In the high-stakes field of healthcare, retaining top talent is a growing concern. The solution lies in a balanced approach to intrinsic and extrinsic incentives. While pay and perks matter, they’re only part of the equation. Equally critical are the internal motivators that give employees a sense of purpose and satisfaction. This article explores how to effectively blend these two types of incentives for a more engaged, stable healthcare workforce.
Turnover in healthcare, especially among registered nurses, has been increasing over the years. The rate reached 8.4 percent, causing alarms and requiring a fast response.
Hospitals can’t function properly and provide the best patient care without qualified and motivated staff. Poor job satisfaction always reflects on an employee’s performance, and nearly every time, negatively.
Dissatisfaction also causes high absenteeism, disengagement, and low morale. Without addressing the cause and finding a solution, hospitals and other healthcare institutions will continue to struggle with continuously repeating problems: poorly attended and treated patients, unhappy teams, and below-average results.
But solving that problem requires more than implementing temporary strategies and policies. Instead, employers should genuinely understand what drives turnover in their hospitals.
That includes diving into employees’ intrinsic and extrinsic needs and answering with adequate incentives. Although, like in many other industries, healthcare professionals leave their jobs after receiving a more attractive offer or benefits package, they also resign due to a lack of respect, job-related risks, and inadequate support.
In this article, we will explore the complexity of reasons pushing healthcare workers to resign and what kinds of encouragement could make them stay.
Healthcare Professionals are Leaving the Industry in Droves; Why?
Not many jobs allow people to save lives and improve overall wellness and well-being directly. But healthcare jobs are also among the most challenging, mentally and physically.
That was true before and after the pandemic and will continue, regardless of external events and changes. Professionals in this sector will still have reasons to seek a better opportunity elsewhere. However, it’s possible to create incentives that make their jobs easier by appealing to their extrinsic and intrinsic needs.
Let’s start by assessing the most common causes of turnover and job dissatisfaction among healthcare professionals.
Extrinsic Factors Causing Turnover and Poor Job Satisfaction
1. Hectic Work Environment and Low Compensation
Medical workers often work in frenetic conditions, especially in times of unexpected and dire events, such as the COVID-19 crisis. That includes systemic problems, ongoing stress, and lack of time and resources to perform their jobs.
Different studies found that many healthcare professionals work in hectic climates, affecting their sense of control, job satisfaction, and patient safety risks. It also makes them more prone to burnout and more likely to struggle with a lack of professionalism and teamwork and to leave the practice altogether.
These problems typically occur in institutions and hospitals with disrupted patient flow, such as issues with registration, check-out, phone access, chart lookup, interpreters, or pharmacies. Chaotic clinics also report higher rates of medical errors, more missed opportunities to provide preventative services and dissatisfied workers.
When we add low compensation to the mix, it should come as no surprise these professionals feel forced to look for jobs that provide more appreciation and better salaries.
2. Increased Workload and Working Hours
Even before the 2020 pandemic, healthcare professionals, especially young residents, often worked longer hours than those in other sectors. But although older reports showed that might improve the performance, more recent studies show the opposite.
Lack of sleep, increased number of patients, and staying longer at work trigger burnout, exhaustion, lack of motivation, and patient dissatisfaction. People need to get enough rest to recharge their energy and have enough fuel to drive them through the day; medical workers are no exception.
People who sleep less than six hours per day are at higher risk of developing clinically defined burnout. Otherwise, they’ll likely start looking for another job, hoping to improve the quality of their lives.
The pandemic depicts how longer working hours, increased workload, and higher patient demand impacted turnover levels and overall satisfaction. The medical staff was already stretched too thin when they experienced more pressure in emergency departments.
Yet, emergency medicine resembles a team sport. Even if only one individual from the clerical staff is undergoing increased distress, physicians will feel it as well.
3. Lack of Benefits and Perks
The absence of benefits and perks among medical professionals leads to job dissatisfaction, hampers performance, and drives turnover. Without essential incentives like parental leave, paid time off, health insurance, and flexible schedules, workers in this sector can become disheartened.
That detrimentally affects their engagement and morale, ultimately impacting patient care. Diminished job satisfaction contributes to decreased productivity, tarnishing the quality of medical services.
As frustration mounts, turnover rates rise, eroding team stability and patient continuity.
4. Lack of Resources and Equipment
Insufficient resources within medical settings trigger job dissatisfaction, impede performance, and fuel turnover. Scarce medical equipment, inadequate staffing, and outdated technology hinder professionals from delivering optimal patient care.
Frustration mounts when healthcare workers can’t provide the quality of service they aspire to. As morale diminishes, performance wanes, directly impacting patient outcomes.
High levels of stress and burnout further result from juggling resource limitations. This toxic cycle amplifies turnover rates as professionals seek environments with better tools and support.
5. Limited Growth Opportunities
Every employee needs relevant and diverse career growth opportunities and L&D options to be genuinely happy with their job and future prospects. When career advancement stalls, professionals seek environments where the hospital or medical institution nurtures their potential.
Without avenues for development, morale declines, impacting patient care.
6. Lack of Support
When healthcare professionals find themselves in an environment lacking camaraderie and teamwork, it can gradually chip away at their motivation and contentment. The absence of positive interactions and mutual respect takes a toll on their sense of belonging, fostering feelings of isolation and discontent.
