Creating engaged employees and investing in new technologies are two strategies that can help address health care worker shortages, a new report finds.

The report, "Top Workforce Trends Impacting the Health Care Industry in 2020," was released by software company Achievers, and looks at one of the most pressing problems for the industry-worker shortages. According to the Achievers analysis, the health care industry faces a "staggering talent deficit."

The current low unemployment rate for the U.S., 3.6 percent, means that many industries are facing challenges in recruiting and retaining talent. "For the health care industry, this problem is exacerbated," the study said. "Health care has the highest percentage of job openings, and those openings are the toughest to fill. CareerCast, a job search portal that examined data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, published a list of jobs that are hardest to fill in 2019. Of the top eight jobs, six were in health care."

A lack of skilled employees, growing demand for workers, and issues with burnout and worker turnover all are factors that play into health care worker shortages, the report said.

Industry trends: Engaging employees

The study said engagement is key to recruiting and retaining employees, and it discusses the term "Employer Value Proposition (EVP) as a way to understand how workers are thinking about health care jobs.

The study defines EVP as including:

Opportunity—such as career development and advancement opportunity, as well as organization growth rate.
People—assessing manager, coworker and leadership quality, the reputation of the company's leadership.
Organization—a company's market position, social responsibility, product and service quality.
Work—how an employer aligns employee interests with their role, and the approach to work/life balance.
Rewards—including compensation, health and retirement benefits and time off.

Some key ways that employers can improve their EVP include emphasizing employee recognition, encouraging and listening to employee feedback, and providing pathways for learning and development, the study said.

Technology's role

Not surprisingly, Achievers is a strong proponent of updating technology as a way to improve recruitment and retention. But the report makes the case that more efficient use of technology improves both the workers' experience and the patient experience in health care settings.

Upgrading wireless connections in a clinical setting, for example, "…Enables several moving parts of working hospitals, from patient monitoring to nurse/doctor communication to EHRs to sync for accurate and real-time data. This is especially critical for short-staffed work environments and ensures patient safety. Workflow automation through these devices allows for fewer transcription errors, less administrative tasks, and real-time data analysis," the report said.

Better digital communication also can improve employee feedback and communication with managers, the report noted. And Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are expected to bring revolutionary improvements to health care delivery.

"Physicians are able to leverage AR and virtual reality technology to perform precise surgeries, see through skin to plan for complex procedures and create detailed 3D medical images, among other actions," the report said. "…[AI] allows for faster and more accurate diagnosis, early detection, and treatment."

The amount of change going on can be daunting, the report concludes. But the upside to better communication and more efficient performance will be a better work culture. "Now more than ever, it's important for health care organizations to create environments where employees feel valued, appreciated and supported," the report said. "Soliciting regular feedback from employees (and acting on it), supporting career development, investing in up-to-date technology, and recognizing employees frequently are proven ways to get there."

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Instant Insights /

Workforce shortages continue to challenge health care industry

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