By Julie Sheedy
Across the healthcare industry, organizations have found that company culture is essential to keep employees happy, which leads to greater employee retention and ultimately, improved quality of service. While opportunities for skill development and career advancement used to be considered a perk, these benefits are rapidly becoming less of a bonus and more of an expectation.
In fact, LinkedIn’s 2022 Global Talent Trends survey showed more than half (59%) of respondents selected professional development opportunities as a top area to improve company culture. That’s a pretty clear message regarding how organizations — especially healthcare organizations that critically need more staff — can attract and keep employees.
Beyond retention of employees, investment in professional development opportunities can lead to increased engagement, better work performance and higher overall job satisfaction among employees. Happier, more engaged employees have been proven to deliver better service — including, but certainly not limited to, the healthcare industry. Having diverse working environment will boost employee morale and instill a desire to be more effective and efficient at work. This will significantly boost your company’s productivity.
In response to this expectation for more career opportunities, organizations should take stock of the programs that they offer to employees, and thoughtfully consider the positive long-term impacts these investments could have on patients, customers, community residents, and of course, employees.
As Loretto’s chief marketing and engagement officer, I am constantly working alongside the other senior leadership team members to research and develop enhancements to our employee training and support programs. A recent survey once again showed that Loretto employees want even more training and advancement opportunities, so Loretto launched a new series of training programs called EDGE, which stands for “Educate, Develop, Grow, Excel.” We have begun implementing several new programs this summer and plan to launch more.
With offerings like leadership training for today’s changing healthcare environment and nationally recognized certification programs in specific areas like dementia, advanced rehabilitation and food services, it’s easy to see how an organization’s investment in its employees can improve patients’ experiences and the quality of healthcare in our community.
Want to learn more about new opportunities at Loretto? Visit lorettocny.org/careers
Julie Sheedy is Loretto’s chief marketing and engagement officer.