Category: Entry-Level Healthcare Employee Articles

6 Trends That Will Affect Your Entry-Level, Non-Clinical Healthcare Workforce

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1 – Workforce Logistic Changes and Staffing Preparations Due to COVID-19

Training entry-level staff to stay safe in the hospital is a big trend this summer. As furloughed entry-level workers go back to work, they will need to know the safest way to work when every surface is a potential hiding place for COVID-19. Training for sanitation and environmental entry-level roles may change as viral surface cleaning methods are even more stringent. Employee screenings for sick or exposed staff are happening, usually virtually, in order to screen associates for health implications before shifts.

Furloughs and staff layoffs obviously are already happening in many U.S. hospitals with non-emergency elective procedures at a standstill. Atrius Health in Massachusetts for example is temporarily closing many offices and placing many non-clinical employees on furlough.  No one knows what will happen this Summer or Fall, but history shows that a non-vaccinated virus can have secondary spikes, more probable in cooler weather. Organizations are relocating staff from a variety of other care sites like outpatient procedural areas, ambulatory care sites, and low volume clinics to address staffing needs in ICU’s and higher priority locations.

2 – New Digital Interaction Jobs

With changes in technology, and younger consumers preferring digital interaction, hospitals will be challenged to prepare Frontline workers with jobs that don’t even exist yet – think Administrative or Medical Records roles that involve Social Media outreach and interaction. Digital interaction will also change Medical Assistant and Technician roles as they deal with Teledoc customers and keeping health records organized. These changes are expected as care moves away from few large hospitals to quick-care and community-based health centers.

As hospitals become more invested in social media and engaging patients online, entry-level workers will need to be trained on how to provide positive customer experiences in a virtual setting. If your system hasn’t started a social media strategy yet, this will probably soon change. Patients will begin to shop for healthcare the way they shop for cars or electrician services—by searching the Internet, looking for quality metrics and patient reviews, and comparing prices.

Chatbots are another digital trend, and they might replace some administrative type roles. But that doesn’t mean Frontline workers in these positions will necessarily be replaced. Rather, their role will change to meet the new demands of other types of technology – analyzing data from wearables, teaching patients how to use wearables at home, and moderating Telehealth forums to interject and provide patient care when the Chatbot is unable to resolve a question or issue.

3 – Retail Mindset in Healthcare, and Workforce

A direct impact of patient centered care and “retail” inspiration may require additional interpersonal skill training. These are the soft skills of personal interactions, and ultimately drive health system brand loyalty. Quick care health locations in retail centers are popping up, including shopping malls and Walgreens, and existing hospitals are taking inspiration from the retail environment to improve the customer experience – for example, Frontline staff walking the floor and using iPads for check-in instead of the traditional desk.

A retail mindset will create shifting expectations of how Frontline staff interact with patients; to do this, hospitals will use retail best practices to train employees. While broadening the skill set of eligible employees can be a good thing for hospitals, it’s also likely to increase turnover – an unfortunate result of this soft skill “retail” training is more employees could move back and forth between the health and retail industries as skills become more transferable.

4 – Virtual Training for Employees – More Important than Ever Amid COVID-19

Virtual employee training affects nearly every job category, even entry-level staff. As we move forward through (and past) the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual training for employee safety will be more important than ever. As healthcare moves to smaller locations with quick care being a core theme, virtual training and self-taught modules will continue to be a key upskilling format. Aside from merely showing employees best practices and social skills, digital/virtual training programs will be challenged to come up with authentic ways to evaluate these skills – perhaps through virtual group meetings, virtual role play, or  interactions in virtual reality.

5 – Automation Could Threaten Some Entry-Level Jobs in Healthcare

While frontline roles often require direct patient interaction, some are still subject to being replaced by automation, including cooks and information clerks. Twenty percent of companies have already deployed chatbots in the workplace and 57% are anticipated to do so by 2021. This technology could disrupt traditional hospital customer service jobs. Companies are using chatbots as personal assistants, for on-demand customer support, to mine data, streamline business processes, recover product information and to answer employee questions.

Interrupting entry-level employment situations at hospitals could interfere with traditional career pipelines to manager roles, so have development and succession plans ready, even at this level, in preparation for a more automated work environment.

6 – Upskilling and Alternative Job Perks – (They Could be One and the Same)

Higher pay will always have appeal, but some hospitals are getting creative with alternative perks as a way to reduce turnover. For example, employee assistance with loans, free meals, time off, and affordable onsite childcare options can resonate. As an example of alternative perks, Advocate Healthcare (IL) offers its Advancing Careers Through Education program which provides 100-percent tuition reimbursement for programs in high-demand specialties, such as nursing, respiratory care, or health information technology. Another example hospital, Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago provides concierge services for daily errands. Plus, employees with children on the college hunt can use Lurie Children’s college coaching program, in which a counselor helps families with the school selection, application and financial processes. And Lurie Children’s even offers up to $5,000 for adoption assistance and tuition reimbursement.

Upskilling will be increasingly important as technology/automation replace some jobs at hospitals. To prepare for this, healthcare facilities can take inspiration from AT&T, who reached out to employees in roles that were soon to be obsolete, and advised them to start taking action to learn new skills before roles were eventually eliminated. AT&T offered 100,000 employees in such positions corporate assistance and training to re-direct their employment to more relevant and long term roles.

 

It goes without saying that our world is changing in the face of COVID-19. As US Health Systems are tackling these many new challenges, they must continue keep those who are toughing it out on the frontlines engaged. To read about 9 techniques that US health systems are already using to engage entry level associates, check out our article “9 Ways Hospitals can Support Frontline Healthcare Workers, and Create a Winning Culture!”

