HRM Challenges: Attracting and Retaining Staff in Healthcare Sector

This essay provides an overview of the challenges faced by organizations in the healthcare industry regarding attracting and retaining employees. It highlights the importance of employee retention for reducing turnover, managing costs, and maintaining customer trust. The essay discusses demographic, economic, and competitive challenges, including globalization and the need for effective recruitment strategies based on job and person descriptions. It further explores the challenges in retaining employees, such as the need for competitive benefits, addressing technological advancements, providing effective training, offering good incentive schemes, and recognizing employee contributions. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of aligning organizational practices with employee expectations to foster satisfaction and reduce turnover in the healthcare sector.

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Human Resource Management 1
“Essay on Attracting and Retaining staff in healthcare industry”
The purpose of this essay is to provide a brief introduction to the challenges faced by the
companies in attracting and retaining employees at the workplace. At every organization, it is
very important for the management to attract and retain the employees so as to increase the
productivity of the company in the target market. The essay explains the challenges faced by the
organizations present in health care industry in managing the staff and decreasing the employee
retention rate in the organization present in the health care industry. For every organization, the
employees are the most important asset for them with the help of which the companies increase
their share and productivity in the target market (McCracken,Currie, & Harrison, 2016).
Further, it should be noted that the healthcare industry is very crucial industry where the
organizations need to employ people who are competent enough to work for them and initiate
activities that benefit the society at large. Not all the people present in the industry can easily
fulfill each other's place, instead, the companies require to employ the people with adequate
skills and knowledge to work for the betterment of the health of other people present in the
environment. Initially talking about the reasons to attract and retain the employees in the
healthcare industry, it should be noted that it is very important for the organizations present in
the healthcare industry to manage employee turnover as the less rate of employee turnover, more
level of satisfaction employees receive in the organization (George, 2015). The HR managers of
the companies try hard to maintain the retention strategies so as to manage the employee
turnover in the organization. In a hospital where the doctors and nurses keep on leaving the
organization shows that the organization is not strong enough to retain the employees and it is
unable to satisfy the requirements of the employees due to which they leave resulting to which
turnover subsequently increases. So, it is important for organizations to attract and retain the
employees so as to manage the employee turnover rate. The high rate in this case also influence
other satisfied employees to leave the job as well (Roehling, 2017).
Further, it should also be noted that this activity is important for the organizations present in the
healthcare industry to manage their expenses and costs involved with the business. The cost of
employing people in the organization and managing their interest is just like negligible but the
companies pay a huge cost to retain the employee. So, at a healthcare center where the
employees constantly leave the job, in such organization the company needs to timely initiate the

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recruitment process to manage the adequate requirement of employees with the organization
(Shemdoe, et. al., 2016). Resulting in which, the company pays heavy recruitment costs that
change their focus as well. Thus, in order to become cost effective and grow, it is important for
the organizations to retain the employees and attract them as well. In a healthcare organization,
the customers prefer getting checked up by the doctor is known to them and is working for a long
time in the organization as they do not trust any new employee for their check-up. So, if the
healthcare center faces the issue in retaining the employees then subsequently the customers and
the productivity of the organization will also reduce as the customer will go to the same doctor
who is being hired another organization. Retention and attraction of employees are important in
the healthcare industry for the growth and survival of the organization (Alameddine, et. al.,
2016). An organization where the employees are working from the beginning, that organization
retains the customers in the organizations as well. The healthcare industry has now days become
the most prominent industry as every person is becoming health conscious due to which they
visit the healthcare centers on a regular basis. So, the customers get their health checkup done by
the familiar people of the organization, and then it becomes a trust on the activities due to which
they believe that the organization will subsequently make them fit. Thus, trust and bonding of
customer with the organization with the increase in retention and attraction activity of employees
at the workplace (Shields, et. al., 2015).
Additionally talking about the challenges faced by the organizations in attracting and retaining
the employees in the healthcare industry, it should be noted that it is very important for the
organizations present in this industry to hire the right people who can actively work to increase
the productivity of the organization. Without good and qualified employees, an organization can
never serve its patients, communities, and families. So, hiring the right type of people and
engaging them, and retaining the existing employees will help the organization to gain a higher
level of morale, lower employee turnover, and a stronger bottom line as well. The organization
faces demographic, economic, and competitive challenges in the environment that stagnate the
overall growth of the industry (Fortenberry Jr, & McGoldrick, 2016). It is assumed that the
healthcare industry will become the fastest growing industry in some time from now as there is
high degree of human resource requirement in this industry. There is no industry that is more
outdated in recruiting and managing employee turnover in the market. The ways to recruit and
retain the employees is very outdated that reduces the satisfaction level of the employees in the

