.tmb-auto.png?sfvrsn=3028f62b_0)
blog
Taking the Pulse of HR Executives to Understand the Workforce Environment
The Q1 2016 Healthcare Workforce Advisoris focused squarely on nursing. This post excerpts an article by HealthStream’s Robyne Wilcox, Product Manager, Recruiting & Engagement.
Are you feeling the pinch to make your HR program stretch even further this year? You’re not alone. In late 2015, HealthStream conducted a survey of healthcare HR executives and asked for their opinions on talent acquisition plans and priorities for the 2016 calendar year. The survey revealed how acquisition strategies are taking center stage for many organizations as the competition for quality nurses is heating up. Staffing goals and headcount numbers are on the rise for many, and they are only growing further in early 2016. Yet, our research tells us budgets aren’t keeping pace. This puts HR leaders in a challenging position to leverage existing resources and make them work harder than ever before.
Shifting From Function to Value
As the focus shifts from what the human resources function does to what it delivers, the department’s value as a strategic business partner continues to rise. HR is in the people business, and everyone agrees that good people are paramount to the success of any hospital. With a seat firmly at the table among other stakeholders in the organization comes greater attention to business alignment and HR’s plans for attracting and hiring the right people for the greatest strategic impact. Approximately 70 percent of HR executives responding to our survey felt their talent acquisition strategies carried significant weight within their organizations, with most suggesting their plans had increased in importance from the year before.
Rethinking Healthcare HR’s Approach
Meanwhile, staff shortages, turnover, and growing patient volumes are impacting almost every hospital across the country, challenging even the best talent acquisition strategies and prompting HR execs to rethink their approach. Nearly 78 percent of survey respondents said it had become even more difficult to attract and acquire quality talent than the year before, with less than 50 percent expressing confidence in the effectiveness of their strategies. Consequently, hospitals are rebooting their plans to include or improve:
- Candidate Engagement
- Strategic Channel Marketing
- Mobile Strategy
- Technology and Data
For many healthcare HR executives, the bar has been raised. As a strategic business partner, they must find more effective ways to achieve alignment with organization objectives and demonstrate strategic impact. Having a strong healthcare human resources solutions partner has never been more important. For further details on HealthStream’s 2015 Healthcare HR Executive survey and what HR executives are doing to improve their talent acquisition strategies, visit us online at healthstream.com.