Here's how you can address burnout to improve healthcare managers' retention rates in the industry.
Burnout among healthcare managers is a pressing issue that often leads to high turnover rates, affecting the quality of patient care and operational efficiency. Addressing burnout not only enhances job satisfaction but also improves retention, creating a more stable and effective management team. By understanding and implementing strategies to combat burnout, you can ensure that healthcare managers are supported, motivated, and equipped to lead with resilience.
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Caroline LimaGestão da Qualidade | Melhoria Contínua | Acreditações Hospitalares JCI e ONA | Certificações ISO SGI | Gestão de…
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Jillian L. Begin MSN, RNDirector of Surgical Services
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Dr B JAGADISHDiabetes Wellbeing Coach & Diabetes Reversal Expert I Consultant Diabetologist and Preventive Cardiologist I…
Recognizing the signs of burnout is the first critical step toward addressing it. You might notice a healthcare manager feeling exhausted, showing cynicism towards their job, or a decline in their work performance. These symptoms can be subtle, so it's important to maintain open communication channels and encourage managers to share their challenges. By identifying burnout early, you can intervene promptly, providing the necessary support to prevent further deterioration of your managers' well-being and job satisfaction.
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Dr_Ahmed_ Moussa
Former Pharmacy Deputy Director at King Fahd Military Medical Complex, Eastern Province Dhahran, KSA
Here are some key strategies healthcare leaders can implement to address burnout and improve employee retention: 1. Prioritize Well-Being: Demonstrate vulnerability and embody healthy work-life balance. 2. Express Appreciation: Regularly acknowledge the efforts and hard work of employees. 3. Foster Connection: for employee connection like all-company meetings. 4. Implement Supportive Policies. 5. Encourage Feedback. 6. Lead by Example: As a leader, having quality relationships with employees. This helps reduce burnout, increase job satisfaction, and improve retention of skilled healthcare workers. Addressing burnout is crucial for delivering high-quality patient care and ensuring the well-being of the healthcare workforce.
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Gayatri Saudi
Content Writer|Virtual Assistance|Content Strategist|Pharma
Addressing burnout in healthcare management is essential for improving retention rates. Key strategies include fostering a supportive work environment, such as providing adequate resources and encouraging open communication. Wellness programs tailored to healthcare managers should offer mental health support, like counseling and stress management, as well as physical wellness initiatives. Promoting work-life balance through flexible scheduling and encouraging time off can also reduce burnout. By implementing these strategies, healthcare organizations can enhance job satisfaction, reduce burnout, and retain valuable managers, ultimately improving overall healthcare delivery.
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Deyo Okubadejo
Clinical Lead for Virtual Wards North West Anglia Foundation Trust
Being open about the possibility can help early identification. Self-appraisal could be a useful tool. Also paying attention to feedback from colleagues and subordinates.
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Dr.LaTarsha Edwards,DNP,PMHNP-BC
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner at Behavioral Health Non-profit
I wrote a book on How to Decrease Burnout using Mindfulness and Stress Reduction Techniques. The book is on Amazon. It would be a useful tool in businesses to decrease stress and burnout. The book can be used as a guide in training programs in organizations and management also for individual use.
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Ajay Devalia
Biomedical Scientist & Director at Fortune 369 | Award-Winning Bamboo Bedding Solutions for Asthma Relief & Menopausal Comfort | Sustainable & Hypoallergenic Bedding |🏆 Celebrating the Environment Stewardship Award 2024
Improving healthcare managers' retention rates involves promoting work-life balance, offering mental health support, and fostering a positive work environment through recognition and professional development opportunities.
Work-life balance is essential in preventing burnout, and as a healthcare manager, you have the power to promote it within your team. Encourage your managers to take their full lunch breaks, use their vacation time, and disconnect from work after hours. Consider implementing flexible scheduling or remote work options where feasible. By showing that you value their time both in and out of the workplace, you help create a healthier, more balanced work environment that can significantly reduce stress and burnout.
