Creating a positive culture within an organization is difficult. Creating positive culture within an organization in several locations? Significantly harder still.
Now apply the word “healthcare” in the mix of all that and a whole barrage of new barriers arises!
Multi-Location Healthcare Environments
Nearly 80% of physicians are now employees of hospital/healthcare systems and other corporate entities, making multi-location healthcare recruitment a growing necessity. Trying to establish a positive working culture at all of these locations can feel overwhelming, and hiring the right individuals is critical.
Here are four challenges that multi-location healthcare organizations face, and what strategies can be used to defy geographical and sub-specialty differences.
CHALLENGE #1: The Unseen Team Members
“No one at the other sites works as hard as we do.”
Maybe employees don’t say these exact words, but multiple locations and distance can make it challenging for staff to assume (or not assume) what is happening at other locations. This can lead to finger-pointing and an “us vs. them” mentality that further divides staff at various locations.
Adding in the wrong new hire into this clash of sites and lack of teamwork not only sets them up for failure, but can further exacerbate the issues at individual locations.
STRATEGY #1: Effective & Appropriate Communication
Not all data needs to be gatekept from staff. In fact, when presented with an action plan, sharing data builds trust and understanding. Demonstrating honesty and authenticity during interactions with potential candidates can uncover a new hire’s problem-solving skills and past experiences of overcoming challenges.
Being transparent doesn’t mean sharing all the bad news. It means demonstrating the company’s wins and proud moments, coupled with areas of improvement.
This might be a time to brag about how the medical assistants gathered mental health assessments for 99% of patients, while this year the company really wants to focus on getting the same numbers for A1C checks, which they are lagging on. The victories can be displayed while creating positive anticipation about exciting opportunities to grow.
Communication can also lead to friendly and healthy competition. Give a shoutout to the site for leading the company in tobacco cessation numbers! Give recognition to the staff member who went the extra mile for a patient in distress!
Positive and effective communication fosters collaboration and builds a sense of unity, even if staff members at the multiple locations have never met each other.
CHALLENGE #2: Clashing Values & Lack of Unity
Unity doesn’t mean everyone being the same; rather, it’s about moving together toward a shared goal with clarity and purpose. In multi-location healthcare organizations, it’s common for different sites to be at varying stages of their journey.
Some sites may excel at EHR documentation, while another site may struggle with workflows, but are exceptional team players. One site may feel like the Golden Child, while another may lead to eye rolls when yet another problem arises at that location.
Moreover, multi-specialty clinics may especially struggle, feeling like one department is more favored than another.
As an example, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) often consist of multiple departments, such as medical, dental and behavioral health. Medical might be the financial unit that helps keep the lights on for the organization, leading executives and directors to unwittingly give branches like dental and BH “middle-child syndrome”.
STRATEGY #2: Emphasize Values and Empower Leaders
If we’ve learned anything over the past few years (looking at you, COVID-19), it’s that employment in healthcare is one of the most challenging lines of work out there. Healthcare is a people-focused and service-driven industry, resulting in some of the hardest yet most rewarding efforts for employees.
Healthcare recruitment and retention require a clear alignment with organizational values and leaders must first emphasize the organization’s defining values among current employees, then assess potential new employees for matching ethics and ideals. Employees may not be able to state the clinic or hospital’s mission and vision statement word for word, but they should be able to express what it means to them to be a part of improving their patients’ lives.
No matter where a leader falls on the organizational chart, they must feel empowered to instill these values within their team. Empowered leaders can inspire alignment and team success. They ensure that individual personalities complement organizational goals, fostering a positive, patient-focused culture.
CHALLENGE #3: Differing Attitudes and Approaches
“We do things differently here.”
This can be a good and a bad thing to hear.
Every specialty has their different workflows, even perhaps different IT systems within a healthcare organization; however, this does not mean that a patient’s experience should be vastly different from site to site. All sites within an organization should feel cohesive and welcoming, leaving no doubt in a patient’s mind that they will be cared for during their visit, no matter the location.
Employees’ personalities are what make healthcare organizations unique, creative and effective. Varied perspectives give leaders insight into what works well and what doesn’t. An environment that promotes diversity and creativity can result in better productivity and innovation.
There is a time and place for different approaches, but patient safety should always be prioritized.
For example, deciding not to document a particular conversation or service in a patient’s medical record, just because it “didn’t seem important at the time” or “no one else does it”, can lead to medical, financial or even legal consequences.
Having too much variation on workflows or a lack of attentiveness to policies and procedures can result in minor headaches or disastrous repercussions for a healthcare organization.
Safety and best practices should be promoted in every aspect of healthcare, so selecting team members that will hold each other accountable and encourage thoroughness on patient care is crucial.
STRATEGY #3: Strengthen Champions
Champions are those employees who will help carry out the organization’s vision to the rest of the team by walking the walk and talking the talk. They do not need to be in leadership positions either! Many times, they are high-achieving staff members who are engaged in their work. These individuals can have great influence on their peers, no matter which of the multiple locations at which they work.
Champions also hold themselves accountable to their team members and patients. Healthcare champions promote best practices, quality patient care, and an excellent patient experience.
When evaluating a new hire, ask them to share when they championed the cause of their department, of a patient, or of a peer. The way they carried out their tasks with enthusiasm and dignity will tell a lot about a candidate’s potential to be a future champion on your team.
Additionally, asking a candidate to share how they recognize their team members (especially if they are applying to a supervisory position) demonstrates how they view their role as a team member and how they will likely fit into a healthcare organization’s culture.By screening for the right candidate during the interview process, you may well already have a future champion ready to go before their hire date!
CHALLENGE #4: Lack of Role Definition
As important as it is to have a clearly defined job description internally with managers and HR, it is equally important to provide clear expectations to applicants and employees already in the role. Operations in multiple locations can blur the lines even further in what competencies and job responsibilities are required of specific roles if they are carried out differently at various sites.
Ambiguity often begets disengagement. Disengagement leads employees further away from that positive company culture that teams work so hard to build. When team members clearly understand their role and feel they are part of a team, performance increases 56% and is linked to a 50% decreased risk in turnover. Not only are these effects seen in statistics on monthly reports, but they are felt by patients receiving care in these healthcare facilities.
STRATEGY #4: Power Up the Interview Process!
Screening candidates and conducting interviews is often viewed as tedious and burdensome, but taking the time to find the right new hire is worth its weight in gold! Providing clear expectations to applicants and being thoughtful in interview questions and assessments leads to more effective selection.
Effective hiring managers consistently tweak and polish interview questions and strategies depending on the employee position. Both situational and experiential questions can reveal a lot about a candidate, helping the interviewee walk through their thinking process and how they respond to relevant situations.
Conclusion
Creating a positive culture in multi-location healthcare organizations starts with hiring the right individuals who align with your values and goals. Effective healthcare recruitment strategies are essential for identifying candidates who will thrive in these complex environments.
HighMatch’s personalized assessments are designed to identify candidates who have strong teamwork, adaptability, and leadership qualities. Screening candidates becomes streamlined and efficient, allowing you to evaluate critical traits early in the hiring process.
HighMatch Interview provides customized interview guides tailored to your organization. These guides offer targeted questions based on assessment results, allowing hiring managers to evaluate candidate alignment with organizational values and readiness to succeed.
Our solutions tackle the unique challenges of multi-location healthcare organizations, ensuring new hires not only fit the role but also contribute to building a cohesive, positive culture across all locations. With HighMatch, you can confidently assess cultural fit, streamline the interview process, and build a workforce that enhances patient care and supports your organizational goals.