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BONUS – All About Nursing with Dr. Joyce Batcheller

Dr. Joyce Batcheller is an Executive Nurse Advisor with The Center for the Advancement of Healthcare Professionals for AMN Healthcare and is responsible for the development and delivery of two Chief Nursing Officer Academies: CNO Academy I, which was developed for new and aspiring CNOs and CNO Academy II, which was developed for experienced CNOs. Having served as a Chief Nursing Officer for more than 19 years in one of the largest healthcare providers in Central Texas, she has extensive experience in leading large system changes within a complex multi-hospital organization.

Dr. Batcheller’s podcast, “All About Nursing” explains how nurses play a significant role in providing healthcare in multiple care settings. You will be able to hear from some of these key nurses who work in practice, academia and other practice settings. You will hear about challenges nurses are engaged in as healthcare continues to experience an unprecedented need to decrease costs and improve outcomes. Recently, Dr. Batcheller interviewed Robyn Begley CEO of AONL and Kim Glassman who is leading work in NYC related to COVID-19. Listen to the podcast here.

 

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Sources

  • “COVID-19 Hits Some Health Care Workers With Pay Cuts and Layoffs,” NPR, Martha Bebinger, April 2, 2020
  • Healthcare Employment Data 2016-2026, U.S. Bureau of Labor
  • “Seven Learning and Development Trends to Adopt in 2019,” Forbes September 24, 2018, Cameron Bischop/Forbes Human Resources Council
  • “5 Best Hospitals to Work for in 2018,” Indeed.com and Beckers Hospital Review publication, August 31 2018, Alyssa Rege
  • “These are the Fastest Growing Healthcare Careers,” May 22 2018, Hospital Recruiting Magazine, Crystal Jones RN
  • “Employment Training for the Healthcare Industry,” Training Today
  • “Top 8 Healthcare Predictions for 2018,” Forbes November 13 2018, Reenita Das

Special Update

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As the impact of COVID-19 on hospitals across the U.S. continues to escalate, the minds and hearts of the Catalyst Learning team are with you and your organization who are providing an invaluable service to your communities as the frontline of patient care.

Our office in Louisville, Kentucky has implemented social distancing protocols recommended by the CDC and the WHO. We are continuing to operate during our normal business hours for any questions you have or assistance you need. We are committed to supporting your teams in any way that we can.

We have asked ourselves “what can we do?” to be helpful in a situation that is beyond the bounds of anything we’ve ever experienced. We are providing a series of infographics and very simple discussion guides that you can use to share with individual team members, or in quick huddles here. Additionally, our existing SAW® and ECHO® customers will have access to applicable CLiMB microlearnings through their MyCatalystLearning online portal here.

Sincerely,
Lynn and the Catalyst Learning team

 

Subscribe to our newsletter for future updates on these tools.

Increasing Frontline Employee Engagement (With a Small Budget)

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High employee engagement is critical for success in U.S. hospitals and clinics where customer service is crucial. Engagement is more than just a “feel good” public relations objective. It’s about encouraging and facilitating the staff who serve patients, families, and internal customers to be their best and most energetic selves.

High engagement is also crucial for retention and reduction of absenteeism, and during times of full employment this is more important than ever.  But what can be done to increase engagement, especially with tight budgets and pressures to do more with less?

The first thing is to make engagement a part of day-to-day culture:

  • Show employees you care instead of just saying it
  • Celebrate the good stuff that happens and challenges that are overcome
  • Recognize milestones, make positive recognition part of the work
  • Remind everyone on work teams that there’s a human side to our workplace experience
  • Encourage managers to be empathetic while getting work done

 

Build organizational practices which support, maintain, and grow engagement. Open your organization up for feedback from employees, especially entry-level associates who may feel like they don’t have a say in company matters. Consider creating an associate-led committee so there is always input on the pulse of the organization.  Also give employees feedback. By making feedback a natural and planned part of work life, organizations can give engagement a serious boost.

Another key tactic in increasing frontline employee engagement lies in associates’ relationship with their manager and how they are coached and encouraged.  Health systems are looking for associates who will perform, grow, and provide good customer service, and this happens when their managers are partners who enable. Old school top-down supervisory relationships are becoming a relic.  Huddles and training opportunities provide a forum for associates to interact and receive positive coaching. For more on this topic, see our related article “Frontline Employees: Coaching For Success.”

 

Leaders should also offer learning and development tools that support associate improvement and growth. This not only leads to more productive employees, but it also shows that the health system is interested in employees’ futures, boosting motivation. Be sure managers are communicating about internal training tools, learning & development, and apprenticeships. Communicate roles that are high priority needs of the system and any assistance that can be provided to help frontline employees with skills or accreditation needed to obtain those roles. Have a career path conversation with your entry-level associates before they are having that conversation with another employer.

 

Your frontline employees are the voice and spirit of your organization to patients and families.  To infuse employee engagement into the heart of an organization, even with a small budget, root these “blocking and tackling” techniques right into the regular operations of your organization. 

 

“7 Tips to Increase Employee Engagement Without Spending a Dime,” Society for Human Resources, Tamara Lytle, September 2016

“Top Five Budget-Friendly Employee Engagement Strategies,” Forbes, Char Newell, August 2018

“Employee Engagement Doesn’t Require a Huge Budget,” Cornerstone on Demand, Shayne Thomas, January 2020

“The 5 Most Successful Employee Engagement Strategies,” Onpoint Consulting, August 2019

“5 Steps Managers Should Be Taking After Employee Performance Reviews,” Susan Jeffery, June 2019

 

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Are you familiar with CLiMB®? CLiMB supports the professional development for your entry and mid-level healthcare workers. CLiMB is an online library of focused microlearnings focused on actionable, scenario-based learning in basic professionalism, communication, using time wisely, and providing exceptional customer service. CLiMB teaches from real-world scenarios which frontline employees face in U.S. health systems. It includes tool to incorporate microlearning into onboarding, huddles and manager-employee coaching conversations. Contact Us to learn more.

