8 Ways to Retain Good Staff

Nearly every health center I talk to is struggling with retaining good employees. The COVID pandemic really changed the workforce landscape due to intense pressure, fatigue and a depleting patience and compassion from the public. Staff are reporting increased levels of anger and abuse from patients and families who are experiencing longer wait times or unexpected closures due to staffing shortages.

So, what can a leader do to support the retention of their key staff? 

Here are my 8 strategies to encourage employees at all levels in the organization to stay.

1. Reinforce Their Value: No matter what role an employee is in, it's an important role to the success of the company. Each person needs to feel that they are a valued part of a bigger team; and, not just a cog in the machine. Celebrate them and their role in the organization openly and genuinely praise them for a job well done.

2. Help Them Plan for The Future: Individual advancement and development is a critical factor for everyone to succeed at an organizational level. Planning for team goals should include a development plan for each individual on the team, which will give them a sense of belonging and purpose. People want to know that they are on a path to keep climbing the career ladder, and helping them stay on that path will show them their development is important to the team and the organization.

3. Create Safety: People who feel frustrated in their roles with no room for improvement will leave, so help them feel supported and heard when they come to you with their frustrations. Teach staff how to give constructive criticism and encourage them to share their ideas for improvement.

4. Be Empathetic: Having empathy for yourself and your team will show them that you care about the team's well-being both at work and outside of work. I always say "family comes first" and I genuinely mean that. When staff feel that they have an empathic leader who cares about them and has compassion for them, they will be loyal to that leader.

5. Add Variety to Their Role: Change is a good break, especially if someone's role doesn't have a lot of variation from day to day. Think about the main problems your team has and then invite the team members to think of solutions and ways that their role can evolve to help the team be more successful. This creates engagement with staff and adds variety to roles that may have lost their appeal or are becoming mundane.

6. Empower People: Micromanaging is the kiss of death for highly accomplished people. You hired them because they have a skillset that you needed, so you shouldn't need to monitor everything they're doing. Give them autonomy to be creative, problem-solve, and achieve successes. Research has shown that autonomy can be a bigger driver than income, for staff, in terms of retention.

7. Give Flexibility: If the COVID pandemic taught us anything, it is that people need flexibility in their work schedule. In healthcare, flexibility can be difficult to accomplish, but try to help employees figure out how they can work from home one day a week, or come in late/leave early on certain days.

8. Foster Relationships at Work: People who feel more connected to their coworkers will stay longer. We spend most of our working hours at work, so make sure the team has opportunities to get to know each other outside of the office to build friendships and trust.

If you have a high turnover rate and need help with employee retention, let’s talk. You can schedule a 30-minute consult call by clicking the button below. I not only maintained a 85 - 90% retention rate at my health center, we also received the Employer of Choice award in 2023, and I know what it takes to get people to stay.