Week 5 - Reflecting on the Writing Process

Recruiting and Retaining Talent in Healthcare

Jason Simpson

EDD8010

Foundations of Doctoral Studies in Education

Capella University

Recruitment and Retaining Talent in Healthcare

Introduction

Recruitment and retention have become a major issue in healthcare that has attracted the attention of many scholars for many years. Healthcare professionals are subjected to complex and stressful work environments which causes them trauma, burnout, and general job stress. Regardless of the environment healthcare professionals are required to work in, they must provide appropriate support, resiliency, and high-quality treatment to their patients (Tran, Hardie, Gause, Moyi & Ylimaki, 2020). The dynamics involved in the recruitments and retention of employees in healthcare have been attributed to high employee turnover that is experienced in their sector of the economy. Therefore, to reduce employee turnover in healthcare, strategies must be put in place to ensure that recruitment and retention are strategic. One of the main roles of healthcare administrators or managers is to enhance the retention of employees and promote an effective recruitment process. In other words, it is the responsibility of the healthcare administrators or managers to identify strategies that can be used to promote effective recruitment and enhance the retention of healthcare employees (Gupta et al., 2019). Although many administrators are making efforts to attain these two goals and reduce employee turnover in healthcare, the obstacle is that there is not enough literature on recruitment and retention best practices in healthcare. Studies have shown that the healthcare sector is experiencing high employee turnover because managers do not understand the best strategies, they can use to promote effective recruitment and improve retention. This paper, therefore, seeks to identify and bridge the gaps in the literature on this subject through literature review.

Overview of the Topic

Employee recruitment and retention is one of the major functions of human resource managers not only in healthcare organizations but in all organizations. As already noted in this paper, healthcare administration professionals must combine skills, science, and health policy to manage human resource of which recruitment and retention of employee is a very essential function (Boykin et al., 2020). Tapping the right talents for the healthcare organization and promoting employee retention is promoted by both personal and organizational factors that affect employee attrition. However, will best administratively practices and strategies that promote effective recruitment and retention, organizations operating in healthcare are likely to reduce the cost incurred due to turnover.

Topic Relation to Specialization

Healthcare administration is a wide field of specialization which produce many professionals including healthcare administrators, managers, and chief financial officers, among others. Healthcare administration in general deals with the management of non-medical functions which are essential in running a healthcare facility (Boykin et al., 2020). The functions of healthcare administrators range from human resource management, staffing, strategic planning, and budgeting. As administrators in the most dynamic field, these professionals are required to combine business, health policy and science to manage financial and human resources. Since the professionals in this field are expected to manage human resources, employee recruitment and retention becomes one of their responsibilities.

Literature Review

According to Larson and Hewitt (2012), the information provided by the employer to the recruits about the available job position play important role in enhancing employee retention not only in the healthcare sector but in other sectors too. Larson and Hewitt (2012) argue that potential candidates will have less unmet expectations and are less likely to leave their job position if the employer provides enough information to the recruits and encourage the recruits to use the information to inform their decision about the job and the organization. Based on the arguments that are made by the authors, one will believe that most of the employees in the healthcare sector leave their job after a short spell because they meet different job descriptions from what they were provided with during recruitment. Larson and Hewitt (2012) assert that many organizational managers in charge of recruitment do not disclose enough information to the potential candidates during the recruitment process. This, in turn, results in candidates applying for the job position they are not comfortable with or applying for a job in an organization with a working environment that the recruits are not oriented with.

Larson and Hewitt (2012) arguments seem to align with the observations that were made by Tran et al. (2020). According to Tran et al. (2020), potential candidates who are making the decision to apply for a specific job are likely to focus their minds on realistic job previews as compared to applicants who are interested in understanding the opening. What Tran et al. (2020) are saying in this article can be concluded that it is essential for the organizations to link or pair final interviews of the recruits to the realistic job preview as one strategy to enhance retention. It is apparent from the studies that were done by Tran et al. (2020) and Larson and Hewitt (2012) that providing the right and sufficient information about a job position including the duties and responsibilities under the job title will enhance retention since the recruits will be satisfied with the new job position and will commit to the organization.

Similarly, the scholars in their different articles area that organizations need to disclose the nature of their work environment so that the applicant can choose to join the organization after making informed decisions. The knowledge gap that is identified in the study by Tran et al. (2020) is that the authors do not provide information on how organizations can develop a good realistic job preview which is important in enhancing employee retention in healthcare. Empirical evidence from different studies on this subject has indicated that a good realistic job preview must incorporate inputs from the stakeholders of the organization that is issuing job positions. The information can be from an employee in the same position, and information relating to the nature and job requirement and the impacts on the recruits should overwhelm the realistic job preview.

Apart from Tran et al. (2020) and Larson and Hewitt (2012), another scholar who has researched intensively on the subject of recruitment and retention in healthcare is Ferrary (2015). According to Ferrary (2015), recruitment and retention will be promoted in healthcare is the management team is going to consider the human capital investment to be beneficial to both the staff and the organization. Investing in human capital is one of the retention strategies that has been advocated to be adopted by the healthcare organization administrators. Ferrary (2015) noted that one of the employees motivating factors is career development which in many cases is achieved through training and development. Therefore, the author is of the view that organizations should focus on internal talent by providing staff with effective and relevant training, career development options, competitive compensation, favorable work schedules, and other benefits to motivate them and enhance retention.

