We’ve got a problem in healthcare and many other job markets in America. The pandemic that caused “The Great Resignation” of 2021 is still affecting employers nationwide, and according to many experts, recruiting, hiring and retaining good employees will continue to be challenging.
The pandemic also caused another negative side effect, particularly in healthcare – a culture of stress, burnout and pessimism. While today’s leaders already have a lot on their plate, they should be diligent about building a workplace culture that makes employees first and foremost. They should build a caring culture.
Rebuild Your Culture with an Employee-First Focus
After taking a serious and honest look into your workplace culture, what do you see? Some places are indeed positive and inviting; others not so much. Regardless, each workplace has room for improvement and making employees first should become a top priority. Today and into the future, your staff should feel that you care and never stop finding ways to show them.
Developing an Employee-First Attitude
If you were to take a survey of each and every employee asking questions like “How are you and your family doing?”, and “Are you struggling with any problems right now?”, what kind of answers might you get? According to research and common sense, lots of people are suffering from losses they may not talk about in the workplace. Well-being may be at an all-time low. Many employees are burned out, but they certainly aren’t going to announce it to everyone.
If you want to find new employees and keep the good ones you have, you must develop an employee-first attitude. When we boil down all retention methods or gimmicks, the only key to successful retention is care.
Ways of Showing You Care
1. Think Small
You don’t need to throw large-scale celebrations all the time to show your staff you care about them. Find small victories every day. Create feel-good moments where your and your staff find meaning and purpose in what they do and don’t forget to laugh. Find reasons to party!
2. Preach and Practice Flexibility
Today’s employee isn’t looking for the next perk you’re thinking about offering. Instead, they want room to breathe. Empower your staff to take more control of their work-life balance. Kids will be sick and parents will age. Offer them flex time, well-being time off, and more generous PTO.
3. Build a Better Bridge Between Leadership and Employees
Lots of managers are working as hard if not harder than their staff, particularly when you’re under-staffed. Some will be angry or burned out. What is needed is more genuine, clear and honest communication between each level of staff in your company. Create touch points between them as often as possible. Get them together in meetings to share their thoughts and feelings. Allow them to vent, listen to them, and make realistic changes where possible.
More Employee-First Ideas
- Encourage your employees to be themselves and focus on their strengths
- Provide as much positive feedback as you can on a daily basis
- Be a servant leader yourself and lead by example
- Encourage and practice respect for everyone
- Offer ways your staff can grow together, like small workshops or learning circles
- Work on gaining trust from each staff member
- Be as transparent as you can as a leader
- Always ask for your team’s opinions, ideas and concerns
- Include your staff in decision-making when and where possible
- Stay competitive with wages, salary, and benefits
Final Thoughts on Creating a Caring Culture
Recruitment is rough. Hiring the right employee for the right position is challenging. Keeping good staff is a daily struggle. Although there are many ways to improve each one of these, one method stands out above the rest, and that is creating a caring culture where your employees are your top priority.