2020 Training & Development Trends for Frontline Healthcare Associates

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As we enter this exciting new decade, what are the “can’t miss” tactics that healthcare Learning and Development (L&D) Directors should not miss out on? One “trend” probably isn’t the takeaway here, the key insight is that training opportunities will occur seamlessly in the flow of work. Compartmentalized trainings, like reading a manual, are being phased out. On-the-job training with immediate application is the way the associate adult learning world is moving. With every associate now connected via devices, technology, and push notifications, employee training has followed suit. L&D initiatives drive more holistic and integrated training opportunities, with targeted micro-learning experiences leading the way.

What are the top training and development trends for frontline healthcare associates in 2020 and into this new decade?

The Definition of a Leader is Changing; Core Soft Skill Training is a Renewed Focus

The ‘Leadership’ definition is broadening in U.S. health systems, and the traditional org chart doesn’t capture what a leader is. Systems are considering individuals to be leaders based on impact, not just on authority. This makes sense for frontline healthcare workers, as these associates are the face of your organization to your patients. A leader for these roles is a top-performer in their specific role. As the definition of leader has changed, core skills are a renewed focus. There is now greater demand for development programs which teach communication skills, critical thinking, collaboration, and customer service, all of which aim to improve long-term employee value and productivity.

Movement from Boss to Coach Changes Learning Interactions

Top-Down management is pivoting toward Partnership-Coaching management. “Because I’m the boss” is becoming a relic. Today, effective managers realize that coaching is the way to motivate and engage their team. Managers want employees who will perform and grow, and this happens when managers are partners who enable. In the book The Heart of Coaching, by Thomas G. Crane, transformational coaching is discussed. This author discusses how manager-coaches should be clear in communication, challenge employees by looking for positive ways to stretch and develop skills, and build collaboration on the team. As managers make this transition to coaching, this will change the employee L&D experience. Manager/coaches will look for ways to tie any corporate training to every day applications, and build 1×1 “teachable moments” to reinforce L&D. Training and development won’t be top-down, just like management won’t be top-down. Training will be an opportunity for associates to interact and receive positive coaching instead of an HR driven mandate.
For more on this topic, see our related article, “Frontline Employees: Coaching For Success.”

Adaptive Learning via Analytics – It’s not just for Clinical Roles any more

Adaptive Learning is a way to enable personalized learning to scale. No student learns at the same rate. Adaptive learning works by assessing learner performance and activity in real time, then using analytics to personalize content to reinforce concepts that target each learner’s strengths and weaknesses. Most often this will result in knowledge retention, increased confidence, decreased frustration, and improved results. Adaptive learning is most used in industries that rely on manual labor and experience high levels of employee turnover such as the healthcare, retail, transportation, and hospitality fields.

In hospitals, adaptive learning technology is used to train staff in essential functions such as the on-boarding process, customer service standards, and role specific training. Adaptive learning can meet employees at their own level, regardless of unique backgrounds or geographically separated locations. Adaptive learning helps employees get up to speed quickly and acquire the skills needed to make immediate impacts in alignment with health system goals. At this time adaptive learning is typically only offered within clinical roles. The New England Journal of Medicine, for instance, creates adaptive learning courses for physicians to maintain certification and receive continuing medical education. But in this new decade, adaptive learning could help transform corporate recruitment and employee development on the front-lines. For example, instead of requiring Certified Nurse Assistants or Health Aides take a 120-hour training, systems could offer micro-accreditation to make training for these hard-to-fill roles more appealing to adult learners.

There is a Need to Train Associates for New Digital Interaction Jobs

With changes in technology, and younger consumers preferring digital interaction, hospitals will be challenged to prepare Frontline workers for jobs which don’t even exist yet – think Administrative or Medical Records roles that involve Social Media outreach and interaction. Digital interaction will also change Medical Assistants and Technician roles that deal with Teledoc customers, or keep health records organized, especially as care moves away from large hospitals to quick-care and community- based health centers. As hospitals become more invested in social media and engaging patients online, entry-level workers will need to be trained on how to provide positive customer experiences in a virtual setting. If your system hasn’t started a social media strategy yet, this will probably soon change, especially as patients begin to shop for healthcare the way they shop for cars or electrician services—by searching the Internet, looking for quality metrics and patient reviews, and comparing prices.

Another digital trend is Chatbots, and it might replace some administrative type roles. But that doesn’t mean Frontline workers in these positions will necessarily be replaced. It means they will have to be trained to meet the new demands of the technology. In the new decade, imagine associates learning to analyze data from patient wearables, associates teaching patients how to use wearables at home, and moderating Telehealth forums to interject and provide patient care when the chatbot is unable to resolve a question or issue. These are just a few examples of how digital interactions will drive future training and development needs for health systems in 2020 and into the decade.

Microlearning

Although microlearning certainly is not new, this trend in associate development will continue and get stronger in the coming decade. Microlearning breaks down new skills and concepts into small individual chunks to be consumed, one topic at a time. These learning modules can be completed while an employee continues in their professional role, allowing associates to incorporate new information into existing work routines almost immediately. Health systems often do not find it feasible, nor affordable, to pull staff cohorts from their day-to-day operations and send them to participate in a training program. Microlearning modules can be assimilated during mere minutes of an associates’ day by using mobile platforms and interactive technology to deliver learning in small bursts. Microlearning is especially well-suited to the information-gathering style of millennials, who are used to rapidly scanning and can have shorter attention spans. And gamification elements in microlearning can show associates how they stack up against peers and allow them to earn badges, which is also appealing to younger learners.

While microlearning is not new, the trend is a realization that traditional LMS microlearning is no longer enough to meet employees’ expectations. A one-size-fits-all, 20-minute course on “Leadership” for any role in the hospital no longer works. Content needs to be based on a specific employees’ role and portray situations and experiences which an employee could see on the next shift. For more information on this topic, see our related article, “Microlearning: What is it, and why should it be used?”

Are you familiar with CLiMB?