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market. Firstly talking about the challenges faced by organizations in attracting the right type of
human resource for the organization, it should be noted that it is one of the most crucial aspects
of the activities of the human resource management as with the hiring of right people only the
company can run and gain great success in the target market.
Competition is one of the biggest challenges that the organization faces while hiring the
employees in the market. The industry is becoming compact due to which the companies are
facing difficulty in attracting the right type of human resource that they want for the growth on
their business (Kroezen, et. al., 2015). There is the presence of tough competition between the
healthcare companies that make it a difficult choice for the person also to choose the right
organization. In this race, all the organizations are constantly trying to increase the satisfaction of
employees or prospective people through their services so that they can attract them in the
market. Globalization is another challenge for the companies prevailing in the external
environment. With the process of globalization, the boundaries in different environment are
removed making the world flat, this process increases the opportunities of the people to go in the
healthcare industry present in any part of the world and work with them. Resulting to which, the
opportunity cost of the domestic organization to work with the talented person reduces (Lasala,
2017).
With the effect of globalization, the talented human resource gets skimmed by the well-
renowned health care organization and the companies present in the domestic industry are left
with the less talented or comparatively less competent people in the market. Further, it should be
noted that it is important for the human resource management to hire the employees on the basis
of the person description and job description as well. If an organization hire the employee who
stands not according to the job and person description then the company can face issues in future
prospects. Also, the HR manager should have adequate knowledge about the type of employee
that they want for their business because if they do understand the importance of these aspects
then they cannot identify between the type of human resource they should attract the human
resource that they are currently attracting (Tourangeau, et. al., 2017).
The above-mentioned passage talks about the challenges faced by the organization in attracting
the right type of human resource for their organization. Now talking about the challenges faced
by the organizations present in the healthcare, it should be noted that some turnovers are

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unavoidable that the company cannot levy at any case like the marriage of employees, move out,
retirement etc. But in many cases other than the mentioned above, the companies in the
healthcare industry can levy the turnover and retain the employees. As it invests a huge cost for
the organization to train the employees and explain them with the process of the organization, so
the company should always aim to reduce the employee turnover by successfully retaining the
employees in their organization (Humphreys, Wakerman, Pashen, & Buykx, 2017). Further, it
should be noted that the employees can only be retained when they are satisfied with the
activities of the organization. So, the healthcare organization should also provide optimum
benefits to the organization so as to increase their satisfaction level and make them stay in the
organization.
As discussed above, the healthcare industry has high job vacancies and less number of
employees present in the industry that gives the advantage to the employees to choose an
organization in which they gain maximum level of satisfaction. Further, it should be noted that
technology is one of the biggest issues due to which the organizations are unable to retain the
employees in their organization (Han, & Hyun, 2015). In a company where the management
keeps on updating the technology and using it in their business makes it difficult for the
employees to sustain their activities in the business and work effectively as well. Also,
ineffective training results to decrease in the interest of the employees in the activities of the
organization due to which they get bored and subsequently leave the job. So, it should be noted
poor training is one of the biggest reason that makes the employees leave the job. The good
incentive scheme in the organization effectively motivate the employees to work for the
organization and increase their income in the market. However, good incentive scheme increases
the satisfaction; similar poor incentive scheme for the employees reduces their satisfaction level
that makes it difficult for them to survive in the activities of the organization; due to which they
subsequently leave the job (Chamorro-Premuzic, & Furnham, 2010).
Recognition is also one of the biggest factors that affect the retention of employees in the
healthcare industry. The team of the employees collectively works on a project and brings output
from it but the leaders or head or the team and known and recognized in the market. Resulting in
which, other team members feel insecure and less motivated while working in the organization
(London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 2015). Unappreciation is one of the biggest

