A session at the HFMA Annual Conference takes a people-focused approach to solving one of CEOs’ biggest problems.
Healthcare leaders recognize that work strategies must adapt to the evolving workforce, but acknowledging this is one thing; committing to it is another.
While the strength of a workforce is still largely measured by numbers such as costs and turnover rates, prioritizing less easily quantifiable areas such as employee satisfaction and happiness can lead to a more sustainable workplace model.
That is the approach that Rod Hanners, CEO of Keck Medicine at USC, outlined in his Tuesday meeting at HFMA Annual Conferenceentitled “Investing in your workforce: Positive impact on company culture and the bottom line.”
The head of the Southern California-based health system emphasized the importance of leaders establishing organizational values that create transparency, humility and genuine care for all caregivers, as well as agreed-upon metrics that naturally lead to better outcomes, both clinically and financially.
To achieve this, Keck offers programs that focus on professionalism, resilience and well-being and are not one-off events but are woven into the fabric of the organization.
For example, doctors and nurses can report concerns about colleague behaviour through the Daily Incident Reporting System, whereupon colleagues will share the incident with the designated individual and responsibilities/objectives will be discussed if the pattern of concern continues. The entire process is designed to be non-punitive and confidential, creating an environment that encourages reporting and development.
Even introducing a relatively innocuous change like meeting-free time on Fridays has resulted in people getting work done and achieving milestones on the other days of the workweek, while also reducing employee stress, Hanners said.
Creating a corporate culture should start at the top and permeate down to the bottom, but the role and influence of middle management is often overlooked.
Hanners believes you need buy-in from middle management, which is harder today than ever before due to the multitude of priorities, hundreds of emails and lack of responsiveness. You also need empathy, trustworthiness, transparency, attentiveness and accountability from your modern mid-level manager, as well as the ability to develop talent well.
CEOs should not lose sight of mid-level managers and give them opportunities to discuss their experiences. This will contribute to company-wide healing at a time when strikes and staff shortages are affecting workplaces. Surveys to get feedback from supervisors and managers are crucial to understanding what areas need improvement.
A commitment to the people in its organization has enabled Keck Medical Center to reduce its overall turnover rate from 12.4% in July 2022 to 9.2% last April. Lower turnover has also made it easier for Keck to reduce contract work by over $13 million compared to the previous year.
The evidence is irrefutable: create a positive environment for your workforce and the results will follow.