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Caroline Lima
Gestão da Qualidade | Melhoria Contínua | Acreditações Hospitalares JCI e ONA | Certificações ISO SGI | Gestão de Mudança e Projetos | Planejamento Estratégico | Agilidade
Como líder, ajude a priorizar as atividades e distribua tarefas de maneira equilibrada. Estabeleça políticas de desconexão digital, evitando e-mails e chamadas fora do horário de expediente. Mantenha uma relação aberta com sua equipe, promovendo escuta ativa e conversas sinceras. Seja um exemplo: evite mensagens de trabalho após o horário comercial. Promova hobbies e interesses fora do trabalho, incentivando clubes de leitura ou atividades recreativas. Demonstrar que valoriza o tempo dentro e fora do trabalho cria um ambiente mais saudável e equilibrado, reduzindo o estresse e o burnout.
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Jillian L. Begin MSN, RN
Director of Surgical Services
The so called work life balance is not always a perfectly balanced scale, instead we must see it as a scale that sometimes will need more focus and attention on the work side and at other times more focus and attention on the life side. The self awareness and self management of knowing when to “tip” the scale is what leaders need. When the scale tips having strong support from both life and work will be paramount on how the leader can focus on the imbalance and then right the scale for the next swing in weighted attention.
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Dave Murray, MS, BS, CCEP, CHPC
Chief Compliance, Privacy and Risk Management Officer at Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center
One thing to monitor is staff time off. For example, what is their PTO balance? Is it high? How often have they taken time off over the previous 2 years, and how long was that time? Monitor how early they come in as well as how late they work. Address work-life balance frequently in 1:1s, annual evaluations, and routinely check in towards the end of the day to remind them they should be thinking about heading out. Set that expectation annually, as well as on new hire. And....practice what you preach. I've found these methods - and others, have been appreciated by my staff - and I expect the same behavior from them toward their respective staff.
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Antoine Le Cain
Anesthesiologist - Pain physician - Dad / CHIREC / Blue Health / Home
L'équilibre personnel est une priorité dans le domaine des soins de santé. Cet équilibre ne peut pas être défini par un employeur ou une entreprise mais doit être intégré par le soignant, comme un pré-requis au soin. Un accompagnement par la structure de soin peut être à tout moment proposé au titre de soutien. C'est un travail continu, personnel, et qui demande une attention renouvelée à un développement individuel, en vue de l'intégration / la réintégration au sein d'équipes de soin.
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Luis Angel Padró Torres
Coaching Empresarial
Insistir con el equilibrio laboral es fundamental, en mi experiencia siempre aplique una regla muy sencilla, fuera del horario laboral no se contacta a ningún colaborador por ningún motivo, el problema se debe solucionar con las personas que estén en el momento en el hospital; fomentar que todos respeten sus horarios de alimentos, así como su horario de entrada y salida. Esas pequeñas acciones ayudan a disminuir el estrés laboral y forjar mejores equipos de trabajo.
Professional growth and development are antidotes to stagnation and burnout. Offer opportunities for healthcare managers to learn new skills, attend conferences, or pursue further education. This not only keeps them engaged and excited about their careers but also demonstrates your investment in their professional future. As they grow, they'll be more likely to stay committed to the organization, reducing turnover and building a stronger healthcare management team.
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Caroline Lima
Gestão da Qualidade | Melhoria Contínua | Acreditações Hospitalares JCI e ONA | Certificações ISO SGI | Gestão de Mudança e Projetos | Planejamento Estratégico | Agilidade
Somos seres em eterna construção, necessitando de crescimento contínuo, como flores que precisam ser regadas para se manterem vivas. Promover o crescimento profissional é vital para evitar a estagnação e o burnout. Além de oferecer oportunidades para aprender novas habilidades, participar de conferências e buscar mais educação, forneça feedbacks regulares, destaque pontos de desenvolvimento e trace horizontes futuros. Dar perspectiva de próximos passos mantém os gerentes engajados e motivados. Isso demonstra seu investimento no futuro deles, reduz a rotatividade e fortalece a equipe de gestão de saúde.