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reason that makes a person dissatisfied with the activities of the organization, thus, the
organization should adequately recognize the talent of the employees and provide them a
platform to outshine their capabilities in the market in order to retain them. The difference in the
approaches that are practices and were assumed and expected makes it difficult for the
employees to survive in the organization (Terera, & Ngirande, 2014). All the employees join an
organization by looking at its terms and conditions and whether they are suitable for them or not.
So, if the organization acts differently from the way the employees expected it to be, then the
company will fail failure in fulfilling the expectations of the employees due to which they will
leave the job and the company would fail to retain them. It is important for the organization to
make the employees understand their terms and conditions and the activities they practice so as
to reduce the chances of conflicts or dissatisfaction in the organization. Thus, these are the
challenges that are faced by the organizations present in the healthcare industry in retaining and
recruiting human resource (Montague, Burgess, & Connell, 2015).
However, it should be noted that no task is difficult if the organization is determined to work on
it. Hus, there are many recommendations for the organization to successfully retain and hire the
employees to increase the productivity of the organization. Good compensatory benefits and
incentives are the biggest motivating factors for the employees that motivate them to stay in the
organization itself(The Romanow Papers, 2004). Compensation and monetary incentives give an
adequate reason to the employees to hold on their activities in the target market. Incentives are
the benefits that the employees receive over and above their basic pay; this type of pay is given
to the employees for the additional work by them. So, if the organization identifies the work and
focus of employees towards the organization they can easily motivate them to sustain their
activities in the same organization (Management Connections, 2012). Apart from monetary
benefits, non-monetary incentives also help the healthcare organization to retain the employees
in the organization. Generally, health care organizations do not have identified process of
providing incentives to the employees so the organization makes use of this process then it will
help them in retaining the employees at the maximum level.
Recognizing the work done by the employees and rewarding them accordingly is one of the best
ways to satisfy the employees with the activities of the organization. Further, the companies
present in the market can retain the employees by maintaining an identified goodwill in the target

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market. Good brand image will adequately help the employer to attract the talented people in the
organization as all employees want to work in a well-reputed and identified organization present
in the market. Further, the company should also make use of the social media sites to attract
talent in the market (Laengle, et. al., 2017). This is an innovative way to create the brand image
of the company attract the employees as well. Lastly, it should be noted that engagement is the
best way to attract and retain the employees in the activities of the organization. The company
should aim to involve the employees in the actions that they take with respect to the
organization. This aspect will help the employees to gain the sense of engagement in the
company. Engagement will help the management to increase their bonding with the employees
and communicate with them effectively (Landry, Schofield, Bordage, & Bélanger, 2011).
Thus, in the limelight of above mentioned events, it should be noted that retaining of employees
and attracting them in the business is the major requirements of the business for growing and
becoming competitive in the target market. No organization can become sustainable with
increasing employee turnover rate with them. Reduction in the employee turnover rate will make
the employees more and more connected with the activities of the organization and ultimately
increasing the number of experienced employees in the organization. A number of experienced
employees in the organization provide a greater level of satisfaction to healthcare companies. As
the experience of employees increases the trust of customers in the activities of the organization.
Further, above-mentioned essay explained the importance of retaining the employees in the
organization, challenges faced by healthcare companies retaining and attracting the employees
and some recommendation to improve the current state.

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