Becker's Hospital Review

23 CEO / STRATEGY 'We can no longer simply increase wages': What health systems are doing instead for retention By Laura Dyrda T he national healthcare staffing shortage has inflated wages and increased competition for talented nurses and clinical support staff. For a while, hospitals' main retention strategy was increased wages; that's changing as nurses feel more comfortable with their pay and have begun to value other qualities in a workplace. Kristin Wolkart, RN, executive vice president and system chief nursing officer and operational integrity of Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System in East Baton Rouge Parish, La., said one of her top priorities is rebuilding team member engagement, focusing on culture and mission. "In the post pandemic era, focusing on rebuilding a culture of accountability, joy in the workplace, and a focus on mission will continue to help us recruit and train staff, and rebuild our workforce," she said. "We can no longer simply increase wages. We need to articulate what makes us different so that we can become the employer of choice due to the way we treat our team members." e health system is also offering more flexible staffing options to meet the needs of the modern nursing workforce. "Gone are the days of everyone working a 12-hour shi," she said. "Our staff want better work-life balance, so we must find alternative staffing schedules to accommodate the needs and desires of the workforce. Introduction of a wide variety of flexible options to meet our patient care needs is a challenge we are embracing at the end of 2023." Nancy Howell Agee, Roanoke, Va.-based Carilion Clinic's CEO, said the workforce, particularly recruiting and retaining nurses, will stay a top priority through the end of the year. She said the system has sharpened its focus on workforce development, expanded rewards for staff referrals, incentivized former and retired nurses to return, and established new scholarships and research opportunities. "We'll never have enough people, so the question becomes: 'How do we redesign care using technology to reduce work burden so the incredible nurses and clinicians are doing the things they do best?'" Ms. Howell Agee told Becker's. Daniel Simon, MD, president of academic and external affairs and chief scientific officer at University Hospitals in Cleveland, is also focused on creative ways to recruit and retain talented team mates. "e COVID-19 pandemic reminded us why it's so important for health systems to have a talented workforce that thrives and stays engaged with their crucial work for our patients year aer year," said Dr. Simon. "e evidence is clear; caregiver engagement is an essential ingredient in high-quality outcomes. To that end, top priorities for University Hospitals for the remainder of 2023 are to continue on our current positive trajectory for caregiver recruitment, retention and engagement." University Hospitals has improved overall turnover rates for first-year caregivers and RNS in the last year and the year-to-date external job fills are up nearly 10 percent, with RNs up more than 28 percent, Dr. Simon said. Highmark CEO mandates hybrid schedule for some employees By Alexis Kayser P ittsburgh-based Highmark Health will soon require about 9,000 more workers to spend a portion of the week in-office, CEO David Holmberg told Patriot- News. Around 18,000 employees have been working from home since the early days of COVID-19, according to Mr. Holmberg. About half of them will be required to come into the office at least three days per week beginning Sept. 5. The new hybrid schedule is now being phrased as a requirement rather than an expectation, as it was termed earlier in August. "We pivoted in four days at the beginning of the pandemic to work from anywhere and the team did a really good job," Mr. Holmberg told the newspaper. "But now that we're three years into this, we believe very strongly that we're a people business, that our customers, our members, our patients need us to be engaged wholly … [in] certain positions where i''s important for individuals to be face-to- face." Many of the employees being summoned to the office have leadership and mentorship skills, Mr. Holmberg said. CEOs' calls-to-office have been met with disdain from employees, who enjoy commute-free mornings and the freedom to work wherever. A recent survey found that 89 percent of U.S. workers prefer a flexible schedule option; some even say they would rather quit than return to the office full-time. But more chief executives are mandating on-site work regardless of employees' preferences, often for the sake of face-time and culture. As Mr. Holmberg put it, "We think it's important periodically for people to get into a room and work together." n

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