HR departments can avoid summer staffing snafus by creating and enforcing adequate time-off policies. Pro tip: Carrots are usually more effective than sticks.
Ahhhhh, summer. That delightful time of year when the weather is warm, the sun shines more often than not, and people call in sick so they can binge watch the fourth season of Orange is the New Black while sipping a fruity drink.
"People absolutely call in 'sick' more often during the summer," says Owen Dahl, an independent consultant with Englewood, Colorado-based Medical Group Management Association.
Data backs him up. As many as 39% of workers have called off a shift during the summertime simply to enjoy the season, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive.
And that's not the only example tricky personnel-related issues to expect over the summer season.
Other HR issues that come up include staffing snafus and inexperienced workers struggling to figure out their jobs while lives are on the line.
Healthcare organizations can make sure their teams enjoy summer responsibly by maintaining consistent internal policies year round.
Summer Staffing
"The idea is to set some parameters around who will take time off," says Dahl.
Some policies that might help keep the hospital staffed include limitations on time off for new employees or a first-come, first-served policy that asks workers to request time off as far in advance as possible.
Bret D'Vincent, recruitment team director at Aya Healthcare, a travel nurse staffing company, says that focusing on organizational culture has helped to keep staffing levels consistent year-long. "We do our utmost to foster a culture of teamwork so that everyone happily pitches in to share the workload when co-workers are out of the office," he says.
But what about employees who calls in "sick" when they aren't?
This is when having a strong attendance policy comes in handy. It is not inappropriate to request a doctor's note for absences, or to track absences in an attempt to determine who might be abusing the system, says Dahl.
But carrots are usually more effective than sticks. Offering a bonus for perfect attendance might be a powerful motivator for people to make it into the office in the summer.
One tip: "No $5.00 coffee shop gift cards for this," says Dahl. "Make this benefit worthwhile."
New Workers, New Roles
Summer can mean new people in new roles. Not only is the job market flooded with newly minted college graduates every summer, but June and July are two of the three months when workers are most commonly promoted, and, of course, July is when medical residencies start.
In short, there are more people just figuring their jobs out in the hospital during the summer. While a learning curve is to be expected, it can be made less steep by maintaining consistency, says Dahl.
"I would ask, 'what is your onboarding process?'" says Dahl. Ensuring new workers are properly trained and given proper guidance and enough time to come up to speed is vital.
If you know you'll be bringing on new people over the next few months, this is a good time to reevaluate your hiring criteria, says Dahl.
"Be careful with crisis hires," he adds—sometimes, it's better to leave a role unfilled than to fill it hastily, without properly vetting the candidate.
Dahl's advice is similar for helping the newly promoted adjust to their roles. "Hopefully their managers have done a good job giving them guidance and direction, and have confidence that they will able to handle the position."
He suggests coaching the employee and working closely with them for a period of time to ensure they get the hang of their new roles.
These issues can crop up any time of year, but it's especially important to be vigilant during the summer. With consistent planning and processes in place, things should go according to schedule—even if a few people decide to play hooky.
Lena J. Weiner is an associate editor at HealthLeaders Media.