Ferrary (2015) noted that there is a high shortage of healthcare professionals and the competition in this segment of the labor market is high. Considering this, the employee will only stick with organizations that show effective management and leadership. Effective management is the one that directly invests in the employee through enhancing staff skills and knowledge, design jobs to improve effectiveness and promote attraction, engagement, and motivation and provide staff with incentives to promote organizational commitment. Ferrary (2015) asserts that improving the working environment is the key to retention. The authors noted that healthcare employees works in a highly strenuous environment and therefore, organizations that work hard to provide a positive safety and calm environment increase the commitment of the employees to the facility because they will feel that management is a concern with their well-being.

Based on the arguments that were made by Ferrary (2015), it is apparent that training and development are the main motivation that motivate potential employees to join an organization and encourage them to stay with the organization for many years. Studies have tried to explain why many employees value training and development and according to Ferrary, training, and development is valued by employees because it promises them of the future. In conclusion, Ferrary (2015) recommends that healthcare organization administrators and managers should invest heavily in human capital to attract talents and retain employees.

In a different study, Allen, Bryant, and Vardaman (2010) squarely agree with the assertions or the findings of the study by Ferrary (2015). Allen et al. (2010) noted that organizations are likely to recruit a highly talented workforce and retain it if it implements strategies that motivate the employee and enhance their job satisfaction. Allen et al. (2010) focused on the important roles of human resource management in the organization including recruitment, selection, supervision, remuneration, benefits, socialization, training and development, and engagement, and some of the factors that promote effective recruitment and retention in healthcare organizations. Allen et al. (2010) are of the view that recruitment and retention can be enhanced by practicing internal hiring which promotes skills development. The authors are of the view that organizations that promote employee engagement through meaningful autonomy and coworker support are likely to experience low or no employee turnover. Providing positive feedback and recognizing the contributions made by the individual employees are key to retention in healthcare organizations.

Allen et al. (2010) noted that a poor relationship between employees and organizational management is one of the factors that cause a turnover. Employees is not likely to continue working in organizations where the supervisors and managers do not value their contributions to the organization. In this perspective, the organization must train supervisors and managers on the best employee-employer relationship practices to increase the connection and enhance retention. Allen et al. (2010) agree with Ferrary (2015) on the perspective of training and development as a motivating factor among employees that also promote retention. Providing quality and training development opportunities generally minimizes the desire to leave; this can be crucial in certain jobs that requires continuous on the job learning.

Similarly, Gupta et al. (2019) agree with Allen et al. (2010) and Ferrary (2015) on some of the factors that promote effective recruitment and retention in healthcare organizations. According to Gupta et al. (2019), many organization managers think that not training and developing their employee will help them to remain with the organization because they will lack skills that are required in the market. However, this is a fallacy according to the authors. Gupta et al. (2019) are of the idea that organizations that fear losing their employees should adopt job-specific training and development and connect employee training and development to tenure to promote retention. Similarly, just like the case of Allen et al. (2010), Gupta et al. (2019) noted that organizations can enhance retention by adopting to reward scheme that put them at the apex on a specific benefit in the industry and by designing rewards to align with individual employee preference and needs.

Another important factor that Gupta et al. (2019) noted in the study that delimits opportunities to promote retention is discrimination against employees. Gupta et al. (2019), is of the view that discrimination is reflected through promotion and pay differences. Promoting fair and just promotion, recruitment, selection and rewarding of employees are some of the factors that promote effective recruitment and retention. Recent studies that have been done which are included in the literature section of the study provide evidence that shows that linking rewards to retention is a new strategy that many managers are using to promote employee retention in healthcare organizations. Interestingly, Gupta et al. (2019) explain in this study how effective recruitment and selection promote retention. Gupta et al. (2019) assert that assessing the fitness of the potential candidates during selection to the organization and the job description improves employee retention since the recruits will fit into the job position. Concerning the link between recruitment and retention, the authors are of the view that hiring through referrals and internal will promote retention because the recruit will be willing to work in the organization or already have experience of the organization's working environment.

Conclusion:

Healthcare professionals are subjected to a complex and stressful work environment which causes them trauma, burnout, and general job stress. Regardless of the environment healthcare professionals are required to work in, they must provide appropriate support, resiliency, and high-quality treatment to their patients. It is because of this that recruitment and retention are important issues that healthcare organizations should focus on. Positive safety and a calm environment increase the commitment of the employees to the facility because they will feel that management is concerned with their well-being. Human resource management in the organization including recruitment, selection, supervision, remuneration, benefits, socialization, training and development, and engagement and some of the factors that promote effective recruitment and retention. In this regard, healthcare organizations administrators and managers need to focus on achieving these factors and promote management and leadership best practices to form a good relationship with employees and promote effective recruitment and retention.

References

Allen, D., Bryant, P., Vardaman, J. (2010). Retaining talent: Replacing misconceptions with evidence-based strategies. Academy of Management Perspectives, 48-64.

Boykin, M., Duren‐Winfield, V., Ohene, N. M., & Steen, J. (2020). Master of Healthcare Administration program's journey to competency‐based education. The Journal of Competency‐Based Education, 5(1), e01206.

Ferrary, M. (2015). Investing in transferable strategic human capital through alliances in the luxury hotel industry. Journal of Knowledge Management, 19, 1007-1028. doi:10.1108/jkm-01-2015-0045

Gupta, B., Mittal, S., & Mittal, V. (2019). Employer branding and its relation with the HR functions of employee recruitment and retention: A review of the literature. The Marketing Review, 19(1-2), 85-105.

Larson, S., Hewitt, A. (2012). Staff Recruitment, retention, and training strategies for community human services organizations. Research and Training Center on Community Living, University of Minnesota.

Tran, H., Hardie, S., Gause, S., Moyi, P., & Ylimaki, R. (2020). Leveraging the Perspectives of Rural Educators to Develop Realistic Job Previews for Rural Teacher Recruitment and Retention. The Rural Educator, 41(2), 31-46.