10 Sep How to Retain Top HIT Employees
In a highly competitive job market like today’s, retaining top healthcare IT employees requires more than just a good salary and decent benefits. Whether you’re building or trying to maintain a strong HIT team, it’s essential to know what drives loyalty and passion in your employees. After all, if you can take good care of your staff, then your staff will be motivated to take care of you as well. Below are four very important ways you can inspire employees.
Engage with employees
Simply churning out goals and directions and waiting for results may work well for computers, but not for human beings. When you invest your time and energy into getting to know your employees on a personal level, both of you will benefit.
Ask your HIT team members about their achievements and frustrations. Show genuine interest in their thoughts and ideas about current and upcoming projects. Stay involved and show that you care by following up and offering your assistance if they want it.
Don’t forget to help employees in times of stress and personal difficulty. If they experience a serious illness, injury, or the death of a loved one, let the employee know you care. Some companies will send a care package, a cleaning service, deliver meals, or provide rides to employees who are ill or hospitalized.
When managers and employees are interacting regularly, managers become more human and relatable, and employees become individuals with unique skills rather than anonymous worker bees. Open communication and authentic efforts to connect is essential to mutual trust. Plus, you’ll likely get some valuable insights from your employees about everything from team dynamics to new ways of meeting goals.
Comparison can be very helpful
Managers see things from the top down. Employees see what’s happening in the trenches. Frequently these two perspectives never meet, and that can make for some big problems. Real and perceived differences in the way teams and individuals are treated can make for disgruntled employees, and even just one “bad apple” can sour things for your entire HIT team.
Watch for morale-sapping differences such as undesirable workspace location. Some of the worst places are next to restrooms, in a windowless basement, and in a loud and busy area. While grouping teams together may be an effective way of getting individuals to work together, they will be unhappy together if they have to deal with a distracting or unpleasant workspace.
Also keep an eye open for social activities between and within teams. If the sales team gets together for a regular happy hour, perhaps your HIT staff would enjoy that as well. Or if only a few team members go out for lunch while others are left out, perhaps you can organize team or department-wide lunches so employees can socialize and relax. Make sure your team doesn’t feel neglected or undervalued.
Invest in career development
When healthcare IT employees are able to expand and develop their skills and knowledge, they are more likely to remain with the company that encourages their career development. By giving your staff the tools they need to improve their expertise, their value to the company will rise, opening up opportunities for promotion or increased responsibility.
Encourage employees to attend all manner of development events such as:
- Seminars
- Online classes
- Continuing education programs
- Industry conferences
- Local networking meetings
In addition to augmenting their skills, employees attending these events might even serve as scouts for new talent to bring over to your company.
Incent when appropriate
You’ve heard of the carrot and the stick, right? The best type of carrot is the specific one that the employee really wants. Find out what types of incentives are truly motivating and use them appropriately. Examples include:
- Year-end bonus
- More vacation time
- Flexible hours
- Fancy dinner
- Public recognition
- Onsite perks such as a cafeteria or a childcare center
- Discounted memberships to gyms, museums, etc.
When employees feel appreciated and valued, they are much more loyal to the company and to the team.
Don’t forget salary and benefits
The salary you pay is not the least of your considerations. Compensation – including benefits and perks – must be in line with current industry levels. Low pay or weak benefits can result in dissatisfied employees who are poachable or who are actively looking for a new job. You can combat this and retain your HIT talent by researching compensation and keeping it competitive.
Building your HIT team? We’ve got some very talented job seekers who might be a perfect fit for your company. Contact us today!