Poll finds healthcare employees report similar workplace happiness as other industries, but feel less valued

A new poll released by TINYpulse has revealed hospital workers rate their level of work-life balance lower than workers in non-medical industries, and they feel less valued for their work.

For the poll, TINYpulse asked more than 1,000 healthcare services employees about retention, burnout, feeling valued and other major issues in the workplace. Respondents included direct care providers such as nurses and physicians, as well as lab techs and administrators.

TINYpulse then compared these workers' responses with a benchmark calculated from responses from employees in all industries (more than 200,000 employees in total).

Here are four findings from the poll.

1. Healthcare workers report a similar level of workplace happiness to other industries. Healthcare workers reported a level of workplace happiness of 7.49 on a scale of 1 to 10, not too far off from other industries, which reported 7.37.

2. However, healthcare employees rated their work-life balance at 5.87 on a scale of 1 to 10, compared to 7.02 for other industries. Healthcare workers also reported feeling 10 percent less valued.

3. Additionally, the poll found healthcare employees are 35 percent more likely than employees from other industries to leave their job for a 10 percent raise. TINYpulse said one factor correlated to this turnover risk is employees' dissatisfaction with company administration, which also matches up with lower happiness and higher burnout.

4. Healthcare employees on an individual level are satisfied with how they serve patients. However, these employees are 17 percent less likely than other industries to say they would become a customer of their employer.  

5. When asked how satisfied they are with the level of communication they are receiving from their organization, healthcare employees give their company's communication a rating of just 6.17 out of 10.  

6. In light of these findings, TINYpulse outlined various areas for healthcare leaders to address to increase employee satisfaction and prevent turnover. They include:

  • Close the communication gap between the organization and employees
  • Bridge the gap between individual performance and organizational effectiveness
  • Mitigate attrition factors

7. "In the high-growth, high-demand industry of healthcare, retaining talent and maximizing performance are more important than in almost any other industry. Cost to the organization and danger to patients are the direct result of an overwhelmed and unsupported workforce. Creating effective, transparent communication between leadership and employees is the first step in addressing these challenges and saving these workers," TINYpulse concluded.

 

More articles on workforce and labor management:

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St. Mary's Hospital, University of Illinois Rockford help prepare students for rural healthcare practice: 6 things to know
Battle between Huntington Memorial Hospital, union will go to trial

 

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