Written by CMBA | Sep 11, 2019 5:00:00 AM
Did you know that the current
unemployment rate for physicians is 0.7 percent? With a multitude of available opportunities across the job market, a shift has occurred. Job candidates in the medical field are in the power position of selecting their employer. The natural question then arises: if a facility wants to hire top talent, what can they do to stand out in such a competitive market? There is no cookie-cutter answer, and plenty of contributing factors exist. But today we'll be looking at an aspect of hiring that many overlook. The physical space that potential employees will work in. We believe that healthcare facilities should heavily consider designing spaces that remain consistent with their mission and facilitate the diverse job functions that reside in a medical facility in order to recruit and retain top talent. Ready to dive into what constitutes these types of environments? Keep reading!
Designing for Job Satisfaction
The ongoing shift to multidisciplinary care brings with it the need for larger staff. And when larger staff get forced into environments built for smaller ones, it’s a recipe for disaster. So, what can you do? Although designing for the patient experience is so important, healthcare facilities need to also start creating places that their employees enjoy. Often, staff spaces such as break and locker rooms can feel like an afterthought, tucked into out-of-the-way places or in windowless rooms. Changing the way you think about and design these spaces will help deliver appealing work environments that retain staff, support employee well-being, and improve operations. Because space is often at a premium, healthcare organizations have been slow to focus on the staff work and respite environment. But with the emerging staff burnout epidemic, it can’t be ignored any longer. The previous hierarchical days of healthcare don’t match culturally where we are today. We certainly see that connectedness in workplace design, and we’re starting to see that more in healthcare as team-based care has become the norm.
What Does Your Space Say About You?
By changing the way we think about the spaces employees will inhabit, healthcare facilities will not only make employees feel positive, productive and happy, but they'll also begin attracting the type of high-quality talent they're looking for. If you're still a little unsure of whether or not your current space is attractive to quality talent, we leave you with this question: If a prospective job candidate asked your current employees about their work environment, what would they say?