CLiMB is an online library of focused microlearnings that provide actionable training for frontline employees, on key concepts such as basic professionalism, communication, using time wisely, and providing exceptional customer service. Practice activities use real-world scenarios from healthcare-specific settings and focus on the entry-level job positions of the targeted learner. CLiMB also provides support tools for teachable coaching moments between managers and direct reports. Feel free to contact us HERE to learn more.

Sources

“Trends in Training and Development,” American Management Association
“Moving from Boss to Coach,” American Management Association, September 13, 2019
“Healthcare providers are teaming with chatbots to assist patients,” Modern Healthcare
“What Should We Expect For The Future of Corporate Training in 2020?” Edge Point Learning, Corey Bleich
“Digital Tools For the Future of Healthcare Providers,” Fingent: Shaping the Future, Tony Joseph, April 26, 2019

Increase Productivity and Retention of Entry-Level Employees

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Businesses from many industries including retail, hospitality, and agriculture struggle with turnover and consistent productivity, most notably with frontline lower-paid associates. These industries understand the difficulties of keeping employee productivity at a high and turnover at a low. Actual costs to replace an entry-level worker in healthcare runs into thousands of dollars.

Can anything be done about it? Especially during times of full employment in many metro areas, what can hospitals do to slow down attrition of entry-level employees, while also increasing productivity?

Here are 6 actions to take to help avoid the turnover problems facing many industries today:

Training & Development

Low-wage employees who most need to increase job skills and build upward mobility are also the least likely to be offered formal training programs.

Training can help employees be more engaged, committed, and satisfied with their jobs and achieve bottom-line results for their employers. Providing training that is directly applicable to actual roles helps associates be more effective at work and achieve a better quality of life off the job.

There are numerous ways companies can support a culture of employee training and development: individual coaching, workshops, courses, seminars, shadowing or mentoring, or even just increasing employee responsibilities to show trust. Growing employee job skills will allow associates to improve their efficiency and productivity.

For more, read our related article, “4 Large Organizations That Are Hyper Focused On Entry-Level Employee Training.”

Measure ROI

What gets measured, gets managed. Be sure to track retention metrics and team productivity and track entry-level associates who move upward in your organization. If possible, report these metrics (and hopefully improvements) to senior leadership.

TriHealth, one of the largest healthcare providers in southern Ohio, produced one of the most thorough entry-level workforce ROI studies we have seen to date. This ROI plan measures employee training and development ROI. TriHealth tracked employee longevity, upward career movement trends, and recruitment savings over the course of 5-years. TriHealth saw a savings of almost a quarter million dollars when all metrics were considered. To read more about this study, click here: “Investing in the Future of the Healthcare Workforce: An Analysis of the Business Impact of Select Employee Development Programs at TriHealth.”

Help Employees Build a Personal Development Plan

In partnership with team managers, or possibly an internal mentor, encourage your low paid associates to plan for upward mobility. This includes showing them what opportunities are available in a large organization and how to navigate HR systems. Within this plan, have employees weave in development opportunities offered by the organization, or even outside the organization, with certification courses. This personal plan should improve skills for current roles, as well as help associates acquire new skills for future roles.

Get Higher-Quality Work by Improving Morale

At the end of the day, happy, engaged employees work harder and better. Those who dislike their jobs and feel disenfranchised may go through the motions, but burnout (then probably turnover) is inevitable. When open lines of communication and employee appreciation are baked into the employee experience, the result is higher quality work.

Mercy, headquartered in Chesterfield, Missouri takes entry-level employee morale very seriously. This organization even has an internal “Lowest Paid Co-Workers” committee which is led by the CEO. To open lines of communication with employees, Mercy shows each employee how their role contributes to organization success. Mercy also takes associate development, mentoring, and community partnerships very seriously, which also fosters morale.

Teach Managers/Supervisors How to Better Communicate

Most entry-level associates (or most all associates at any organization level) don’t leave organizations, they leave bad managers. Poor communication skills usually go hand-in-hand with bad managers. Teach your managers basic team communication techniques, like focusing on the future instead of rehashing past issues. This demonstrates a manager’s commitment to moving forward and helping find positive solutions. This doesn’t mean ignoring past team member failure is good either, but instead, teach a positive way to discuss it. For example, teach managers to start 1×1 or team performance discussions with what positive things are happening. Modeling positive, open communication sets a precedent for all team members from top down.  In early 2020 I hope we can get some articles going from ATM’s use of CLiMB.  This would be a perfect place to link to an article about improving manager coaching skills.

Workplace morale depends on employees respecting their leadership. If employees do respect their leaders, they will be more enthusiastic about their work. Supervisors need to act the way they expect their employees to act.

Increase Praise and Recognition

If an employee does something that merits praise and recognition, don’t let the opportunity to give praise pass by. Recognition can actually be an even better motivator than money. Be specific in praise given, and be sensitive to the individual. Some enjoy public praise while some prefer a private word. Get managers on board with organization efforts to give recognition.

 

BONUS: CLiMB® supports entry-level healthcare workforce development. The CLiMB online library of focused microlearnings provides actionable training customized to frontline healthcare employee settings. CLiMB focuses on key concepts such as basic professionalism, communication, using time wisely, and providing exceptional customer service. It allows associates to practice activities pulled from real world scenarios.   The CLiMB total support package also includes exercises to strengthen supervisor coaching skills  and a framework for employees to build personal development plans. To learn more about CLiMB, CLICK HERE and Catalyst Learning will follow up with you.

