How to Recruit, Select and Retain Hospital Staff Members
Do you struggle with finding ways to recruit, select, and retain hospital staff members? With the onset of COVID, many hospital staff members have decided to get out of healthcare, while the people remaining in healthcare face overwhelming workloads and stress. Preventing employee turnover is more important than ever.
It may not be easy to comprehend now, but it is possible to recruit, select, and retain hospital staff members even in today’s environment.
Here’s how.
Today there’s a process that goes on where people of a certain age believe it’s okay to take five job interviews and go to one, get a job, and ghost the other four.
To prevent ghosting, get your staff involved in communicating with the applicants before they come in. Have three or four staff members call them up, saying, “we’re looking forward to seeing you. I can’t wait to meet you. We’re so excited you’re coming for an interview.”
Stop putting it on the HR or recruiting person to keep these people online.
You may also want to consider interviews at night and on weekends. You should also consider interviews off-site. Some people don’t want anyone to see them come to your healthcare center because they work for the competitors, so you might need to interview them somewhere else.
Next, you need to use team-based interviews. If you’re hiring a nurse on a unit, the unit manager interviews them, and the unit manager’s boss interviews them. Two peers should also interview them.
To prevent employee turnover, get your staff involved in the interviews. You need to use behavioral interviewing questions. Instead of loud questions, you need to have pre-planned, set questions.
You’ve got to do strength-based ads, not weakness-based ads. Stop putting ads on Indeed or social media that say, “wanted: dozens, we’re desperate. We need the following positions.”
Never let it seem like you are desperate for new hires.
Your ads need to be strength-based.
First, interview your HQE. Those are called highly qualified employees. Interview the people who meet the following standards.
Get the group together and say, “you guys are good. We do not tell you that often enough. We spend all day long putting grease on the squeaky wheel, and we do not tell you you’re excellent. You are excellent people. We do not tell you that often enough. We are now defining you as highly qualified employees, and I want to ask you one question before you go. Why do you work for us?"
They’ll tell you all kinds of things. Write it all down, and tell them you’d like them to help you find other people. Let them know that you will instill a big staff referral bonus.
If you’re struggling with selecting, recruiting, and retaining hospital staff members, the above tips can help you get on the right track, hire the right people, and prevent employee turnover.
To empower you in your focus to appreciate, nurture, and support your caregiver heroes, download a copy of Custom Learning’s Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter.
The charter provides all kinds of best practices to help you bring and create a positive culture where you work. It includes an assessment tool and dozens of best practices to improve morale, attitude, and self-care. It also addresses COVID fatigue and retention and includes a reference library of our Caregiver Heroes videos, TED talks, recommended reading, and more.
Now let’s go spread kindness care everywhere.
Please visit our YouTube channel for more information on this topic at https://www.youtube.com/user/Customlearningsue.
Everyone's Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to improve their patients’ overall experience. We understand the time constraints in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the necessary skills to be a better, more positive healthcare worker. Contact us today to see how we can help, or click here to learn more.
It may not be easy to comprehend now, but it is possible to recruit, select, and retain hospital staff members even in today’s environment.
Here’s how.
How to Recruit, Select, and Retain Hospital Staff Members
Stop saying there is no help
You have to stop saying, “the good help is all gone,” “no one wants to work in healthcare anymore,” “the young people don’t have a work ethic,” or “there’s a shortage.”
All of that talk is junk. There is help—maybe you had it, and you lost it. Remember: good people don't leave a job. They leave a relationship.
You have to quit blaming the person. Because as a boss, it is up to you to retain your staff members.
You need to focus on protecting current—and new—staff members. Here are five ways.
Clint Maun, nationally recognized for his innovative expertise in healthcare consulting, speaking and research, tells us about how to recruit, select, and retain hospital staff members.
How to prevent employee turnover
1. Don’t float new help for 30 days. Don’t pull them to different units and float them to another assignment just days later.
2. Stop the gamers. The people who constantly call in sick or have dead relatives. They pick up shifts when it's to their advantage. They’re the gamers.
3. Put in place mentors. They must be hand-picked to be a mentor and go through mentor training. The mentor is paid if the new employee stays.
4. Have seven interactions with the new employee in 30 days. Make a leadership grid of seven managers that will connect with the new employee. Have seven interactions with them in 30 days.
5. Put leadership rounds on steroids. Check-in with the patients. Check-in with new employees. Ask how they’re doing how you can help. Ask them questions about their lives. Get to know them—both professionally and personally. Show them that you notice them and appreciate them.
These are just some of the ways you can prevent employee turnover.
How to select new employees
Today there’s a process that goes on where people of a certain age believe it’s okay to take five job interviews and go to one, get a job, and ghost the other four.
To prevent ghosting, get your staff involved in communicating with the applicants before they come in. Have three or four staff members call them up, saying, “we’re looking forward to seeing you. I can’t wait to meet you. We’re so excited you’re coming for an interview.”
Stop putting it on the HR or recruiting person to keep these people online.
You may also want to consider interviews at night and on weekends. You should also consider interviews off-site. Some people don’t want anyone to see them come to your healthcare center because they work for the competitors, so you might need to interview them somewhere else.
Next, you need to use team-based interviews. If you’re hiring a nurse on a unit, the unit manager interviews them, and the unit manager’s boss interviews them. Two peers should also interview them.
To prevent employee turnover, get your staff involved in the interviews. You need to use behavioral interviewing questions. Instead of loud questions, you need to have pre-planned, set questions.
Recruiting employees
You’ve got to do strength-based ads, not weakness-based ads. Stop putting ads on Indeed or social media that say, “wanted: dozens, we’re desperate. We need the following positions.”
Never let it seem like you are desperate for new hires.
Your ads need to be strength-based.
First, interview your HQE. Those are called highly qualified employees. Interview the people who meet the following standards.
- Been there for at least six months
- Show up for work
- Show up on time
- Have all their in services done
- Willingly do something extra five times a year
- Float,
- Pick up shifts
- Are on committees
Get the group together and say, “you guys are good. We do not tell you that often enough. We spend all day long putting grease on the squeaky wheel, and we do not tell you you’re excellent. You are excellent people. We do not tell you that often enough. We are now defining you as highly qualified employees, and I want to ask you one question before you go. Why do you work for us?"
They’ll tell you all kinds of things. Write it all down, and tell them you’d like them to help you find other people. Let them know that you will instill a big staff referral bonus.
If you’re struggling with selecting, recruiting, and retaining hospital staff members, the above tips can help you get on the right track, hire the right people, and prevent employee turnover.
Download the Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter Today
To empower you in your focus to appreciate, nurture, and support your caregiver heroes, download a copy of Custom Learning’s Operation Uplift Team Organization Charter.
The charter provides all kinds of best practices to help you bring and create a positive culture where you work. It includes an assessment tool and dozens of best practices to improve morale, attitude, and self-care. It also addresses COVID fatigue and retention and includes a reference library of our Caregiver Heroes videos, TED talks, recommended reading, and more.
Now let’s go spread kindness care everywhere.
Please visit our YouTube channel for more information on this topic at https://www.youtube.com/user/Customlearningsue.
Everyone’s a Caregiver: Providing Education for Healthcare Workers
Everyone's Caregiver provides education to healthcare workers to improve their patients’ overall experience. We understand the time constraints in today's workplace and have customized microlearning videos to help you gain the necessary skills to be a better, more positive healthcare worker. Contact us today to see how we can help, or click here to learn more.