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Dave Murray, MS, BS, CCEP, CHPC
Chief Compliance, Privacy and Risk Management Officer at Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center
It's always good to track personal development in staff - and let them know on the front end that it's encouraged. While budgets are always tight, work at maintaining some level of an education line item in your department budget. Some professional organizations offer several web-ex courses over the course of a year for a discounted price - and I've found this a great way to group up with staff to attend these web-ex's and discuss content after attending one. Another option for their growth is a certificate program from a university. These are now offered at significantly reduced prices (e.g. eCornell), and I've offered them to staff where I knew they would benefit from the content. And....staff have been very appreciative.
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Luis Angel Padró Torres
Coaching Empresarial
En México el tema de crecimiento está mal entendido, usualmente el personal en general piensa que el desarrollo profesional implica forzosamente un cambio de puesto y de área, cuando ese desarrollo profesional se debe ver como la obtención de nuevos conocimientos y el uso de nuevas tecnologías que ayuden a efectuar de una manera más eficiente y eficaz las responsabilidades de cada integrante del equipo.
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Okikiola Oladele
Biological Scientist | Educator | Healthy Nutritionist | Entrepreneur | Chapter Lead;State Of Youth,Lagos | Delta State NYSC SERVICOM President A2| SDGs Advocate | Volunteer
There is always room for growth, advancement and more professionalism in every field and this does not elude health managers. We must embrace growth,know the tactic (s) that failed,align with the tactic(s) that worked and be open minded to solve issues related to burnout.
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Paige Thomasson Noble
Pursuiing management positions. Currently living in Midwest.
Ensure that you are steering clear of micro assaults, macro insults, or biases . Each need to feel that they are valued in their own way. Find something to praise them for weekly and provide a choice of 3 classes they can attend based on previous discussions, and allow them to choose one that will significantly increase their repertoire of skills
Creating strong support networks within the workplace is vital for combating burnout. Encourage peer mentorship programs and regular team-building activities to foster a sense of community among healthcare managers. Knowing they have colleagues who understand their challenges and can offer support or advice can make a significant difference in managing day-to-day stress and preventing feelings of isolation that often accompany burnout.
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Dave Murray, MS, BS, CCEP, CHPC
Chief Compliance, Privacy and Risk Management Officer at Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center
Networking across the organization should be encouraged, if not strongly pushed. It creates a stronger team, eliminates silos, and improves work flow. I've found creating multi-disciplinary teams to address specific issues to be highly effective - and has created much better cross departmental cooperation. Everyone typically agrees that optimal patient care and outcomes is the key goal for every healthcare organization. Short process improvement projects improve that, and staff get an appreciation of what each department does in a given process - and the ripple effect when things don't go smoothly.
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Sikandar Zaman
Sustainable Disruptor • Innovator • Policy Maker • Entrepreneur
Challenges: - Support networks primarily focus on providing emotional support and coping strategies. They may not directly address the underlying organizational factors that contribute to burnout. - Sharing sensitive information within a peer group can be difficult if confidentiality is not guaranteed. - Healthcare managers are overworked and under-resourced. Solutions: - Investing in professional coaching can provide a confidential space for managers to vent frustrations, explore leadership challenges, and develop coping mechanisms. - Joining industry-specific associations provides access to a wider network of peers facing similar challenges. Managers can share best practices, exchange ideas, and learn from each other's experiences.
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Caroline Lima
Gestão da Qualidade | Melhoria Contínua | Acreditações Hospitalares JCI e ONA | Certificações ISO SGI | Gestão de Mudança e Projetos | Planejamento Estratégico | Agilidade
Criar fortes redes de apoio no local de trabalho é vital para combater o burnout. Além de programas de mentoria, promova grupos de apoio específicos para gestores de saúde, onde possam compartilhar experiências e estratégias. Organize eventos sociais e workshops de habilidades interpessoais para fortalecer os laços entre colegas. Facilite a criação de comunidades de prática, onde profissionais possam colaborar e trocar conhecimentos regularmente. Essas iniciativas ajudam a criar um ambiente de suporte mútuo, diminuindo o isolamento e aumentando a resiliência.
