More than 90 healthcare human resources (HR) professionals from across the state gathered at the MHA Human Resources Conference March 5 in Lansing. Attendees participated in hands-on facilitated discussions that developed innovative ideas focused on recruitment and succession planning. The conference provided a valuable opportunity for attendees to network, listen, learn and collaborate on solutions to the challenges facing Michigan hospitals and health systems.
Attendees also heard from leadership at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation on how they are attracting job seekers to the state of Michigan to help build the workforce pipeline and fill jobs.
“When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.” – Simon Sinek
Workforce Support and Innovation is the top priority for the MHA this program year, as identified by our board of trustees and echoed by every member hospital and health system throughout the state. This should come as no surprise, as few sectors of our Michigan economy have been more challenged in this regard. I am proud to say the MHA has tackled this challenge head-on, using every tool in our increasingly diverse association toolbox.
For our members, we know delivering exceptional care begins with hiring, developing and retaining quality talent. We also know that the demographic realities of an aging population and the associated retirements, rising stress and burnout, and increased rates of violence against healthcare workers are all contributing to retention challenges and staffing shortages. Finally, as with any daunting issue, we know the best way for us to be helpful to our members is to first tap their expertise, letting them share the details of their day-to-day experience so we can identify the most impactful solutions both inside and outside of the public policy domain. In short, we listen.
Through our MHA Human Resources & Workforce Council, we convene our HR professionals to discuss issues such as workforce development, the education and training pipeline, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, workplace safety, and emerging technologies that can aid in the completion of clinical and non-clinical tasks. The council generates robust information sharing on best practices, as well as discussion on HR-related legislative and regulatory proposals at the state and federal level.
Our work with this council does not occur in a vacuum but is instead complemented by our continual engagement with MHA committees, councils and task forces that include chief medical officers, chief nursing officers, hospital and health system attorneys and government affairs leaders. So, what have we accomplished to date? The list is long and impressive. Just a few examples:
Over the past two state budget cycles, we secured $300 million in new funding for our member hospitals for the specific purpose of workforce recruitment and retention.
We launched the new MI Hospital Careers campaign, which has helped to shine a light on hospitals and healthcare as a viable career path for Michiganders. We also continue to partner with state universities and community colleges to ramp up health-related training programs.
Our MHA Graphic Services division designed and produced workplace safety posters, which are now prominently displayed in hospitals throughout Michigan.
The MHA is hosting our annual Human Resources Conference this month, which brings together chief human resource officers and leaders to collaborate, strategize and network. The conference is headlined by Kerry Ebersole Singh, the chief talent solutions & engagement officer at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Her presence confirms the MEDC’s recognition of the significant role healthcare plays in our state’s labor force and economic success – a fact we annually lift up in our Economic Impact of Healthcare report.
The MHA Service Corporation (MHASC) plays a vital role in this realm. Our HR Conference is sponsored by MHA Endorsed Business PartnersAMN Healthcare and Salary.com (as well as MHA members Executive Core and HPS, and event sponsor Vault Verify), who are all involved in the workforce solutions space. The MHASC is working with partners who assist hospitals with de-escalation training and staff safety, virtual nursing programs and other emerging technologies, and more.
The MHASC is crucial to our work here in yet another way. The MHA Unemployment Compensation Program has a decades-long track record of success, saving millions of dollars every year for their more than 700 clients.
Everything listed is an example of proactive, positive activity. In other words, “playing offense.” Of course, one of our most significant activities in the workforce realm is an example of “playing defense” by ensuring government mandated nurse staffing ratio legislation that would significantly jeopardize patient access to care is not advanced by the state legislature. As discussed at length in a recent CEO Report, the MHA has worked very effectively to explain the complexity associated with hospital staffing and the tangible solutions that will actually address workforce shortages.
There is no silver bullet to solving healthcare’s workforce challenges. Michigan’s population is not growing and there are many market forces at play unique to healthcare. However, I’m extremely pleased by the work our own MHA staff has put forth to best position our members to achieve our workforce goals. And it couldn’t be done without the engagement from our colleagues in hospitals throughout the state who are doing all they can to ensure access to high quality care 24/7/365. Collectively, these are people who are clearly emotionally invested and making significant contributions to this worthy cause.
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It’s well known within the healthcare industry that issues of employee turnover, lack of applicants and salary compression were exacerbated in 2020 and 2021. Unfortunately, these trends have continued throughout …
The Keckley Report
Solving Healthcare Workforce Shortages Requires Taking Self-care More Seriously
“The Labor Department reported that the U.S. added 528,000 jobs in July including 69,600 in healthcare. The unemployment rate fell to 3.5%, June job openings were down to 10.7 million from 11.3 million in May and government officials announced that the economy has now recouped the 22 million jobs lost in the pandemic.
But the more sobering news is that inflation has negated the workforce’ 5.1% wage gain in the last year and 1 in 5 workers is looking for employment elsewhere for higher pay and better benefits. And it’s even worse in the healthcare delivery workforce—the hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics and ancillary service providers where 12 million work. During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital employee turnover increased to 19.5%–five times higher than the general workforce. And today, 45% of physicians report burnout—double the rate pre-pandemic.”
Members are reminded to review their preliminary wage and occupational mix data released May 23 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and submit any requests for changes to their Medicare Administrative Contractor by Sept. 2 since no new requests for changes will be accepted after that date.
The MHA received media coverage on a variety of topics during the weeks of Aug. 1 and Aug. 8. Areas of focus included health insurance tax credits from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), healthcare benefits in the Inflation Reduction Act, growing demand for healthcare careers and more.
By Dan McPhee, partnership relationship manager at Salary.com, an MHA Endorsed Business Partner.
It’s well known within the healthcare industry that issues of employee turnover, lack of applicants and salary compression were exacerbated in 2020 and 2021. Unfortunately, these trends have continued throughout 2022 with indications that 2023 will be just as challenging. While there are several drivers of long-term employee retention, compensation professionals within the industry note three common challenges when it comes to employee turnover and recruitment:
Employees leaving healthcare entirely for higher pay and/or better schedules.
Employees transitioning from one healthcare facility to another for higher pay, benefits and/or better schedules.
Employees moving out of city or state for higher pay, sometimes responding to economic relocation incentives provided by a hospital system, state or city.
These are informative themes, but each would warrant a case study for detailed, long-term solutions. MHA Endorsed Business Partner (EBP) Salary.com has the data to look at solutions to these challenges within their CompAnalyst MarketData tool. With more than 8,000 benchmark jobs updated monthly and the ability to scope by industry, geography and facility size, the team can easily pull valuable data into reports to help HR and compensation professionals better understand the market, competition and industry pay.
MHA members are invited to try until Sept. 15 a free trial of the CompAnalyst MarketData tool for 30 days or 15 job pricings (whichever comes first) and receive full support from Salary.com on using the tool and identifying solutions to these challenges. Members also receive discounts on all Salary.com subscriptions and resources.
The Keckley Report
