why? Workers often see autonomy as a way to grow and take on more responsibility. It also helps to keep the j.o.b. challenging and rewarding.

Connection. Get out there with your people and have one-on-one interaction. Creating and maintaining positive relationships are keys to having high morale on your team.

Reinforcement. Praise and encouragement works. Look for employee efforts that aren’t perfect but they’re on course, then compliment or thank them for their contribution—and reinforce the value of their role on the team.