How To Show You Care – Employee Benefits To Keep Your Staff Engaged

KNOW HOW TO HOLD ‘EM 

It’s an employee’s market out there. Across industries and at every level, companies are hiring, and the healthcare industry is no exception. As a result, holding on to qualified employees may take a bit more than a competitive salary and healthcare benefits. In response, companies have become very creative at finding ways to keep good people while staying within budget, and maintaining quality care. Our recruiters have gathered a few of the key ideas that underlie these employee benefits to help you hold on to your valued staff.

LEADERSHIP

Corporate culture starts at the top and trickles down, and most people leave their jobs because they don’t like their boss/supervisor. These two reasons alone are enough to require an attitude of ‘servanthood leadership,’ which involves the desire to serve others first, and has little to do with power and or position. People have a tendency to follow leaders with integrity who have a true desire to serve.

SHOW ‘EM YOU CARE

Teresa Remy, LeaderStat’s Director of Consulting says, “Good leaders care about their employees beyond just what the employee contributes to the bottom line. Old-fashioned TLC never goes out of style – leaders who make an effort to know their employees interests and understand/acknowledge their needs will have a loyal staff.” Time spent mentoring and working on deeper professional relationships is an investment that will pay large dividends.   

“They may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel.”  - Maya Angelou

REWARDS

Everybody loves recognition of a job well done. A culture of recognizing people for their efforts and accomplishments will create an atmosphere of friendly competition that will have employees rooting for each other’s successes. ‘Employee of the month’- type displays and short term inexpensive incentives like gift cards for gas, food, spa, etc., can create the right environment even on a tight budget. (We have found pet care incentives to be all the rage right now.)

EQUITY

Make sure ‘work life balance’ is lived out rather than just given lip-service, and that all divisions in your organization have it – nothing is more damaging to corporate morale than a festering sense of unfairness. Combat this, and create a work/fun balance with occasional team-building exercises (they are easier than you think).

TIME

None of these employee benefits can be implemented without time and effort. We encourage supervisors to have a regular (monthly, quarterly) one-on-one meeting with employees to give them quality face time. Questions like “what do you need to do your job?” and “where are you struggling?” will open doors of communication that ultimately lead to better performance.

CONTINUING CHALLENGES

Getting ‘bored’ is another top reason employees start to feel some wanderlust. Invest in high quality ongoing training and continuing education. It’s only human to become a bit lackluster and complacent without a target in sight, so whenever possible, create a clearly defined accomplishment ladder for advancement.

We’d like to hear about other incentives and employee benefits you have developed for holding on to your qualified employees. Call us 877-699-STAT to share.