Just like any organization, a healthcare company is a sum of its parts. No organization would be able to run smoothly without dedicated employees working around the clock to make a difference.
Committed employees who value their workspace are vastly sought after. However, commitment isn't nearly as important as keeping your employees happy. After all, employee satisfaction has the greatest impact on the organization's overall success.
Keeping your employees happy is likely to advance employee retention, job performance, and level of engagement. This has a direct impact on the health of the company, as well as patient care and outcomes.
In a busy healthcare environment, it's crucial that employees are ready to take on the challenges of providing excellent care. Communication is a huge part of team functionality, and technology serves as a convenient avenue for collaboration.
Studies have shown that technology increases perceptions of work connectivity. It's possible to reach an employee via laptop or smartphone, which makes communicating after regular work hours much more convenient. However, does this blur the line between work and home?
As technology becomes more advanced, there are many ways healthcare teams can communicate with each other. There's an overwhelming amount of channels you can use, such as: emailing, text messaging, consumer messaging apps (WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc.) and calling via phone.
Communication channels such as WhatsApp or texting are commonly accepted within healthcare institutions. More often than not, the same tools which are used for work are also used for personal communication.
Whether you're relaxing at home or spending time with friends and family, you may still receive a work-related text. In turn, this prevents an employee’s ability to fully unplug once they're off the clock.
Researchers have found that “as employees begin to use communication technologies for work-related tasks more frequently during their free time, this may contribute to an increase in work life conflict as well as related outcomes, such as job satisfaction, stress, and burnout” (Wright, Kevin B., et al.).
Furthermore, “job burnout has been linked to emotional exhaustion and depersonalized feelings toward customers and coworkers” (Wright, Kevin B., et al.). In an environment that requires a level of care towards patients and team members, it’s crucial that healthcare workers get the much-needed break they deserve.
Read the full research article here.
Technology is all around us, and sometimes it can be hard to escape. When it comes to work-related communication channels, it's important for managers to create boundaries.
Managers can create boundaries for their employees by keeping work and home separate. They can do this by better defining work-related communication channels via technology.
Instead of using messaging channels such as WhatsApp and texting (which can get easily mixed with personal messages), employees should utilize a platform specific for professional discourse.
In addition, managers should implement stricter guidelines for contacting employees after regular work hours. Enforcing a “do not disturb” protocol for non-emergency issues helps to reduce the stress associated with work-life conflict.
Celo provides an easy solution for organizations trying to maintain work-life balance. By serving as a HIPAA-compliant messaging platform, employees are encouraged to discuss work-related information solely through Celo.
Not only do we protect patient information while following HIPAA regulations, we empower healthcare providers to keep work and personal messages separate.
When using Celo, users have the option to use the desktop or mobile version. This lets employees decide where they want to see work-related messages, and how much it'll interfere with their free time. Users can also mute the app or set their status to "Do Not Disturb" for a period of time to sufficiently "switch off" from work.
Furthermore, Celo includes an in-app secure library to store all images captured at work. Users have the ability to separate their personal image libraries from confidential work-related images.
Celo also boasts a role-based messaging feature so that employees can message whoever is on-call. Scheduling is made easier so that employees know the appropriate contact to reach out to. Therefore, employees who are off the clock won’t be receiving a bunch of messages that aren’t meant for them.
Keeping your employees joyfully engaged with their jobs is key to your company's success.
Although improving employee satisfaction is not a simple task, there are actionable steps you can take. By honoring work-life balance and defining the way your team communicates, you're one step closer to maintaining a gratifying work environment for everyone involved.