Words provided by Quinyx, editorially reviewed by National Health Executive
The year 2020 has been nothing short of cataclysmic for the entire world. Not a single person would disagree that Covid-19 has changed everything. While being in the middle of it all, desperately trying to look after the sick and the frail, it is sometimes hard to take a step back and remember what is actually the most important for you and your healthcare organisation.
Between February and May 2020, Quinyx conducted a survey of 1,200 deskless workers across the UK to get insights about their work, wellbeing, overall health, wants and needs, both pre- and during the pandemic. So what did we find?
Mental health under strain
When asked about their mental health, 42% of healthcare workers polled said their job had negatively impacted their mental health within the past 12 months. During the crisis, this number rocketed to 54%.
Prior to the pandemic, 53% of healthcare workers who said that their job negatively impacted their mental health over the last 12 months did so because they felt that they were not appreciated for the work they do. 58% of all the healthcare workers polled also said that they have considered leaving their job because of a negative work environment. Why is this?
No time for work-life balance
Work-life balance; a concept beautiful to its core, it seems to be nothing but a dream for most. Workers reported a lack of visibility and control over their rosters, financial concerns and worries over their job security as having a negative impact on their mental wellbeing.
Flexibility is also not a luxury for all, especially not within the healthcare sector. Of those polled, 66% told us that they had missed out on social events or holiday celebrations because of inflexible rosters. 31% also said they had left a job because of a lack of flexibility.
Taking time off when being sick is also not an option. Prior to Covid-19, 66% reported that they go to work when sick, and 21% of workers still went into work sick during the pandemic.
More than 91% of healthcare workers are contacted by their employers when they are “off the clock” - more than in any industry we surveyed. And the worrying results just keep on piling up...
We have a problem
What we see here is that we have a problem and it speaks to us loud and clear. We have employees - across different industries, both deskless and office-based - that aren’t enjoying what should be mandatory for all. Namely, a work-life balance. It shouldn’t be news to anyone that achieving a better work-life balance yields more dividends for both employees and employers. Being more motivated towards work leads to increased productivity and ultimately to a happy workforce who feels valued.
Your workforce is your greatest asset and if they’re not happy, how can the organisation really be?
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a secret formula we could implement and a magic wand we could wave about with glee to increase our workers happiness? It’s not that easy, but there are things you can do.
Show how much you care
Many healthcare workers are uncomfortable talking to their employers about their health, compensation or their personal situation. One third don’t feel comfortable talking to their employer about their working conditions and the impact of work on their health. At the same time, 30% wouldn’t talk to their employer about scheduling issues affecting their personal life. During times like these, you have the perfect opportunity to engage them, show them how much you care and give them a chance to talk about their wants and needs.
You have the power to initiate the dialogue whether it’s via anonymous surveys or face-to-face conversations. This article would be an interesting read for you if you want to know more about how to retain and motivate your workers.
Communicate better and more often
Don’t just stop at initiating the dialogue. Go further and ensure your employees are well informed and kept in the loop. What we have seen over the last couple of months are times of extreme uncertainty, and times like these call for fast and effective communication.
Healthcare organisations need the right tools to share important Covid-19 information to keep employees and patients safe. The importance of being able to quickly relay critical safety information, policy updates, and other vital information with your workforce instantly, cannot be underestimated.
If you want to know more about how healthcare organisations can support their workforce through communication, this is the blog post for you.
Offer flexibility
One may think that more money is what all employees are asking for but it is actually not the case. 36% of the healthcare workers polled said that they would prefer more flexibility over a pay rise (more than in any other industry polled).
As an employer, you need to take responsibility by offering your workforce the flexibility they crave. Remember that flexibility can be offered in a million different ways. A good starting point is to give your employees more control over their own time and rosters. There are numerous benefits to work-life harmony which we have detailed in this comprehensive blog post.
Embrace the benefits of technology
How to create better integration between your employees’ personal lives and work lives? As doctors and nurses work to save patients, workforce management technology can become the lifeline that helps keep your workforce safe, productive and happy.
With the right technology, you can offer your workforce more flexibility in their shift scheduling, set up efficient communications tools and easily engage with them, while limiting the admin time spent on forecasting, rostering, payroll and more. This way, managers can easily manage, optimise and make changes to their rostering based on factors such as patient demand and occupancy of beds.
On top of this, you can engage your staff even more by using a mobile app where they can see their roster, swap shifts, add extra shifts, request leave and much more. Efficient management of your healthcare workforce will help reduce stress and pressure on frontline staff. More information on how we could help can be found here.
Conclusion
The way forward starts with the right attitude. Embrace change, innovation, technology and make sure to leverage on the right solutions out there. Workforce management technology can help you offer your workforce what they so desperately crave: improved mental and physical wellbeing and work-life balance.
About Quinyx
Quinyx is a cloud-based, mobile-first workforce management software that fuels growth for people and businesses in service industries. Quinyx was founded by CEO Erik Fjellborg when working at McDonald’s as a student. After seeing how difficult it was for managers to sort shifts manually, Erik created Quinyx, the market-leading workforce management software, which transformed and radically improved the industry. McDonald’s loved Erik’s solution and became Quinyx’s first customer.
Today, Quinyx helps some of the world’s biggest organisations save time and money, boost productivity and enjoy work. Quinyx has offices in the UK, Sweden, U.S, Finland, Germany, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands. Its software has also been implemented globally, in markets and regions such as Europe, North America, China, Japan and Korea. Clients include Medivet, Vocare, Livi, IC24, Swarovski, Rituals, IHG, Kal Tire, Boots, Virgin Atlantic, London City Airport, Benugo and Odeon Cinemas Group.
For more information, visit www.quinyx.com