 

SOURCES:

“Improve the Efficiency of Your Employees: 10 Proven Tips for Small Businesses,” Hub Productivity and FreshBooks blog

“Increase Productivity and Retention of Entry-Level Employees,” Business Know How, April 22, 2018, Patricia Schaefer

“Top 10 Ways to Improve Employee Efficiency,” Your People Inc., Alexandra Hicks

“5 steps to creating career development plans that work,” Insperity Training & Performance

5 Tactics to Manage Entry-Level Associates Who Have Low Ambition

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It’s a rewarding feeling for HR professionals and mid-level managers when they attract rock star entry-level employees.  It’s equally deflating when a new hire isn’t working out or is lacking ambition. Questions then begin to come up between the hiring manager and recruiting staff. Why isn’t this associate working out? What could we do better to motivate? There could be many reasons a frontline employee is showing low ambition. It could be communication issues, skills gaps that weren’t apparent at first, poor onboarding, or a culture clash. Here are some tactics to help manage an entry-level associate with low ambition or who is struggling.

Consider connecting the associate to a Coach/Mentor
A coach can help associates adapt to a new work environment and offer advice on how to grow and succeed. Coaching, which comes from someone trusted other than a direct manager, can be an opportunity for employees to share their concerns or issues without feeling like it will be used against them. A coach/mentor can help make introductions across an organization, show employees opportunities available, and help with a development plan. A coach/mentor may also help an associate see the “unwritten rules” of a hospital’s work environment and can help speed up the worker acclimation process.

Prioritize Areas for Improvement
Short-term, achievable improvement goals can help keep employees motivated. It can also help employees from feeling overwhelmed. Prioritizing with an employee also gives the employer the opportunity to course correct without having wasted too much time if improvements aren’t happening quickly enough.  Make sure your workers know what their top priorities are, what needs to be done, and any applicable deadlines. Vagueness can really hurt an associate’s motivation or direction.

Built Trust, Check-in, and Praise Accomplishments
Workers strive harder for managers and organizations they believe in. Teach managers to build trust with their team and show empathy for associates’ concerns. Have check-ins on a weekly or bi-weekly basis with employees who are struggling to revisit how things are going and revise performance plans as needed. Making time for this step in the short-term will save time and effort in the long-term. Check-ins can provide an opportunity to acknowledge worker accomplishments and make plans for the next improvement priority. It can be difficult for entry-level associates to understand how they contribute to the hospital’s success. Show them that their work is helping the organization be successful. Nothing is more motivating in the workplace than a sense of ownership.

Of course, supervisors need to strike a balance. Supervisors do not need to be a helicopter parent—employees at any level need to be able to stand on their own two feet—but need to be prepared to answer questions about why work needs to get done, the workplace culture, or the health system at large.

Manage how an Unmotivated Employee Affects the Group/Team
Within work teams, if a peer gets away with something multiple times, other associates begin to think they should also start getting away with a performance issue (tardiness for example). Explain to teams how this affects team cohesion as well as the work, and have supervisors address individual associate issues quickly. This will help keep an unmotivated coworker from affecting their entire team’s performance and dynamic.

Don’t assume an unmotivated associate is out to “take advantage” of coworkers. It could be a case of misunderstanding an original request, but make sure to address it. If an associate is bringing down the team, consider removing that person from the team or finding a new role to utilize their skills that is a better match.

Encourage Employees to Develop Themselves
Let employees know of any HR or performance building tools available in the organization. Don’t just assume associates will know about these tools. Instead, promote and use them proactively, and encourage managers to use them as a coaching tool.  For examples of coaching tips, see our related article, “Frontline Employees: Coaching For Success.”

An example of a self-development program is the CLiMB® online library of focused microlearnings. CLiMB provides actionable training for frontline employees. This training teaches key entry-level work concepts such as basic professionalism, communication, using time wisely, managing stress, and providing exceptional customer service.  CLiMB offers lessons in real-world healthcare-specific settings, using scenarios created based on input from customers and subject matter experts. Courses like Providing an Exceptional Patient Experience help show employees how to engage with customers/families. CLiMB provides basic skills training for employees that result in practical behavioral skill gains and allows for self-directed learning and the opportunity to explore solutions. CLiMB also prepares your managers/supervisors to coach by showing how supervisors can provide efficient one-on-one “teachable moments.”

For more information on CLiMB, click here and one of our team members will promptly get back to you.

Chances are, if a manager feels an entry-level employee is struggling or not meeting expectations, the employee likely also has concerns. But many entry-level employees are too timid to admit they need help. As an employer, supervisor, manager, or HR professional, use these tips to address performance concerns, and help turn that struggling entry-level employee into the rock star employee you hoped you were originally hiring.

SOURCES:
“Coach’s Corner: Keys to being an effective manager for entry-level workers” Star Tribune Business Magazine, Liz Reyer, January 21 2018
“10 ways employers can turn struggling new hires into rock star employees,” Recruiter magazine, Matt Krumrie, June 22 2017
“7 Ways to Get your Unmotivated Workers Off Their Butts,” Entrepreneur magazine, Carol Tice, February 24 2012
“How to Motivate and Manage Entry-Level Employees,” Washington Post, Kate Johanns, August 27 2018
“7 Dos and Don’ts for Dealing With an Unmotivated Employee,” Huffington Post, Diane Gottsman, July 8 2014

4 Large Organizations That Are Hyper Focused On Entry-Level Employee Training

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In the years since the Great Recession, unemployment levels have fallen across the U.S. while economic growth in the country has rebounded. As a result, competition for entry-level talent is growing, and many employers are struggling with employee turnover.

As this article is written for U.S. health systems, Catalyst Learning believes that benchmarking a few organizations in other fields can help health systems think outside the box. The organizations below are creating business and social value by investing in their entry-level talent, and some of these tactics can help U.S. health systems to stay competitive and prepare for the future.

A recent Accenture study found that 80% of entry-level workers expect some role training in their new jobs. However, many will not receive this training. This omission leads new hires who were once passionate employees to feel disillusioned and leave organizations within two years.

Not preparing a workforce for excelling in a current role and for future roles generally benefits no one, so why is this happening?  It generally comes down to cost. Training can be costly, and the ROI on that training can be blurry. Instead, companies fill entry-level positions quickly and hope that new hires figure it out.   Similar to investing in on-boarding, entry-level training has proven to be a strategy for operational excellence and growth.

