Great employees can be hard to find and just as hard to keep. Employee turnover rates have risen 5% across all healthcare jobs over the last 10 years. If you’re looking for ways to improve staff retention, these tips, along with employee appreciations giveaways, can help ensure employees call your office home for a long time to come.
Investigate turnover
The best way to find out what your employees need is to ask them about their concerns. Create an anonymous survey for your staff to complete. Ask them about their pain points and determine which need to be addressed immediately. Asking them for their input will go a long way in establishing trust and having them feel like part of the problem-solving process.
Create a culture of learning
Staff members feel more at ease and are able to bring issues to the attention of management when they know they won’t be blamed or punished for mistakes. Frame errors and challenges as learning opportunities to help prevent employee burnout and turnover.
You can also encourage employees to provide solutions to ongoing issues with employee thank-you gifts. For example, once a month, present a travel tumbler to anyone who provides a suggestion or solution to an issue, like a process that can be simplified or a safety concern.
Help staff de-stress
Because staff is often caring for patients with chronic or acute conditions, healthcare is a highly stressful job. Offer healthy eating options, classes on meditation techniques or a place to relax during breaks to help alleviate some of that tension.
Consider designating one of your break rooms as a “renewal room” where employees can use employee appreciation giveaways for self-care. Examples might include ear buds for music therapy, essential oils for aromatherapy or a notebook and pen for journaling.
Offer growth opportunities
A survey showed 64% of nurses that were planning to leave their job would stay if they had professional development opportunities. Offer educational opportunities, pair employees with mentors and have discussions about career advancement to help keep employees engaged with your organization.
Create a recognition program
According to one recent study, 69% of employees who were considering a job change said that recognition and rewards would motivate them to stay at their current position. Create a rewards program that offers frequent recognition for things like workplace safety, taking shifts for staff members on vacation and demonstrating office values.
Show your gratitude with employee thank-you gifts, such as a certificate in a frame or mints and a thank-you note. (Bonus tip: Immediate, specific acknowledgment is always best!)
Healthier staff engagement
Your employees are your most critical asset. Show them how much they’re valued with growth opportunities, stress relief and employee appreciations giveaways for a happier, healthier workplace.