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Healthcare bosses urged to focus on engagement, not just pay

Healthcare leaders are being urged not to focus entirely on pay as a ‘silver bullet’ to reverse long-term attrition and understaffing – following a new report which highlights the impact of inadequate communication, stressful conditions and a lack of flexibility on staff wellbeing and retention.

Article by Toma Pagojute, HR Director – Quinyx

As rows over pay continue and strike action looms, new healthcare report underlines ongoing issues with communication and flexibility

Healthcare leaders are being urged not to focus entirely on pay as a ‘silver bullet’ to reverse long-term attrition and understaffing – following a new report which highlights the impact of inadequate communication, stressful conditions and a lack of flexibility on staff wellbeing and retention.

The UK healthcare report* found that, while the majority of workers (71%) said they’d feel more engaged in their job if offered a pay rise, almost half (44%) would feel similarly motivated if their work environment was less stressful.  A third (34%) said they’d be more engaged as a result of better communication between management and staff, and over one in four (28%) would be motivated by increased flexibility.

The study – part of Quinyx’s annual State of the Deskless Workforce global study of almost 10,000 frontline staff – revealed that a massive 78% of UK healthcare staff say they are confident of finding another job based on their skills, and believe there are lots of career opportunities open to them. This is up from 47% in 2021, reflecting a shift in the jobs market in workers’ favour, as employers struggle to fill vacancies – suggesting that staff will continue to walk if needs are not met.

The Quinyx data also highlighted significant problems with communication between management and staff:

  • 56% of healthcare workers say they feel uncomfortable talking to their employer about how stress is affecting their own health
  • 43% feel that feedback they give to management is ignored
  • 61% say they wouldn’t speak to their boss about scheduling issues that were affecting their personal life
  • 66% would feel uncomfortable asking to reduce their hours
  • 54% wouldn’t tell their employer if they had an issue with a colleague

Furthermore, the study underlines the impact of understaffing on employee wellbeing: three quarters (72%) of respondents say they’ve experienced understaffing, with 90% of those saying it leads to a more stressful work environment.

Toma Pagojute, HR director, Quinyx said: “Of course healthcare workers should be fairly remunerated – it shouldn’t even be up for discussion. However, the heavy focus on pay means other management issues are likely to be ignored, and will continue to have a massive impact on retention and understaffing.

“Pay is only part of the problem – healthcare staff don’t feel listened to, they don’t feel able to ask for flexibility that could help them do their jobs better and minimise understaffing.

“Employees are leaving in their droves, and while there are no quick fixes to such deep-rooted problems, we would urge managers to look at ways they can improve workplace communication today. Asking for feedback and acting on it, not ignoring it, is a good place to start. Consider more flexible approaches to scheduling and let them know their contribution is recognised and valued.

“It’s easy to view pay increases as the ‘silver bullet’ that will solve understaffing issues, but even in the current economic climate, money isn’t always the ‘be all and end all’ for many employees. We believe healthcare leaders need to place the same emphasis on flexibility and communication, if long-term issues are ever to be properly addressed.”

*Research from Quinyx

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