Beyond The Gig Economy: Prioritizing Quality in The Healthcare Workforce

In this piece, we delve into the impact of the “uberization” trend in healthcare staffing. While gig-based models offer flexibility, we explore whether they compromise the quality of patient care. Moreover, we discuss strategies to address employee dissatisfaction and retain skilled healthcare professionals. Let’s navigate the intersection of innovation, employee well-being, and patient outcomes.

A recent article highlights the trend of hospitals to seek gig nurses.

US hospitals turn to gig work amid nurse shortage (msn.com)

Why is this happening?? Health care is experiencing a “Staffing crisis’ because100,000 registered nurses left the workplace due to stresses in the Covid-19 pandemic, The National Council of State Boards of Nursing found that over 610,000 more intend to leave by 2027 due to stress, burnout, or retirement.? This is a significant dent in the workforce: as of 2022, the country had around 5.2 million active registered nurses. There is a “staffing crisis in health care,” said Deborah Visconi, chief executive of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center where Martinez works.”

All businesses live and die on customer retention.? Employee retention is similar to customer retention, yet many healthcare organizations don’t see it this way and are dependent on recruiting and have lost focus on the retention of current employees.

Customer and employee retention share several commonalities, despite being distinct in their contexts. Let’s explore these parallels:

1. Human Connection: Both involve building strong relationships. In customer retention, it’s about fostering loyalty by understanding individual needs and providing exceptional service. Employee retention, it’s about creating a supportive work environment where employees feel valued and connected.
2. Cost Implications: Losing customers or employees is costly. Acquiring new customers is more expensive than retaining existing ones. Similarly, recruiting and training new employees is resource-intensive compared to retaining experienced staff.
3. Quality Impact: High turnover affects quality. In healthcare, for instance, continuity of care is crucial. Frequent staff changes can disrupt patient-provider relationships. Similarly, consistent customer interactions lead to better service quality.
4. Feedback Loop: Both retention efforts benefit from feedback. Listening to customers’ needs and addressing pain points improves retention. Similarly, employee feedback helps enhance workplace satisfaction and retention.
5. Root Causes: Just as we seek root causes for customer churn, we must identify reasons for employee turnover. Dissatisfaction, lack of growth opportunities, or poor management can drive both away.
6. Retention Strategies: Tailored strategies matter. Personalized marketing campaigns retain customers. Likewise, customized employee development, recognition, and work-life balance initiatives boost retention.

Remember, retaining people—whether customers or employees—requires empathy, proactive measures, and a commitment to their well-being.

Call ProNexus Advisory, to discuss our AI technology that gets to the root cause of employee dissatisfaction. Our cutting-edge AI-powered tool, backed by proprietary machine learning algorithms, empowers you to predict turnover with astonishing accuracy, paving the way for a healthier, more stable nursing team.

About the Author: Kevin B. Dull is a member of the ProNexus community of healthcare experts. He is a leader in the field of organizational development and HR, with over 20 years of experience. Dull is the founder of KBD Consulting, a highly regarded People Strategy and HR Consulting firm, and co-founder of MgrWorkbench,ai, a cutting-edge HR AI Technology firm. Dull's expertise in this field culminated in his role as the Chief Human Potential Officer for a $3.5 billion revenue Health Care Delivery Organization with over 22,000 employees. Dull has also spent more than a decade working as an adjunct professor, teaching courses on Innovation, Business Strategy, Organizational Development and Human Resources

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