Talking talent

Patricia Webb talks to EHM about attracting and retaining talent in the healthcare industry.

Patricia Webb is the Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Boston Medical Center. Webb’s responsibilities include recruitment, organizational development and training, employee relations, benefits and compensation, labor relations, occupational and employee health services, interpreter services, and laundry and linen services for the busy Boston Medical Center.

EHM. Attracting talent is one thing; retaining it is another matter. What strategies have you employed to retain and motivate key staff, and how successful have they been?
Retention is a difficult challenge but we have done a few things – one, we have ensured that our compensation and benefits are competitive. We feel that that is important to retain and recruit staff. Secondly, it is important from our perspective that staff feel there are opportunities for growth and development. Therefore, we have implemented many workforce development opportunities that support staff in advancing from lower paid positions to higher paid positions as well as creating opportunities for individuals to broaden their responsibilities so that they see growth. This growth gives them a broader sense of responsibility and opportunity to increase their compensation.

We’ve also implemented recognition programs that are key in terms of helping our staff feel valued and appreciated. We recognize the work that they do in helping us to achieve desired results and be a successful organization.

Our turnover rate is about 12 percent and in the healthcare industry, in particular academic medical centers, that is below the average. One of the crucial areas in a medical center is nursing – we have about 1600 nurses and the turnover rate in nursing is less than three percent. We believe that the types of things we are doing to retain staff are working, so yes, we feel successful.

EHM. How important is talent management in driving business growth?
It is extremely important. Retaining and managing talent in your organization is definitely going to contribute to the success of business growth. A talented workforce positions an organization to be efficient, effective, and productive. This has an impact on volume and quality, which has a direct impact on driving business growth and the bottom line.

EHM. What are the current challenges in terms of attracting and retaining talent in the healthcare industry?
As our demographics change and we have more and more people reaching - or moving towards - the age of retirement, there are fewer and fewer individuals to recruit which surely has an impact. Additionally, a high percentage of jobs in healthcare require a license and/or additional educational credentials. There are a limited number of educational institutions providing the required educational opportunities and there is limited capacity at the institutions for individuals pursuing healthcare careers. This contributes to a limited number of individuals in the job market, which presents a major challenge in attracting and retaining talent in the healthcare industry.

Another challenge is staffing for 24 hours a day seven days a week, which is the norm in hospitals and academic medical centers. More and more individuals are looking for a different quality of life and wanting more flexibility in work schedules. This is not necessarily a new challenge. However, it is still a major issue in attracting and retaining individuals to the healthcare industry, particular in hospitals.

EHM. How are you overcoming those challenges at Boston Medical Center?
We are partnering with several educational institutions to provide degree and certificate programs for staff at Boston Medical Center. This increases the number of individuals prepared to fill vacant positions. It also contributes to the retention of staff. We have also implemented several in-house programs to train and develop our staff so that they are able to advance within the organization.

In regard to staffing for 24/7 operations, basically we are trying to provide some flexibility. Obviously if you need people at various hours you have to look at incentives for them to do that – that may be compensation, that may be having flexible work schedules, or providing other non financial of incentives.

There are going to be individuals who are willing to take some of the unusual schedules but I think you have to be creative, and we try to be creative in that some people might want to work seven days straight on a particular shift and then have seven days off, and that is the type of flexibility that is required. Although we have been successful, it is an ongoing challenge.

EHM. In your opinion, how important is leadership and management in the healthcare industry?
Leadership and management are extremely important in the healthcare industry because ultimately if you don’t have capable and competent leaders your organization is not going to be successful or surely not as successful as it could be.

EHM. Do you think it is more important to be a great leader or to know the industry and come from within?
It is more important to be a great leader. Successful organizations and businesses are led by great leaders. It is my opinion that great leaders can lead in most industries. Healthcare is a business and it is crucial to have great leaders led and to establish the vision, direction and the accountability for the organization to achieve desired results. Good leaders will bring in the industry leaders and other top talent needed to achieve success.

EHM. Are you optimistic about future healthcare management and leadership?
I am optimistic but I think we still have many challenges to face. As an industry we have finally realized how important leadership is and how important it is to prepare leaders to be excellent in healthcare. Many healthcare organizations have implemented leadership development programs and are requiring their managers to become better leaders. Also, educational institutions are incorporating more and more leadership courses in their healthcare management degree programs. Overall, I am optimistic, however, I believe we have to be very aggressive in moving forward with the agenda of training, recruiting, and retaining great leaders in healthcare.

“A talented workforce positions an organization to be efficient, effective, and productive”

“Successful organizations and businesses are led by great leaders”