For hospitals, having an engaged workforce not only leads to a more productive workforce, it can also lead to improved patient safety and outcomes. So how can hospitals achieve employee engagement?
There are three interventions hospitals can implement to build and sustain an engaged employee base, according to an article in the Gallup Business Journal. They are as follows:
1. Select employees based on talent. Use a scientific approach to select and hire the best employees at every level, from frontline workers to executives.
2. Invest in ongoing employee development. Hospitals can rework their performance management systems to focus on employee strengths, according to the article. "[Encourage] each employee to connect his or her strengths with role expectations," the authors wrote.
3. Emphasize engagement throughout the organization. Measure engagement levels, and work to improve in areas that need it. Hospital CEOs should stress why sustaining engagement is important, and managers can help set goals and be accountable for meeting them.
According to the article, one hospital that implemented these steps saw a dramatic rise in employee engagement and steep declines in turnover and worker's compensation claims.
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