In general, employee turnover may be defined as the number of the organization’s members that leave it within a certain period. If a company has a high staff turnover rate, a substantial number of employees regularly quit their job. In turn, a low employee turnover rate implies the organization’s comparatively stable workforce and the desire of individuals to keep their positions. The main reason for abnormally high employee turnover is inappropriate working conditions and HR systems that “are not always designed in ways that consider the well‐being of employees” (Boyd & Gessner, 2013, p. 251). However, the impact of staff turnover in health care and non-clinical organizations is substantially different. For instance, high turnover among retail or billing staff influences the company’s productivity, profitability, and reputation in a highly negative way. At the same time, turnover among nurse practitioners, physicians, or lab technicians and the potential subsequent shortage of health care providers due to a lack of qualified specialists has a considerably negative impact on people’s well-being. In certain circumstances, extensive employee turnover in the health care industry increases the risk of errors and may threaten patients’ lives.
Employee turnover is traditionally used by HRM in order to determine whether the company’s staff is satisfied with their working conditions or not. Across the majority of industries, a 20% staff turnover rate is regarded as average, however, a 10% turnover rate is preferable (Handrick, 2019). For the calculation of staff turnover, HR specialists should initially determine the employees’ total number and then divide it by the total number of workers who were fired or left a company voluntarily (Handrick, 2019). At the same time, data related to overtime working, job satisfaction, training spend per worker, and productivity is essential for the evaluation and forecasting of staff turnover as well. In health care, respectable salary, the opportunities for professional growth, the availability of training and modern equipment, and adequate work pressure may be regarded as basic staff needs that should be considered. However, in large hospitals, employees may be dissatisfied with the inability to pay more personal attention to patients. Large medical settings are technology-saturated and may be characterized by the strict algorithms of care delivery that exclude the opportunity of creating long-term relationships with patients based on mutual trust and respect.
Several practices may reduce the high turnover rate in medical settings. First of all, positions should be taken by candidates who possess all the necessary qualifications and skills required for these specialties. The selection process should not be intentionally forced, and appropriate specialists traditionally have a stronger desire to stay in an organization. In addition, employees should be encouraged to express their needs and opinions concerning the performance of their organizations. When health care providers know that their personal visions are considered and supported by management, they do not want to quit their job. Finally, employees should be provided with effective training programs that contribute to health care providers’ personal and professional growth within a medical setting. From a personal perspective, retention efforts should not be concentrated on one particular age group. Young specialists are immeasurably essential as they supply the setting’s staffing needs. However, more experienced employees who provide a high quality of health care may guide less experienced colleagues to improve their professional skills.
References
Boyd, N., & Gessner, B. (2013). Human resource performance metrics: Methods and processes that demonstrate you care. Cross Cultural Management, 20(2), 251–273. Web.
Handrick, L. (2019). Top 39 Human Resources (HR) metrics & how to calculate them. Fit Small Business. Web.