We assume healthcare employees work in healthy conditions, right? Well, new research from our friends at TINYpulse is making us think again.
TINYpulse, an employee engagement firm, polled over 1,000 healthcare professionals — including physicians, nurses, therapists and technicians — in search of which workplace problems hurt performance most.
Despite scoring high in overall happiness, healthcare workers reported lower work-life balance than workers in other industries. They also claimed they’re eager to leave their jobs for a small raise, and they’re unhappy with current communications at work.
Here are the report’s top-level findings:
- Higher overall happiness. Healthcare workers report an average happiness level of 7.5 out of 10 — higher than the average of 7.3 for all other industries.
- Lower work-life balance. They rate their work-life balance at 5.8 on average compared to the average rating of 7 for all other industries. That’s no surprise — nearly 30 percent of respondents told TINYpulse they see between 50 and 100 patients each week.
- Higher turnover risk. Healthcare workers are 35 percent more likely than those in other industries to say they would leave their current jobs for a new one with a 10 percent pay raise.
- Distrusting of organization. One of the most alarming findings in the study? Some healthcare workers said they would be reluctant to use the services of their own employer. Compared to other industries, they’re 17 percent less likely to become a customer of their own employer.
- Poor communication. On issues like communication and transparency, healthcare workers rated their employers a 6 out of 10. Respondents who rated communication at work between 1 and 5 are less happy, more burnt out and feel undervalued by their employer compared to workers who reported high ratings.
The biggest takeaway? Supporting healthcare workers’ well-being starts with increasing employee engagement at work.
Many factors that contribute to disengagement and unhappiness at work also affect those we trust to keep us healthy. The poll shows that medical professionals aren’t immune to problems like poor communication, low pay and little to no recognition.
If you’re looking for tips on how to increase employee engagement, check out some of our favorite resources:
- The Big E — What engagement at work really means
- 7 wellness communication tips for your offline employees
- What to do about an inflexible schedule
And for the full results of the TINYpulse poll, including in-depth analysis, you can download the report.