Aug 6, 2023

Addressing HR Challenges in Healthcare Industry in 2024

The labour market is experiencing a lot of turmoil in general right now, as worldwide economic concerns and new working conditions introduced by the pandemic have caused a lot of employees (and even employers) to reevaluate their relationship with work. There may be nowhere that this is more apparent than in the healthcare industry.

Healthcare workers have been on the frontlines of the pandemic, and the healthcare industry as a whole has had to reckon with the fallout of such an unprecedented event. Along with employees facing mental health and physical health crises, they have also had to contend with new work modes, as remote working and flexible scheduling have introduced new dynamics to the workplace. This has led to many organisations in the Healthcare industry having to face a lot of new challenges to better serve their employees, especially when it comes to HR.

HR is central to the operation and organisation of almost any business worldwide. If HR departments cannot function properly, the effects are felt throughout the business. But as problems develop in the business world, so does our access to solutions, and for all of the new concerns that HR departments have to deal with, new tools are being created to meet these challenges.

Here at Moonworkers, our HR software suite was created to help empower HR departments to better manage all of their responsibilities and boost the productivity of their organisations. To help illustrate how our software can be applied to the healthcare industry's challenges today, we have decided on a few pressing issues to discuss, along with the tools you can rely on to address them.

#1 Turnover and Retention

The Healthcare industry is currently battling a significant issue regarding employee turnover. After years of battling Covid-19, healthcare employees have made their own voices be heard as part of the “Great Resignation,” as record numbers of workers are reportedly leaving essential systems like the NHS.

There are many causes for this issue, including the desire to achieve a better work-life balance after combating a pandemic for years. With the chaos that has been in healthcare the past few years, it is understandable that employees are doing what they can to find some peace and solace, especially if they feel that their employers are not responsive to their needs. Now, organisations must ask themselves how they can better serve employees and improve their retention rates. One place to begin is to look at better onboarding and retention strategies; this is where Moonworkers can help you thrive.

How Moonworkers can help

There are many individual factors that can cause an employee to leave their job, but it is also important to consider the broader infrastructure in place and how it accommodates workers. When you have a system in place where employees can easily manage their schedules, receive their pay, and access information/assistance with their issues, then they feel more supported in their duties and welcome in their workplace.

The Moonworkers platform is great for this, as our robust HR software offers a platform that supports employees across multiple areas, including self-service tools for workers that allow them to feel more engaged with their workplace. Another important aspect we focus on is onboarding and making sure the employees you do find can be seamlessly integrated and feel comfortable in their position. With our incredibly cohesive workflow processes, you can swiftly implement and manage onboarding practices, while providing employees with an easy-to-follow procedure.

#2 Preparing for time off

We mentioned how crucial work-life balance has been for workers affected by a severe pandemic, but the data truly tells the story of how traumatic this time has been for healthcare workers. A recent report going back as far as 2017 but including the last few pandemic years shows that hospital staff have taken a combined total of 8 million days off in the last 5 years for mental health concerns. Making sure your employees are taken care of means providing them the time they need for rest.

To help better serve your organisation, as well as the employees who maintain it, it is best to have a comprehensive system in place that offers sensible tools for managing schedules and requesting/approving time off. To better accommodate tired healthcare workers, we need to better support their work-life balance, and your business needs to accommodate their time off.

How Moonworkers can help

Fortunately, Moonworkers knows how important schedule management and Rota planning are for businesses, especially healthcare. Without the right number of employees in the right place at the right time, results can be much more impactful than in other industries. That is why through our platform, you can easily view and manage employee schedules and simply observe where shortages, overlaps, or any other issues may occur.

On top of just employer benefits, our software also offers maximum comfort and accessibility for employees. Employees can easily access a company portal that allows them to input their needed time off, which you can then easily approve or comment on. With these systems in place, workers can more easily find the means to request the rest they need, while employers have the insight necessary to accommodate this time off and make staffing changes where necessary.

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#3 Providing Adequate Benefits and Care

One of the biggest workers’ demands across all industries is offering better benefits and care for employees who have to deal with turbulent schedules and a struggling economy. Even before the pandemic, healthcare workers were calling for increased benefits and services for such a vital role in society, and if the healthcare industry wants to secure a better future, then better benefits need to be a part of the conversation.

Whether it be free parking, mental health services, childcare, or many other beneficial offers, businesses need to consider how they can further provide for their employees. When it comes to managing benefits, this is yet another area where Moonworkers can be of service.

How Moonworkers can help

Not only does Moonworkers offer access to benefits and discounts with many brands through our platform, but our simple payroll integration software also allows you to collaborate with and accommodate employees on matters of work benefits.

Previously, many businesses have focused on providing a standard benefits package that addresses a small range of issues that affect employees. Now, however, in order to be competitive and attractive to employees, you should look to offer the most practicality and relevance in your employee benefits.

Allow employees to be actively part of the discussion on what benefits are desired and provide coverage for them through our comprehensive HR software. For more traditional HR departments, this may be a difficult process, but we have strived to make our software as simple as possible to allow maximum accessibility for employers and employees alike.

#4 Accommodating Flexible and Remote Work Schedules

Another issue facing the labour market as a whole that has been exacerbated in healthcare is the introduction of flexible and remote work. These concepts aren’t entirely brand new, the pandemic has only expedited the reality of these modes of work becoming more relevant in the workforce. For many healthcare workers, a flexible working schedule is beneficial to their health and well-being.

Likewise, remote work has also come to the forefront, with remote meetings being held exponentially more during the pandemic with a reduction of in-person gatherings. Because of these realities shifting how employees approach work, employers need to better serve their employees by accommodating these schedules.

How Moonworkers can help

With the Moonworkers platform, managing even flexible employee schedules is incredibly straightforward. Through a single interface, you can view the entirety of your staff responsibilities and manage your time and locations accordingly, ensuring that no area is ever understaffed and no overlaps ever occur. But on top of just making sure schedules are okay, flexible work times can also provide for complicated payroll issues. Luckily, Moonworkers understands this issue, and our payroll software can easily calculate dues for any worker on any schedule.

Even with recent legislation changes regarding employee leave and holiday pay, Moonworkers has integrated these guidelines into the service. Therefore, you can have your payroll automatically calculated with the seamless integration of your employee schedules rather than having to calculate these stipulations by hand.

Manage your workplace problems with comprehensive HR software

The HR department may be the most vital part of any organisation. Every employee hired will have to interact with the HR department, and a strong approach to onboarding and retaining employees is important for ensuring a healthy workforce without a frequent turnover. While some reports suggest that the Healthcare industry is beginning to see some positive changes regarding the workforce, many issues persist, and some have existed long before the pandemic ever became an issue.

The modern labour market is facing new challenges and making new demands for businesses to help ensure that their livelihoods and well-being are provided for while doing some of the most essential and impactful work in society. As a business, it is your responsibility to do what you can to make sure that your employees feel comfortable and accommodated. Failure to do so results in what the business world at large is seeing with the “Great Resignation”.

But one of the benefits of being a modern business is having access to modern solutions, and for the important responsibility that is HR, there may be no better tool to help than HR software.

Here at Moonworkers, our goal has been to provide businesses with access to this vital software, and the healthcare industry is no exception. Whether you are a bakery or a hospital, every business will face challenges with its HR operations. Through our powerful features that include seamless payroll and Rota planning integration, as well as a substantial benefits platform, we seek to empower every business with the tools they need to face the challenges of the day and promote a better future for their industry.

Book a demo with us today, and see how you can better prepare to face the challenges of the new normal.