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Kay Hanoman
P.S.W..H.C.A..Office
Take frequent breaks n communication is very essential Work as a team in all aspects of a heavy work assignment Report crisis situation as you see it Sharing thoughts and giving a voice when needed
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Abdulbasit Hamza
Regional M&E Officer
In networking, caution needs to be taken. There are some managers who want to populate his immediate environment with the people of his like, people who are submissive and free free from challenge/request. This type of manager often try to create his own comfort zone and excludes the few important people from the business of an organization. This gradually create parallel group and the invisible emotional fight between these teams gradually spoil the work environment. Therefore a manager has to be very patient, often focus on tue bog picture and create networks that accomodate important people.
Efficient workflows are crucial in reducing unnecessary stress on healthcare managers. Take a closer look at current processes and identify areas where improvements can be made. Streamlining administrative tasks through better software or delegating responsibilities can free up managers' time, allowing them to focus on more critical aspects of their roles. By optimizing workflows, you help alleviate some of the pressures that contribute to burnout.
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Okikiola Oladele
Biological Scientist | Educator | Healthy Nutritionist | Entrepreneur | Chapter Lead;State Of Youth,Lagos | Delta State NYSC SERVICOM President A2| SDGs Advocate | Volunteer
There should be a good workflow. This is very possible when we have enough hands. Health managers should have a routine and should also be relieved off work when need be. This will curb being wornout which will eventually lead to burnout.
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Caroline Lima
Gestão da Qualidade | Melhoria Contínua | Acreditações Hospitalares JCI e ONA | Certificações ISO SGI | Gestão de Mudança e Projetos | Planejamento Estratégico | Agilidade
Mapeie a cadeia de valor e foque nas atividades que geram maior valor, alinhadas com o planejamento estratégico. Simplificar tarefas administrativas com melhores softwares ou delegar responsabilidades libera o tempo dos gerentes para funções mais críticas. Metodologias ágeis, como Scrum ou Kanban, melhoram a gestão de projetos e a eficiência. Reuniões diárias curtas (daily stand-ups) e ciclos de revisão mantêm o foco e ajustam prioridades rapidamente. Direcione os esforços para atividades de maior impacto com menor esforço. Clareza nos papéis e responsabilidades evita sombreamento e utiliza melhor os recursos. Automatizar processos repetitivos e usar ferramentas de colaboração também otimiza o fluxo de trabalho.
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Luis Angel Padró Torres
Coaching Empresarial
Para volver más eficientes los flujos de trabajo, organizaba una reunión semanal con los líderes de cada equipo o área, para identificar si algún problema se podía solucionar con el apoyo de los demás líderes, muchas veces solo es fomentar una comunicación adecuada entre los equipos y los problemas operativos disminuyen significativamente. Adicionalmente se establecieron pautas de trabajo inter equipos que ayudan a disminuir la burocracia interna de cada unidad hospitalaria, por ejemplo determinar stocks de refacciones más usuales para el área de mantenimiento y así el área de compras se concentraba en materiales más complicados y/o costosos para conseguir mejores condiciones.
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Sikandar Zaman
Sustainable Disruptor • Innovator • Policy Maker • Entrepreneur
While streamlining administrative tasks is important, it is crucial to ensure that the focus on efficiency does not come at the expense of empathy and patient-centered care. Healthcare managers must strike a delicate balance between optimizing workflows and maintaining a compassionate and supportive environment for both patients and staff. Workflow optimization should not be viewed solely as a technical exercise. It is essential to involve care delivery teams and frontline staff in the process, understanding their unique challenges and incorporating their feedback to ensure that the proposed solutions are practical and effective.
Investing in wellness programs shows a commitment to the health and well-being of your healthcare managers. Whether it's access to mental health resources, fitness classes, or stress management workshops, providing these tools can empower managers to take control of their health. When managers feel cared for by their employers, they're more likely to feel satisfied with their jobs and remain in their positions longer.
