This article is contributed by Jason Dirkham.
Every business goes through periods of stagnation. If you feel your business to be stagnating on a constant basis, and this is something that’s been ongoing for months, if not years, working to address the problems related to morale and the culture of the business should be priority number one. But what happens when the business is one that provides healthcare to paying customers? As the abundance of healthcare startup these days have highlighted there is a need for general healthcare we’ve got to work at ensuring our workers, on every level, are feeling supported and secure. You only have to look at the other skeleton healthcare industries around the world to see that it doesn’t take much to cause a company to struggle. As healthcare is reliant on the ability to fix patients, we have to ensure that our staff is also in the same position, that they are “fixed”. What can we do to improve workplace morale in a healthcare business setting?
ENSURING TECHNOLOGY SERVES A PURPOSE
Every business is reliant on technology to do so many aspects now, it works at improving productivity, but also cutting corners in the day-to-day handling of information. Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are a boon in the modern business of medicine, but we also have to look at making technology serve a purpose for workers and patients alike. When we look at how a business is struggling to get by due to a lack of staff, as well as additional queues and waiting times, technology can serve a wonderful purpose with regards to the apps out there that bridge the gap between patient and medical professional.
While many medical practices have made the most of the telephone to communicate with patients, nowadays, numerous general practices have apps that can help a doctor make a more thorough diagnosis. Smartphones, in this instance, make communication easier for doctor and patient, but the smartphone (and specifically, its camera) becomes an excellent tool because the doctor can partially see the symptoms as well. We can rely on technology, but only to an extent. It’s important that we have the right technology to ensure that we are more productive, but the technology has to serve a purpose, and that purpose is to ensure that we make a thorough diagnosis straight away, getting the ball rolling towards solving the problem.
ENTICING THE NEW BREED OF PROFESSIONAL
While there are many health jobs out there, the problem a meager startup has is enticing these new professionals into their practice. The medical industry is suffering a major drought as the older breed of doctors and nurses are retiring, and there are not enough new applicants to fill their place. And if morale is low across the board, it’s hardly a surprise that the industry as a whole is deterring anyone from entering the profession.
So what do we mean by the new breed? And what is it that they need from their occupation? Millennials are looking for flexibility in their roles. This can be a very difficult thing to achieve in the medical industry. After all, it’s our ability to help others that override any form of common sense. And we could be guilty of using this to our advantage, especially when we are understaffed. But we have to look at providing a holistic framework for our employees to work in. By focusing on the working environment, rather than overloading the job with supposed “perks”, we can bring people on board who have the skills, but also the moral compass in which to perform effectively.
WORKING WITH THE EXISTING STAFF
While it’s one thing to entice the younger generations of medical professionals into the roles, we also have to work effectively with the existing staff to improve their morale. Now, the morale of a business and the company culture cannot be summarized in a few simple points, but when we consider the reasons why morale is low, are there a few common culprits?
If there is a general feeling of unhappiness running throughout the business, it’s not about giving the employees what they think they want. It’s about the long game when it comes to employee engagement. The first thing you have to ask yourself is, does your team feel like a team? If not, then this is an ideal starting point. We have to remember that with every worker involved, they can either feel like they’re in it on their own, or they rely on the support of their fellow workers to get them through. Workplace relationships, especially under a stressful environment like healthcare relies on a sense of symbiosis. What we can struggle with, especially with regards to the different roles in a medical practice, is that the doctors can feel like the people in charge, and everyone else are lesser so. This is a very outdated model, especially when there are professionals pulling rank over someone else. Unfortunately, this is a common issue, especially when diagnoses are concerned. But what we can do to improve communication between the roles is to integrate regular team building activities. Because a lot of people have an “allergy” to team building exercises, you’ve got to pick your activity well.
What can be greatly overlooked, especially when human needs are concerned, is the needs of our employees. Our employees have their own schedules outside of working hours, children, external commitments, and so forth. While it’s impossible to accommodate remote working in this respect, the fact still remains that we need to provide our workers with the essentials in which to work at their best. This means looking at their needs outside work. The answer can be surprisingly simple as to why morale is low, especially if it’s with the same few employees. Maybe they haven’t had a break for a long time, or they don’t have the emotional capabilities to cope with what’s going on in work as well as outside of their job? We can gravely underestimate how time outside of work can impact their working abilities. And while we have to work at ensuring their sense of professionalism remains on the job, if the cracks are showing, then we have to provide a support network so they can feel nurtured.
MOVING FORWARD WITH MORALE
You can’t progress until you address the current issues. But what we can do right away is improve that clichéd, but vital component, communication. If you’re not able to get to the root of the problem, then it’s time to speak to the people suffering from these ailments. Ultimately, job satisfaction can lead to improved morale. What we can struggle with in a medical environment is that these issues can constantly go on the back burner, because, naturally, the patients take priority. But you have to work at regularity so problems can be nipped in the bud. Employee reviews are simple and they can help an individual to open up but if morale is so low that they don’t feel able to divulge their innermost thoughts about the organization, this is where you come in.
It can take a long time to get right, but we have to remember that it’s our leadership that inspires and sets the precedent. We have to lead by example, but we also have to encourage an open door policy. It’s a very difficult thing to achieve, especially when we are so busy, but an open door policy can result in so much positivity for an organization. But if you’ve embodied the archetype of someone who rules the roost at arm’s length, this may also provide a reason to the lack of morale. When we look at the overall structure of a business, we can’t view ourselves as separate to the company. We can very easily carry on with this perspective, either because we’re an entrepreneur that doesn’t deal with the actual day-to-day duties of the organization, or because we have an antiquated view of proceedings. And if we follow the latter, thinking that we’re the “boss” and they’re the employees, this builds up a gulf between the two camps, in which case, it’s hardly a surprise that morale is low!
IT’S TIME TO START
As every healthcare business is in direct competition with one another and the fact that there is more investment being put into it, this could be a breeding ground for money grabbing entrepreneurs and business leaders. But this is hardly the right reason to go into a profession of this sort. Healthcare boils down to two things: the wellbeing of the patients, and the wellbeing of the professionals. And for any business to run effectively, the people doing the day-to-day operations need to feel safe in the knowledge that their needs are being catered for, so they can do their job properly. Your role is to ensure the components all work together effectively. If they don’t, this automatically results in a lack of morale, positivity, and this spirals out of control, resulting in long-term sickness, staff relationship problems, and this will all result in a negative perception of your business from the outside. It’s a very difficult thing to achieve, but morale is the tie that binds, especially in the broken bandage that is the healthcare industry.
This article is contributed by Jason Dirkham.