Here are large scale organizations in different industries/sectors that have figured this out and serve as benchmarks for others.

Wegmans Food Markets (Grocer)
Wegmans is a regional grocery chain in the U.S. with stores ranging from upstate New York to Virginia. It has invested in training employees for decades. In 2017, Wegmans’ own employees voted them onto Fortune’s “Best Places to Work” list for the 20th year in a row. In 2018, they were #2 on the list. One Wegmans leader explained success this way: “We sell groceries, but we’re in the people business.” Wegmans is winning the war for talent by investing in its frontline entry-level employees, particularly those who have faced barriers to economic opportunity. New hires usually travel to different Wegmans locations to learn different parts of the business and to see opportunity, and they usually have at least 40-hours of on-the-job training. After initial training, extended training in different departments can last up to 14 weeks. Wegmans calls its training “Knowledge Based Service,” and trainees learn from all-star employees in their local area. Wegmans acknowledges that the training tactic is expensive. It is paying for trainee’s mileage, hotel, a regular wage and per diem, but the idea is to eliminate mistakes that inexperienced employees usually make. Disorganization is also expensive.

 Bonobos (Retail)
Only founded in 2007, Bonobos has established itself as a leader in the retail industry for its innovative approach to launching vertically integrated e-commerce brands in the U.S. With 165 full-time employees, Bonobos offers its program “Managing for Success” which teaches management skills to first time leaders. Bonobos also offers its “Fit for Success” program which focuses on performance management training. For new entry-level associates, Bonobos offers “How to Manage Up Well” which trains frontline associates how to navigate relationships with senior employees. Last, Bonobos offers its “Know Your Customer” training to prepare new employees with customer relations experience. The retail company offers these perks to help equip workers with skills needed to manage themselves and their teams. It also believes these programs rally people together and helps associates gather respect for each other’s skills and importance to the organization.

 Marriott International (Hospitality)
A leading global hospitality company, Marriott has more than 200,000 employees at its managed properties, including 102,000 employees in the U.S. Marriott offers a variety of training to employees worldwide using multiple training delivery methods, including virtual training. The training focuses on developing skills and provides professional and career development training. Topic areas include work-life balance, leadership and management. Marriott offers this because it believes in well-being and growth of each employees says Arne Sorenson, President and CEO at Marriott International.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts (State, Healthcare IT)
The Bay State earmarks hundreds of thousands of dollars to help spur new digital or hybrid competency-based training programs for entry-level healthcare employees. The state’s workforce development agency works to boost the skills of Massachusetts’ young adults through government investments and with community partnerships. According to Governor Charlie Baker, “healthcare, information technology and advanced manufacturing are among the most vital employment sectors in our state and is needed for Massachusetts’ future prosperity.”

Massachusetts isn’t just a national leader in healthcare and technology, it is a global leader in healthcare and technology. While clinical leaders at Boston Children’s, Massachusetts General, Tufts and Brigham & Women’s get the newspaper headlines, there are thousands of employees in entry and mid-level jobs, such as CNAs and health aides, who don’t have sufficient access to education and skill-building opportunities. The goal of this brand-new initiative (summer 2019) is to help upskill employees with digital training programs, which accomplishes the dual goal of boosting economic opportunity for workers while also addressing the state’s healthcare workforce shortages.

For some adults in Massachusetts, going back to a full-time classroom isn’t a realistic option, so these programs are built to help them. And with the rising demand for community-based care, health systems are facing growing challenges filling open positions. This type of program builds a career advancement ladder to develop the skills of staff, and the state’s investment helps hospitals to have the capacity to provide in-house IT training.

Training from the bottom-up reduces turnover rates, increases productivity, and attracts the right employees.


SOURCES:
“Massachusetts to fund pilots expanding digital training for entry-level healthcare workers,”  Healthcare IT News, July 16 2019, Mike Miliard

“New Wegmans employees travel for store training,” The Daily Progress, July 2017, Aaron Richardson

“Why Large Organizations Should Be Hyper-Focused On Entry-Level Employee Training,” eFrontLearning, 2018, Nikos Andriotis

“10 companies with awesome training and development programs,” Monster.com, Isabel Thottam

“Entry-Level Retention Makes a Billion Dollar Difference for Business and Society,” Rockefeller Foundation, March 27 2017, Kimberly Gilsdorf

“Why Companies Should Invest in the Retention of Entry-Level Employees,” Rockefeller Foundation, April 4 2017, Kimberly Gilsdorf

 

Microlearning: What is it, and why should it be used?

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What is the best way to help an employee learn professional skills? Is it through sitting in a classroom with a lecturing “trainer?” How about having employees sit through an hour-long slide show with a speaker describing all the new trends with statistics to back it up?

While both of these present their own unique set of advantages or disadvantages, neither of them are convenient, focus on the LEARNER, or provide a means to actually practice newly learned skills. Instead, these methods can easily turn off and bore learners to the point of learning little.  So what is the best way to help an employee learn professional skills?

The answer is through microlearnings. Microlearning is a learning-industry term used to describe quick, short, and to-the-point learning techniques used in professional or educational settings. These come in the form of online modules designed to focus on a specific subject and give the learner exactly what he or she needs at that point in time to progress.

At Catalyst Learning, Mia Matthews, Manager of Learning Development and Instructional Designer, is the primary architect behind Catalyst Learning’s new microlearnings. She has been in this line of work for over a decade and explains the not-so-new but still growing emphasis on moving towards eLearning methods:

“Microlearning is not necessarily a new concept. In my past roles, almost all learnings were 3 to 5 minute modules.This approach to learning is becoming very popular. One of the reasons is that it provides a lot of flexibility in picking and choosing what you learn.”

