85% of employees worldwide feel disengaged. They feel discontent towards their employer and company. In America, 48% of employees consider their job stressful or overwhelming, and the data is worse for the health industry. According to a 2023 survey, healthcare ranked lowest, with 38% of healthcare staff feeling burnout and 39% considering quitting.
An essential field such as healthcare should function at its best. However, disengaged and unsatisfied healthcare staff can lower productivity by 18% and profitability by 15%. You must use your resources wisely to administer the best patient care, and your most crucial asset is your employees. Engaged employees make critical decisions, improve patient outcomes, and are enthusiastic about their jobs. They have the most vital role in improving efficiency. How can you empower your hospital staff? Read ahead for the best strategies.
Get higher education
There are some critical aspects of effective healthcare administration that you can only learn through education. By earning a degree in Master of Health Administration, you learn new skills and techniques to empower your healthcare staff. This knowledge equips you with the skills to become a successful healthcare leader and broaden your career prospects.
The BLS predicts a 32% growth for health administration jobs by 2029, which makes getting a Master’s degree in Health Administration worthwhile. You can graduate with an MHA degree in around 24 months and even choose to work as you take online classes.
However, make sure to enroll in a reputable college for your online degree, like Regis College, which ranked 9th as one of the top institutes with the fastest growth in the US. Regis also offers employee discounts for their online masters degree in health administration, which means that if your employer is a partner of this institute, you can save time and money. Through the empowering effects of an online MHA degree, you can inspire your staff members to reach their full potential and fulfill your role in improving the overall healthcare system.
Develop leadership qualities
An effective leader needs to have specific qualities to empower their employees effectively. How can you expect to motivate your staff if you can’t command their respect? To become a successful leader, you need to adopt the following qualities:
- Emotional intelligence
As someone working in a field that serves people, you need to be able to understand them. When you take the time to understand and listen to your staff, you can build a positive rapport with them. Suppose a nurse gets overwhelmed during their job. In that case, you must have the emotional intelligence to recognize their emotions to provide support. This quality helps create an environment where your healthcare staff feels understood, validated, and motivated.
- Interpersonal communication
You need to communicate effectively with your staff to establish a collaborative environment. You can schedule daily meetings and request updates. You need to understand that to be an effective communicator. You need to be active listeners. Your staff should feel safe to bring their concerns to you and respect your opinion.
- Strategic planning
Strategic planning provides a clear direction for your healthcare organization and your employees. Defining specific goals, priorities, and action plans gives your employees a sense of purpose and focus. They understand the organization’s vision and how their work contributes to its success. For example, you develop a plan to improve patient-centered care. Your employees will align their goals accordingly, which empowers them to work more diligently.
Promote work-life balance
In a high-stress environment like healthcare, employees can easily get overwhelmed without slowing down and giving themselves a break. As a healthcare administrator, you should encourage maintaining a work-life balance to prevent your employees from burning out and quitting. For example, let your employees work part-time or give them work-from-home opportunities so that your staff members can have some time while still fulfilling work responsibilities. You can also offer paid leaves and encourage them to use their vacation days so they don’t overburden themselves. Empowered employees are more motivated to work and become more loyal to the company.
Provide training and development
A 2022 survey on employee training reported nearly 59% of responders still needed job-specific training and only had self-taught skills. However, 74% of them were willing to go through training and learn new skills to remain employable, with 41% considering it to be essential.
These statistics highlight the importance of providing training and development opportunities to help them learn practical skills. If your employees are skilled, they become more confident in their abilities and feel empowered to do their job. This job competency increases their work satisfaction and improves their efficiency.
Improve workplace conditions
According to Herzberg’s Dual Factor Motivation Theory, you can improve employee satisfaction by improving workplace conditions. Your employees will work as well as the environment they’re in. Factors such as a clean environment, good salary, and updated equipment play a huge role in determining the satisfaction levels of your staff.
For example, a nurse with low pay who works in a cramped cubicle with a rusty old fan will love their job less than someone who has satisfied all these hygiene factors. Your staff can only do their best if you provide them with the necessary resources. When healthcare administrators focus on creating a positive and supportive work environment, employees feel valued, engaged, and motivated to perform their best.
Conclusion
Empowering healthcare staff goes beyond simply meeting their basic needs. It involves creating a work environment where employees can personally and professionally thrive. Your team is at the forefront of administering healthcare, and it is your duty to empower them from behind the scenes as much as you can.
With an empowered healthcare staff, patient health outcomes improve, and your employees positively impact many lives. Strive to create a healthcare landscape where staff and patients thrive, embodying the true essence of compassionate care.
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