ASHHRA Survey Details HR's Strategic Priorities

A couple of months back I noted in this column that the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration was conducting its 2011 Healthcare HR Initiatives Survey to discern the priorities of healthcare human resources executives.

The results are in and they mostly confirm what we already know: Healthcare HR executives are focused on retaining talent, and improving employee engagement as a means to enhance safety and patient satisfaction. These executives are doing all of this with an eye toward healthcare reform, and its impact on care delivery and reimbursement.

To me, even more telling is the nature of the questions themselves. They demonstrate that HR executives at successful healthcare organizations are still involved in the critical daily tactical operations that make complex healthcare organizations function. But the questions also show that those same executives have made the leap from tactical tasking to strategic thinking.

More than any other area of healthcare leadership, HR straddles a unique position between the strategic long view, and the rubber-hits-the-road tactical implementation. At the strategic level, it's about matching the employee with the mission. At the tactical level, it's about giving the employees the tools, training, and support they need to prosper.

Before we go on, let's look at some of the findings from the ASHHRA survey.  Respondents were asked:

What are your HR initiatives to cut costs?

1. Streamline HR Processes (69% of respondents chose this)
2. Improve retention rates (66%)
3. Reduce reliance on agencies and temporary workers (34%)
4. Redesign compensation and benefits plans (32%)

What are your HR initiatives to improve patient satisfaction?

1. Improve employee satisfaction/employee engagement (75%)
2. Create a culture of employee accountability (75%)
3. Create a service-oriented culture (72%)
4. Align our workforce with our organization's mission and core values (64%)

What are your HR initiatives to improve patient safety?

1. Improve workforce education and development (67%)
2. Improve employee satisfaction (60%)
3. Identify and manage out low performers (59%)
4. Improve retention rates (49%)

Biggest challenges with achieving your HR initiatives?

1. Not enough time to focus on the important projects (62%)
2. Too many competing initiatives (56%)
3. No budget to implement programs (47%)
4. Inefficient systems, inadequate technology (43%)

What new technology are you planning to adopt to achieve your HR initiatives?

1. Performance management (appraisal) software (36%)
2. Social Media for recruiting (32%)
3. Time and Attendance/Workforce Scheduling Absence (24%)
4. Behavioral Assessments (24%)

It is heartening and reaffirming to see that HR understands – and is embracing -- its dual strategic and tactical roles in improving patient satisfaction and safety through employee engagement. Common sense -- and a growing body of practical experience -- tell us that neither of those critical quality benchmarks can be improved upon unless employees are happy and buy into the healing mission.

That engagement starts with HR's role in shaping the healing mission at the strategic level. On the tactical side, it is HR's job to help new employees during the recruiting and orientation process, using that introductory period to affirm the organization's mission. Good HR executives understand the need to developing tools, benefits, training programs, favorable scheduling options, and other processes that demonstrate management's commitment to staff, actions that help the employee grow with the organization

The "challenges" with the job that are detailed in the survey also point to the inherent frictions in HR's dual role. It's difficult to articulate long-range strategic HR goals when there isn't enough time, or there are too many competing initiatives clouding the picture, or the budget is too small, and the technology is antiquated.

No doubt these are frustrating practical problems that should be addressed. But they should not distract us from the fact that healthcare HR has gone strategic.