Mia furthers her point by giving an example of using Microsoft Excel, and maybe only needing to learn how to do one specific function. Rather than go online and find a long tutorial that goes over every similar function, it would be much better and easier to a consumer if he or she could find a learning for the one specific function needed at that time.

Why do microlearnings work? What is it about this method that improves upon traditional training presentations?

Microlearnings are learner-centric. This simply means they focus on the learners’ perspective and improving the performance of an employee rather than focusing on the information being provided. Learner-centric modules provide opportunities for employees to practice and apply what they’ve learned immediately. This performance-based model is prevalent in microlearning designs and gives employers immediate, measurable results.

“What’s happening is that the metrics and data [companies are searching for] and the demand for results are becoming more prevalent in organizations. They’re finding that these big [training] events that provide a ton of information are not proving to be effective. A lot of times, those are about the information being presented and the expertise of the instructor giving the information. It’s not connecting with the learner and what they’re doing on the job. Now, you’re seeing organizations realize it’s about the learners themselves and what is going to be applicable for them on the job.”

Another benefit that makes microlearnings a popular means for training in organizations is the convenience. This comes into play with the media used, i.e. computers, tablets, phones, the ability to learn at a moment’s notice, and the accessibility to any and all employees throughout an organization. An important benefit is the fact that an employer can identify an area where an employee needs improvement. That employee can then complete a performance- based microlearning, work through practice scenarios and immediately start applying what he or she has learned in their daily responsibilities. There is no need to wait until there are enough employees with this same need, and then hire an expert to spend an entire day lecturing employees on this skill. Microlearnings do not present the monetary commitment from paying a training expert or the logistical burden and compensation of getting large numbers of associates at the same place and same time for training. This is a large expense for modern decentralized U.S. health systems.

As a result, there is a shift in the manner in which organizations are training employees. Mia explains this shift:

“…It’s not that classroom training will go away or that it has no place in the workplace learning world. What ends up happening is that the opportunities for having that expert work with learners in a classroom situation may just become more practice based where the expert is guiding but the learner is more actively engaged…It’s not that classroom-based training is going away. There will always be information that needs to be learned. There are just changes in how that information is learned.”

…

Mia is applying all of this to the design of Catalyst Learning’s newest product: CLiMB. CLiMB is a library of online microlearnings that provide actionable training for frontline healthcare employees on key concepts such as basic professionalism, communication skills, managing stress and providing exceptional customer service. You can learn about this by visiting our CLiMB product page.

5 Entry-Level Healthcare Jobs That Can Lead to Career Advancement

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During times of full employment, healthcare systems often find it harder to fill entry-level roles, and HR leaders spend too much time recruiting! To retain top employees, it’s important to think about those “next level,” hard-to-fill roles and how to prepare motivated entry-level staff to someday fill them.

While leaders can come from many different places in the organization, here are five examples of roles that have transferable skills, where workers could move up in the company if they’re given supplemental skill training. Recognizing potential and growing the skills of entry-level workers can help you show your employees there are career paths available. It also can help you begin to build a talent pipeline.

1) Administrative Assistant: Successful employees in this role need to be organized, have good interpersonal skills, and be skilled at managing information flow among executives, abilities that can help AA’s move into a department management position. (If AA’s can manage the VP, managing a team may come easy!) When talented personnel in these roles start looking for new challenges, don’t let them go to your competitor. Offer opportunities to improve skills needed to advance with internal programs designed to teach conflict management, adapting to change or stress management.

2) Patient Assistant: Patient assistants play a critical role in delivering care, and the job provides them with direct patient experience and familiarity with medical terminology. These skills are required in better paying jobs such as physical therapy assistant. Help employees who excel in this role prepare for the next step in their career with training to develop skills associated with patient engagement, service recovery, and handling unsafe situations.

3) Medical Secretary: Managing the various duties associated with this role requires attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and the ability to prioritize tasks. Employees who excel in this role are able to transition into department secretaries or managers. You can support their career growth with training that focuses on communicating more effectively, including how to better organize their thoughts, be concise, and improve listening skills.

4) Food Service Worker: Whether they prepare the food or work in customer-facing roles, good food service workers are adept at working as part of a team, managing supplies, and following health and safety rules for food storage and preparation. A solid understanding of food service responsibilities can help entry-level workers move on to manage employees in nutrition, food delivery or dietary departments. Provide star employees with training to help them get set up for career success and understand possible career paths that are available in food management in your organization.

5) Help Desk Support: Troubleshooting basic IT problems requires employees to have strong problem-solving skills, good customer services skills, and familiarity with your systems and IT setup. Employees with strong IT skills can be an asset in a hospital’s IT department, serving as analysts or project managers. Help them hone the skills such as developing good work habits, building strong relationships, and understanding organizational expectations. This can allow them to take on greater responsibilities in a new role.

Employees who excel in these, and other entry-level, roles can move up in your organization instead of taking their job experience to your competitors. With the skills they’ve learned on the job and employee development support, the foundation is built for professional growth. These employees can go on to higher-paying jobs such as patient services representatives, department secretaries, or patient care technicians. They also can advance to department supervisor or management roles in nutrition, environmental services, and other key departments.

What does a real-world success story look like?
In 2012, Wendy Fausett started working for UnityPoint Health as a frontline employee working in housekeeping. Although she wanted to advance her career at UnityPoint Health, she thought her criminal background and a lack of formal higher education would prevent her from moving up. However, by working with a Retention Specialist at UnityPoint, Wendy realized that possessing the right skills was the most important factor in advancement and that her background would not stop her from securing a promotion.

Through participation in UnityPoint’s School at Work program, Wendy started developing managerial, interview, and professional skills, which allowed her to successfully apply for and secure a promotion as a housekeeping supervisor. Wendy’s training led to both career advancement and a wage increase of more than $5.00 per hour.*

Don’t just offer a job, offer a career path
While you may already have programs such as tuition assistance to help employees advance, entry-level workers often need more support to move into other roles.  Basic skills training and career development programs can help entry-level employees build a strong foundation for success. When skills training is provided in conjunction with career development support, it creates momentum that helps fully prepare entry-level workers to advance.