In this scenario, professionals tend to gravitate towards settings that encourage collaboration, offer authentic support, and provide a platform for them to play a meaningful role within a cohesive healthcare team.
Intrinsic Factors Causing Turnover and Poor Job Satisfaction
1. Lack of Fulfillment and Job Meaning
Like others, medical professionals seek meaningful jobs that align with their priorities and fill them with a sense of purpose. When they feel that their efforts don’t make a positive difference, they’re likely to experience burnout and question whether there’s a better opportunity out there.
That questioning increased during the pandemic, as that event was a wake-up call for many people. That contributed to the Great Resignation and will continue in hospitals and medical institutions where employees don’t feel valued and fulfilled.
2. Lack of Autonomy and Control
Healthcare professionals often lack input into patient care strategies and operational decisions, resulting in feeling undervalued and constrained. As a result, insufficient control and autonomy over medical decisions breed discontent and elevate turnover rates.
Restrictions stifle creativity and the ability to adapt to unique patient needs. Moreover, this not only impacts staff satisfaction but also compromises the overall quality of healthcare services.
3. Lack of Engagement and Passion
When professionals disconnect from their roles, the vibrancy that fuels quality care diminishes. This disconnection not only affects personal motivation but also influences the collective atmosphere within the healthcare environment.
Professionals operating without genuine enthusiasm can inadvertently contribute to a sense of detachment that permeates the team. This, in turn, can influence retention rates as medical staff seek environments that resonate more with their sense of purpose and passion.
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Incentives for Satisfaction and Retention in Healthcare
Extrinsic incentives
1. Comprehensive Benefits Package
By extending a well-rounded benefits package, which goes beyond health insurance and includes paid time off for self-care and family needs, medical professionals gain the reassurance that their well-being is a priority. These benefits provide a safety net, allowing them to manage their health and personal responsibilities without undue stress. Flexibility in work arrangements further acknowledges their life beyond the healthcare setting, enabling them to achieve a balance between their demanding roles and personal lives.
2. Competitive Compensation
A commitment to competitive compensation transcends financial remuneration. Instead, it embodies the value placed on the dedication and expertise of medical professionals. A fair salary recognizes the immense efforts expended in challenging environments, acknowledging their resilience in the face of demanding circumstances. This strategy fosters respect and recognition, strengthening the link between a healthcare worker’s efforts and job satisfaction.
3. Resourceful Work Environment
Establishing a well-equipped work environment reflects a deep investment in patient care quality and professional efficacy. Adequate staffing ensures medical professionals can devote their attention to patients, fulfilling their commitment to delivering the best care possible. Up-to-date medical equipment not only enhances efficiency but also symbolizes an organization’s dedication to empowering its staff with tools that enable them to excel in their roles.
4. Structured Growth Pathways
The implementation of structured growth pathways, such as mentorship programs and opportunities for career progression, communicates a commitment to nurturing the potential of medical professionals. These pathways provide a clear roadmap for personal and professional development, showcasing an organization’s investment in cultivating expertise and fostering a sense of purpose beyond daily tasks.
5. Emotional and Collaborative Support
Cultivating an environment of emotional support and collaboration acknowledges the emotional toll of the healthcare profession. By fostering camaraderie and mutual respect, medical professionals gain a network that understands and appreciates the challenges they face. Collaborative work boosts job satisfaction by fostering a united pursuit of exceptional patient care and shared purpose.
6. Workload Management Initiatives
Initiating workload management measures acknowledges the inherent challenges of medical practice, including the risk of burnout. By ensuring reasonable working hours and implementing strategies for prioritization, healthcare institutions and hospitals affirm their commitment to staff well-being. This strategy ensures well-rested, engaged professionals, enhancing patient outcomes and maintaining job satisfaction.
Intrinsic Incentives
1. Nurturing Fulfillment and Meaning
Cultivating a work environment that drives fulfillment and job meaning taps into medical professionals’ innate desire for purpose. By recognizing and highlighting the positive impact of their efforts, organizations empower professionals to see the direct link between their work and patient well-being. Providing avenues for them to share stories of patient progress or recovery reinforces their purpose and creates a sense of teamwork among colleagues, fostering a collective commitment to meaningful care.
2. Empowering Autonomy and Influence
Acknowledging the expertise of healthcare professionals and involving them in decision-making processes elevates their sense of autonomy and control. Empowerment in patient care strategies and operational decisions fosters a feeling of genuine value within the team. This intrinsic motivation to contribute actively to healthcare decisions rejuvenates professionals’ commitment to patient-centric care, renewing their passion and reducing the inclination to seek opportunities that promise greater influence.
3. Cultivating Passionate Engagement
Creating a workplace culture that actively encourages engagement and passion transforms the healthcare environment into a vibrant and motivated hub. Encouraging dialogue about the emotional impact of patient care, as well as celebrating successes, generates a collective energy that transcends individual roles. This environment resonates with professionals who are driven by a deep-rooted passion for their work. A commitment to fostering enthusiasm then becomes a powerful retention tool, as medical staff find themselves immersed in an atmosphere that aligns with their personal and professional values.
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Working in healthcare is a challenging job per se. However, various intrinsic and extrinsic incentives and factors can increase the difficulties, requiring an adequate response.
These overall intrinsic and extrinsic incentives must address the problems directly to have a lasting and efficient effect. That requires understanding the environment medical professionals navigate every day and creating relevant strategies with empathy and thorough planning.
