Are leaders focused on the right areas to improve healthcare’s talent troubles? Huron survey uncovers insights

Tackling healthcare’s talent crisis continues to be a major challenge for leaders as shortages, burnout, and mental health concerns linger. As healthcare leaders seek solutions, misperceptions of what employees value may be impeding progress.

A recent Huron survey of healthcare workers found that what employees say matters most to them in the workplace and what leaders believe is important to their people are not in sync. The survey, which included 300 leaders and more than 400 nurses, physicians, and staff, provides unique insights into where management and employees align and diverge.

“This variation between managers and employees signals an opportunity for organizations to make meaningful changes to how and where they invest in employee retention and recruitment,” says Jennifer Miller, principal at Huron.

While management’s inclination may be to prioritize areas where there is high employee dissatisfaction, it’s not always the first place to focus. Understanding what’s most important to staff can provide valuable insight into where leaders can have the greatest impact.

In Huron’s analysis, executives correctly identified only six of the top 10 opportunities to improve staff’s job experience.

Leadership and employees both recognized an opportunity to improve workload, work-life balance, role alignment, leadership excellence, and salary. Among leaders’ blind spots — improvement areas identified by staff but not management — were professional development and growth, feeling valued, and the ability to access and use data, technology, and analytics.

Of these opportunity areas identified, only workload and salary ranked among the top five factors employees were least satisfied with.

Widespread burnout among healthcare workers and leaders plays a significant role in employee engagement, retention, and overall perception of one’s workplace. In Huron’s research, 64% of respondents reported feeling burned out more than a few times a month over the past six months, and nearly a third are considering leaving their positions in the next year.

Managers report the highest levels of burnout, with more than 70% saying they feel burned out at work. Top factors driving stress include long hours, lack of schedule flexibility, and an unmanageable workload.

While some factors can be more difficult to improve in the healthcare setting, Huron’s research highlights several high-value opportunities for leaders to enhance workplace culture and employee sentiment. These include better role alignment, professional growth opportunities, formal recognition, and cultivating a sense of value and belonging.

“With the right information and data, leaders can work smarter, not harder, to build workplace satisfaction and engagement,” says Miller.

Here are three ways healthcare leaders can think about their talent strategies:

• Maintain: These are areas where leaders should continue their efforts. For example, workload surfaces as the No. 1 concern for nurses, physicians, and nonclinical staff, including those in digital, technology, operations, finance, and marketing functions.
• Focus: These are areas where leaders should increase their efforts. Trends from the research indicate that feeling valued is a prime opportunity to improve relationships with clinical staff. Professional growth and access to data, technology, and analytics are areas that could enhance the job experience for nonclinical staff.
• Reallocate: These are areas where leaders should refocus their efforts. Understanding what your people value can reveal where high-investment programs would be better allocated. This enables leaders to shift their focus from areas that have little impact on employee satisfaction and engagement. For example, financial incentives and bonuses may have less influence within certain functions.

While focus areas will vary among organizations, the research confirms that talent strategies must evolve to support employee needs and values. A holistic, people-focused approach will be pivotal in securing the best talent and ensuring organizational sustainability. For those willing to listen and act, there are substantial opportunities to improve retention and recruitment efforts and become an employer of choice.

For more insights, read Huron’s Healthcare Talent Research report.

Huron is a global professional services firm that collaborates with clients to put possible into practice by creating sound strategies, optimizing operations, accelerating digital transformation, and empowering businesses and their people to own their future.