Providence's toolkit for employee retention

Retention is a high priority for any health system, including Renton, Wash.-based Providence, which has approximately 122,000 employees across multiple states.

On Nov. 11, Martin Schreiber, EdD, vice president of the Mission Leadership Institute at Providence, and Greg Till, chief people officer, spoke with Becker's during our 12th Annual CEO+CFO Roundtable about top priorities to improve retention across the 51-hospital health system.

Dr. Schreiber specifically credited the work of the Mission Leadership Institute. Established in November 2021 to equip leaders with the skills and insights necessary in today's evolving healthcare landscape, the institute offers the Mission Leadership Academy for early-career employees and the Discerning Mission Leader program for those in later career stages.

Dr. Schreiber said the institute assesses program effectiveness by evaluating how workers feel within the organization's culture and whether they find a sense of purpose in their roles — both essential factors in improving retention.

"We're so grateful for the work Martin and his team does, because it connects our caregivers to a greater purpose," said Mr. Till. 

"There aren't many organizations where caregivers can serve with purpose, bring their whole self to work, and connect who they are as people with the good they’re doing for their communities. Our caregivers can. And, the work Martin and his team are doing help make those connections."

Dr. Schreiber said the institute enables him to assess an employee's "presence" in terms of the focus they bring to the task at hand. He noted a study by Harvard psychologists Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert, published in Science in 2010, that found people spend approximately 46.9% of their day contemplating something outside of their current activity.

"That takes away from creativity, from a sense of 'I am here with you.' And we would really like to look at whether there are key essential practices in leadership training that help bring people back — not just as a form of self help, but as a real indicator that I can be with a patient, that I can be with someone who's hurting," he added.

Moreover, Providence focuses on growth when it comes to employee retention.

Mr. Till said the health system has tripled investment in caregiver development over the last several years, to ensure caregivers have the capabilities they need for the future.

Over this period, Providence has expanded education assistance benefits to increase affordability, partnered with Guild to improve access, and engaged in a strategic relationship with OpusVi — a workforce development solutions provider backed by companies including Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health and Providence — to expand the healthcare workforce.

"Stay interviews" have also boosted retention at Providence, where core leaders are trained to engage meaningfully with their caregivers, especially in the first year of employment.  

"We trained our core leaders to have stay conversations — pretty simple conversations with our caregivers about what is working in their work environment and what isn't," said Mr. Till. 

"Was the role meeting their expectations? How were they engaging with their team? Were they committed to staying with the organization? What would make a positive difference for them? How closely were they connecting to the Mission? What was getting in their way? Once we provided core leaders with the tools, we did an incredible job engaging with our caregivers."

With these and other efforts, turnover rates at Providence have dropped by about four percentage points.

Mr. Till's main takeaways for executives to improve retention: "First, get the basics right. These include competitive pay, a safe work environment, a commitment to high reliability, and regular engagement with caregivers. After you get those things right, a connection to purpose, growth, belonging, and caring are the keys to building a strong culture."

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