With regard to managing your healthcare staff and providers, Ultimate Locum Tenens has found that engagement is a critical foundation for success. Truly engaged healthcare employees are more critical than ever, in the midst of what Forbes describes as the “dual pursuits of clinical and operational excellence in a highly competitive environment.”
Even with advances in technology, Forbes states, “Healthcare is still a people-intensive business, and improving HCAHPS scores and reducing HACs requires an investment in human capital—specifically, on employee engagement.”
Defining “engagement”
What exactly makes an employee “engaged” in their work? It’s more than just being happy or satisfied. Engagement happens when employees have an “emotional commitment” to their company. Forbes notes, “When your employees are engaged, they care about your hospital, their team and their patients…When they care—they give discretionary effort.”
The benefits of engagement
According to the Harvard Business Review, “When employees believe their organization truly values quality care — and also get the support they need on the job — their patients are more satisfied, they take less sick time and have fewer on-the-job accidents, and health outcomes are better.”
The same dynamic applies to quality, too: “[U]nits scoring in the top percentiles on positive organizational culture had blood-stream infection rates and mortality rates significantly lower than in units scoring at the bottom percentiles on positive organizational culture.”
How do you measure engagement?
Formal surveys are the first step. According to Becker’s Hospital Review, “Healthcare providers can benefit from adopting a research-driven approach” similar to big companies like Google. Organizations can use the data to develop action plans to increase engagement.
Ultimate Locum Tenens’ own internal surveys provide the insight we need to make sound business decisions that will keep our internal coworkers passionate about their job and their company. We conduct Engagement Surveys twice a year and create a game plan based on the results to improve overall experiences for our clients and Ambassadors (our term for the temporary NPs and PAs we place on assignment for clients).
Critical factors in employee engagement
According to the Gallup Organization, only 32% of U.S. employees are actively engaged. Other sources report engagement levels as low as 29%, and disengaged workers as high as 26%. Employees across all industries with low engagement levels are linked to higher absenteeism, lower profitability, more workplace accidents, and higher turnover.
On the other hand, engaged employees are the foundation of a healthy business. Increased retention from engaged employees allows us to build a stronger, more consistent relationship with customers that will last over time.
Creating engaged Ambassadors
Locum Tenens NPs and PAs are in a unique position as an “employee” of two organizations. According to Staffing Industry Analysts, temporary employees report not feeling like “real” employees (even though they do real work!) and often feel as though they are entering an unwelcoming workspace.
Our unique Ambassador Program® allows temporary providers to feel empowered and engaged in your workplace, and understand exactly what is needed from them. When our Ambassadors utilize the program on assignment, overall customer and Ambassador satisfaction increases dramatically.
The importance of engaged clients
We’ve learned from our clients that when we respond to issues within 24 hours we directly and significantly impact their satisfaction. Through our formalized commitment to Problem Resolution Time (PRT) Ultimate Locum Tenens is dedicated to resolving issues as soon as possible, allowing us to continue to build an even stronger relationship with you.
Furthermore, our specialized Process Adapt™ tool gives us insight into your organization, and how we can better understand your business goals, internal culture, and what we can do to create a Remarkable Experience.
Engagement relies on human connection. When our coworkers, Ambassadors and clients work in tandem, we can lead to a stronger, more transparent, and effective relationship.
Sources: Forbes, Becker’s Hospital Review, Harvard Business Review, Gallup