Think more about employee engagement, so you can ideally focus less on recruitment
Workforce development helps your employees realize their full potential and allows you to promote people who already know, and share, your organization’s core values. Of course not all entry-level workers are thinking about career advancement but basic skills training can improve their current job performance, satisfaction, and morale.

Ultimately, the money invested in employee development can help curtail the high cost of replacing talented employees who move on to other jobs with more opportunities for growth. Emphasizing your commitment to helping employees grow and advance will also help you attract candidates who are looking for a career, and not just a job.

 

*Information provided by the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, and its CareerStat Frontline Healthcare Worker Program.

Google’s Best Managers Excel at Coaching?!

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In 2002, Google took a bold step and got rid of its engineering managers. According to a Harvard Business Review (HBR) article, the idea was to allow its engineers, who didn’t see the value of managers, to focus on the tech and “not communicating with bosses or supervising other workers’ progress.”

The short-lived experiment wasn’t successful. Founder Larry Page was inundated with problems and questions from the company’s engineers that had nothing to do with technology; issues a manager typically addresses.

Page and co-founder Sergey Brin quickly saw the value of managers, but realized they needed their employees to see it as well. As a company founded on data and analytics, it decided to bring in a team of experts to prove it “with the same empirical discipline Google applied to its business operations.”

The team’s initial research found the proof they needed. Statistical evaluations showed that “high-scoring managers” had lower turnover. They also found “a tight connection between managers quality and workers happiness.”

The next step was finding out what made a “good” manager. Based on their data, they uncovered “eight key behaviors demonstrated by the company’s most effective managers.” Number one? Being a good coach.

The full list of behaviors:

He or she…
1. Is a good coach
2. Empowers the team and does not micromanage
3. Expresses interest in and concern for team members’ success and personal well-being
4. Is productive and results-oriented
5. Is a good communicator—listens and shares information
6. Helps with career development
7. Has a clear vision and strategy for the team
8. Has key technical skills that help him or her advise the team

The problem, according to a related HBR article, is that managers often lack the time and skills to be more effective coaches. “Yet 70% of employee learning and development happens on the job, not through formal training programs,” the author notes. “So if line managers aren’t supportive and actively involved, employee growth is stunted. So is engagement and retention.”

How to drive the change

Not all companies have the resources available to Google to study effective management, but they can apply the results. Healthcare organizations in which managers are trained on (and expected to use) these behaviors and skills can gain a competitive edge when it comes to hiring and retaining workers. It’s particularly important when it comes to frontline employees, where turnover is high and engagement can be low.

In an article on “The Balance Careers,” executive coach Dan McCarthy notes that “Coaching is the skill and art of helping someone improve their performance and reach their full potential.” He emphasizes that it takes practice, but “it’s an investment in people that has a higher return than just about any other management skill.”

When managers become more competent coaches, McCarthy explains that everyone reaps the benefits. “People learn, they develop, performance improves, people are more satisfied and engaged, and organizations are more successful.”

At Google, the information drawn from its multi-year research was used to help identify ways in which managers could improve. A manager who didn’t score well on coaching “might get a recommendation to take a class on how to deliver personalized, balanced feedback.”

Offering courses that help managers build the coaching skills they need is a sound investment in your employees and organization. Even short sessions can help managers significantly improve their skills. The experts on the invitation-only Forbes Coaches Council (FCC) also recommend formal training, but they encourage managers to develop their own coaching skills.

Forbes Coaching Council (FCC)

Based on their experience helping companies such as Nike, Johnson & Johnson and Mattel integrate coaching into their management framework, the FCC experts share their collective coaching wisdom with Forbes’ readers. Their suggestions include:

1. Know your employees and help them succeed
Several of the experts emphasized the importance of this. “Show interest in an employee’s life and how it affects their performance,” suggests one. Another says ensuring the success of every employee should be a top priority for every effective manager.

2. Practice active listening
“As a manager, you can practice this skill by simply being quiet and letting your associate talk without agenda or interruption,” advises one expert. “Resist filling an awkward silence — that’s where the gold is.”
The key is to stay focused on the person, and not the ever-present distractions of calls, texts, or emails. One coach recommends heading outside for one-on-one discussions.

3. Don’t tell, ask
Allowing employees to have input and make suggestions helps them develop critical thinking skills and builds confidence. A question such as “Why is that the best solution” is a better approach than telling employees what to do. It “allows the employees to take ownership of their ideas and think through the outcomes.”

Another expert recommends asking some questions regularly. “What’s going on with you right now? What’s going well? What’s not going well?” He solicits their input on what happens next and asks one last question.”Finally, what can I do to set you up for success?”

Research shows, and the experts agree, that successfully managing frontline employees isn’t based on telling them what to do. It’s about providing guidance and support, and removing the barriers that prevent them from doing their jobs well. Managers that excel in coaching employees instead of micromanaging them tend to have better performers, and that makes the organization stronger overall.

Sources:

“How Google Sold Its Engineers on Management.” Harvard Business Review. David A. Garvin
https://hbr.org/2013/12/how-google-sold-its-engineers-on-management

“You Can’t Be a Great Manager If You’re Not a Good Coach” Harvard Business Review. Monique Valcour

https://hbr.org/2014/07/you-cant-be-a-great-manager-if-youre-not-a-good-coach

“10 Ways To Lead Like A Coach.” Forbes. April 6, 2018. Forbes Coaches Council.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/04/06/10-ways-to-lead-like-a-coach/#67eba85d30fa

“How Managers Can Become Effective Coaches of Employees.” The Balance Careers. December 14, 2018. Dan McCarthy.

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-managers-can-become-awesome-coaches-2275926

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