Okay, I guess common sense is really just not that common. As tight as the healthcare job market is, you would think that job seekers would do everything possible to prepare for an interview. Or, maybe they'll just go out and party the night before and get thrown in jail. Maybe they'll just show up in tank top.

If you need a little humor in your hectic day, well take a look at our "10 Things You Should Never Do On An Interview". Oh yeah, it really happened.

Dale Hannegan
www.radsciences.com
www.mymedport.com

I have many friends who own and operate small businesses, and it seems that all of them are struggling to keep them alive in the current recession. Some have already gone under and my best friend may be losing his business after 10 years of working 12 hour days to establish himself in a competitive industry. But for some reason, they all think healthcare is the place to be when the economy turns soft. They ask me about my business and seem surprised when I tell them that hospitals are struggling too. I guess it's just ignorance.

I work with dozens of hospitals across the country and most of them are singing the same tune. Postponed equipment upgrades, delayed projects, layoffs and a whole list of internal problems related to the current economy. My job is to work with healthcare leaders to identify and develop top talent for their organizations. Do you think my business is affected? Well sure. While people (actually the right people) are a companies number one asset, budgets for training, leadership development and recruitment planning seem to be the first to be cut. At least that's what many HR leaders tell me. Advertising budgets are reduced, training is postponed and positions are eliminated.

While I tend to agree with many of these cuts (sorry HR), I believe that budgets for organizational development (OD) should be spared at all cost. Studies show that a well-structured OD plan helps with patient satisfaction and employee engagement during tough times.

The bottom line is, you cannot make a sick patient who lost his employer paid insurance during a layoff come to your hospital. But you can work to create a positive, engaged workforce through regular training and direct interaction. Leaders, please do not separate yourself during these tough times. Get out on the floor and work with your teams at the staff level. Show them you care, ask for their ideas and listen.

Dale Hannegan
www.radsciences.com
www.mymedport.com

Need a Physical Therapist for your practice? Well join the club. If the job boards are not generating you good candidates for your facility, I can tell you why. People are digging in and waiting out this economic storm that is lingering over their financial houses. Therefore, if you need a Physical Therapist, you better work evenings and weekends to call them and give them a reason to work for you. On the MyMedPort website (www.mymedport.com) there is a good article that will help you gain some leverage when attracting Physical Therapists.

Job boards have made a recruiters job much easier over the years. But what did recruiters do before job boards came along? Have you been in the field long enough to remember? Well I have. They cold called! Yes.. days, nights and weekends to find passive job seekers. My guess is that only the strong will survive this storm.

In September, we surveyed some of our clients asking them to rank in order of importance topics they felt were the most important to their organization relating to employee recruitment and retention. By far, employee retention was the topic most managers wanted more information on, followed by reducing contract labor, then reducing their cost per hire.

As most of us have seen, employee loyalty is very short-lived, and most hospital employees do not expect to be with the same employer for more than a couple of years. The fact is the employee's basic needs are changing. Finding and keeping good talent is not just about money anymore. Believe it or not, it’s typically third down the line of reasons employees leave.

In most cases, we discovered that candidates do not leave for just more money, or to avoid difficult job circumstances. Research conducted by our organization found that employees usually leave because of human factors such as; greater job appreciation, better working relationship with management, better geographic location to their family, better work environment, more flex-time, etc.

RadSciences Group has tried to keep the formula for employee retention relatively simple, but unfortunately, it’s not. However, we have determined that there are three key ingredients to effective employee retention.

1. Creating a better working environment
2. Develop a career and recognition plan
3. Appreciating employees financially

1. Improving the work environment
FIRST AND FOREMOST, REPLACE/RE-TRAIN BAD MANAGERS: We all have them - Team “leaders” that should not be telling other employees what to do. These individuals do not lead by example, and your employees talk about them behind your back. Most directors know its going on, but do not want to cause conflict by approaching this person about their leadership skills. Eventually, they let things continue until the department eventually turns over. This person may be a good tech and you think you can’t afford to lose them, but that is simply not the case. To put this in perspective, it traditionally takes our firm less than
30 days to fill management/lead tech level positions.

2. Define your career and recognition plan
A CAREER PLAN: Employees like to have clearly defined goals, as well as defined plans and schedules to achieve those goals. Help employees develop a career plan within the organization so that they understand where they are going, and why it makes sense to achieve those goals. For more information on how to create this type of program, please contact us @ 800-804-2345

OPEN DIALOG: Sharing of certain operating and financial information helps build trust between employer and employee. It also helps workers understand how their performance affects results, and encourages their input. This ultimately invests them with a feeling of ownership in the company and a long-term stake in its future. One of the most valuable tools a manager has is the ability to provide regular feedback.

TEAM BUILDING/RECOGNITION: Provide reward and recognition programs that recognize performance and achievement. Hold regular company social outings to build rapport and enthusiasm. The key word here is “regular”. You cannot expect to do something fun once a year and it make an impact on your department. For more information on how to create this type of program, please contact us @ 800-804-2345

3. Appreciate employees financially
PAY MARKET WAGES, PAY MARKET WAGES, PAY MARKET WAGES: Accessing market information on compensation averages has never been easier. Any employee worth keeping is smart enough to monitor these figures to make sure he is getting paid fair market value. If your hospital Administrator or CFO will not approve wages for your department, ask for approval to supplement wages with bonuses and performance-based pay.

Additional benefits may include:
• Trips and weekend excursions (hotel suites, spa packages, etc.)
• Exotic car rentals
• Awards, certificates, plaques, honors
• Memberships in professional organizations
• Subscriptions
• Tickets to sporting events, movies, theater, restaurants
• Additional paid days off
• Birthdays as a floating individual holiday
• Gifts of all sorts
• Health club memberships

Tips to attract quality employees
It is amazing to us that hospitals continue using standard methods of recruitment expecting different results. It is necessary to visit job fairs, colleges, follow up on networking leads, and run ads in the paper, but time should be spent on more creative ideas. Keep in mind that the cost of running newspaper ads, overtime, and contract labor is much higher in the long run than using a specialty recruiting firm to fill the position quickly.

Here are a few tips
• Develop advertising and marketing programs that are more personal, addressing the person, not a specialty.
• Establish an internal referral program that pays employees for referrals that result in a hire.
• Maintain a visible presence wherever the labor pool frequents, such as industry associations and related events.
• Use a specialty recruitment firm to supplement your internal hiring efforts. Some search firms will tell you they can recruit about anyone your hospital needs, but try an organization that has targeted resources. To put this in perspective, most women who have children chose to have an OB/GYN deliver their baby, not a cardiologist….. even though they are both physicians.

While this information may seem fundamental, it is often discussed but rarely practiced by most organizations. I’ve worked for companies myself that were good companies that simply could not put together a plan for retention. Most of the time, it takes a designated employment specialist to create these plans and insure they are implemented and maximized to their effectiveness.


Dale Hannegan
Regional Director
RadSciences Group
800 804-2345