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Dr B JAGADISH
Diabetes Wellbeing Coach & Diabetes Reversal Expert I Consultant Diabetologist and Preventive Cardiologist I Consultant Functional and Lifestyle Medicine
Happier Staff, Healthier Bottom Line: Invest in Employee Wellness 🚀 Prioritize well-being for a thriving healthcare team. Offer stress reduction techniques (yoga, meditation), fitness incentives, confidential counseling, flexible schedules, and financial wellness resources. A healthy team equals a productive, loyal one.
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Vigneysh G
Business Head @ Pacific International Hospital -Lae Branch
Here are some strategies to implement Firstly, Develop an open communication culture where managers can freely express their concerns and receive the feedback for the same. The next step is to provide flexible work schedules or remote work options when possible to reduce stress. Finally the recognition part,Regularly reward managers for their achievements and contributions to the organization. For Ex- at least make the two hands to clap for the managers. As per my point ,by implementing the above strategies, healthcare organizations can reduce the % of burnouts.
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Dr. SUSHRUT ALMAST
Angel Investor and Social Entrepreneur
#HolisticHealth Focus on Holistic Health is the key. Unless the Healthcare managers apply and prescribe Holustic Health situation is going to worsen. Holistic Health includes a balance of (1) Physical Health (2) Mental Health (3) Social Health (4) Spiritual Health (5) Financial Health
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Helen Truscott
Clinical Director, Nurse Practitioner Student,Occupational Health Nurse, Casual Academic James Cook University
An example I feel that shows a level of support is by offering employee assistance programs for staff and their families. Having access to counselling for a range of issues that may affect a worker and impact on their psychosocial well-being, shows interest and understanding.
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Karthik Kannan
Driving revenue cycle efficiency and profitability with cutting-edge RPA & AI solutions for healthcare organizations.
We need to help them with trending technologies such as AI & RPA. This will help them to automate repetitive tasks, restructure capturing the day-to-day important data through predefined templates and dashboard to organize the day-to-day reporting, thus clearing the managers time to focus on more important initiatives. In addition to this helping them with integrating predictive analytics would help them with better understanding on where they stand and help them to make the right decision. This technical support will the managers to optimize operations and also advances to a more supportable and encouraging workplace.
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Dr Manish Kalla
Ex- Apollo, Ex-Fortis,17 years & counting in Healthcare arena (P & L, Business Development, Clinical and Non Clinical Operations, EBIDTA, Risk Management, Learning and Development, NABH & JCI), Turnaround
Burnout is a subjective and most temporary phase of anyone's career. As a Manager, we need to observe keenly on the signs, which an employee keeps showing during the tenure. The productivity falls, difficulty in underdranding, less clarity etc so as a Manager, detecting early signs, talking to the employee and create the confidence while restructuring the work profile may help. In addition, allowing somedays paid offs will also help in rejuvenating and then subsequently, the productivity increases.
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Carole Chan
Stop asking people to do more and more with less and less, it's a recipe for burnout. Encourage team members to take mental health days, use their vacation time and benefits (i.e. get a massage!) As a leader, it helps immensely to model this behaviour for your team.
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Henry Lang
DNAP⚕️MSN🧑🏾⚕️CRNA |⚓Active Duty Navy ⚓ |🎖️Master Facilitator in Healthcare Communication |👨🏽🏫Assistant Professor at USUHS| Top Medical Talent✨Senior Partner
To prevent burnout, it's important to ensure that workloads are reasonable and evenly spread out. It's crucial to regularly evaluate each manager's workload to make sure it's manageable and balanced. Managers should get help in deciding which tasks to do first based on how urgent and important they are. This can help them focus on the most critical things and manage their time well. Looking at and simplifying work processes to get rid of unnecessary tasks and make things run better can help managers get more done in less time. It's essential to ensure managers have the necessary things to do their tasks well, like enough staff, money, technology, and training.
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