Leaders take charge: 4 practical ways to create an employee experience that drives retention Leaders take charge: 4 practical ways to create an employee experience that drives retention

By DeLinda Washington, Senior Vice President and Chief People Of ficer at HealthPar tners

By DeLinda Washington , Senior Vice Preside nt and Chief Pe ople Of ficer at HealthPar tners

As an organizational leader, you face constant pressure to find innovative ways to combat recruitment and retention issues that threaten the stabilityof yourorganization These problemsare onlyworsening due to social , economic and health stressorsthat are notletting up

As an organizational leader, you face constant pressure to find innovative ways to combat recruitment and retention issues that threaten the stabilityof yourorganization These problemsare onlyworsening due to social , economic and health stressorsthat are notletting up

I’ve been there, st an ding at the front lin es of these demanding challenges over the last few years– helping leadour 26 ,0 00 employeeswho work acrossour care and coverage services – whether it be in our hospit al s, clinic s and sp ecialt y centers or ininsurance administration An d on the most difficult days ,I to ok solace in knowin g that leader ship isn’talwaysab out knowin g the right answer

I’ve been there, standing at the front lines of these demanding challenges over the last few years– helping leadour 26 ,0 00 employeeswho work acrossour care and coverage services – whether it be in our hospital s, clinic s and sp ecialt y centers or ininsurance administration An d on the most difficult days ,I took solace in knowing that leadership isn’talwaysabout knowing the right answer Instead,it ’s about centering yo ur organization around the voices of your employe esacross your organization – their perspectives , their interest s, their needs and their concerns Byidentifying what matters most to them, you can create strate gies that will have the biggest impac t on business performance and retention,helpinglead where your organization is heade d.

Instead,it ’s ab out centerin g your organization around the voices of your employe esacross your organization – their perspectives , their interest s, their ne eds and their concerns Byidentifying what matters most to them, you can create strate gies that will have the biggest impac t on business performance and retention,helpinglea d where your organization is heade d.

Here are four prac tical steps you can take to create a dynamic employe e exp erience that will motivate more people to join your organization, st ay the course,and feel connec te d, suppor te d and inspired ever y day.

Here are four practical steps you can take to create a dynamic employe e exp erience that will motivate more people to join your organization, stay the course,and feel connec ted, suppor te d and inspired ever y day.

1. Re-envision your businessstrate gy through the voice of your workforce

1. Re-envision your businessstrate gy through the voice of your work force

When executing a businessstrate gy,it ’s easy to getlost in the numb ers like op erational data about key performance indicators (KPIs), savings, profit s, losses, etc. Yet your work force is the engine behind what keeps those numb ers healthy and moving in the right direction.

When executing a businessstrate gy,it ’s easy to getlost in the numb ers like op erational data ab out key performance indicators (KPIs), savings, profit s, losses, etc. Yet your work force is the engine behind what keeps those numb ers healthy and moving in the right direction.

That ’s whyit ’s important to take time to invest in and empower yourgreatest asset– your employees – and that means making their exp erience at your organization a produc tive, happy, healthy and fulfilling one. It ’s a small investmentthat will payoff tenfold through the retention of valuable talent, not to mention helping you get your business strate gy back on track.

That ’s whyit ’s important to take tim e to invest in and empower yourgreatest asset– your employe es – and that means making their experience at your organization a produc tive, happy, healthy and fulf illing one. It ’s a small investmentthat will payoff tenfold through the retention of valuable talent, not to mention helping you get your business strate gy back on track.

Your comp etitive edge ultimately relies on your ability to hinge togetherwhat your employees want outoftheir experience with your operational business strate gy

Your comp etitive edge ultimately relies on your ability to hinge to getherwhat your employees want outoftheir experience with your operational business strate gy

You’ llthen be able to define gaps and connections that span across your op erating plan and their experience– from recruitment, onboarding, development and retention – to why someone lef t. It will help you take a hardlo ok at your organizational culture and how diversit y, equity, inclusion, leadership, technology, flexib leworking arrangement s, benefits and other fac torsplay into each stage.

You’ llthen be able to define gaps and connections that span across your op eratin g plan and their experience– from recruitment, onboarding, development and retention – to why someone lef t. It will help you take a hardlo ok at your organizational culture and how diversit y, equity, inclusion, leader ship, te chnology, flexib leworking arrangement s, benefits and other fac torsplay into each stage.

2. Cultivate candid employee feedback that fosters meaningfulculture changes

It all starts with listening Millennials and Generation Z want more opportunities to be heard at work It’s important to understand how they think and why because what motivates themmight differ from other generations. Look at ways to incorporate listeningelements at key moments through each employee’s experience and make sure you’re not leaving anyone out.

One way to gain valuable feedback from your employee population is to administer an annual survey Insteadof designing it yourself, hire athird-part y company that has experience administering surveys nationally This ensures that the survey is based on st andard data that lets you know where youst and compared to other organizations in the same industry

3. Create an inclusive, flexible environment

When it comes to suppor ting the well-b eing of your work force and listening, oneofthe biggest issues talked about is flexib lework environments Many organizations like HealthPar tnersnever considered a completely remote or hybrid work force pre-pandemic; now it ’s hard to thinkof our work force any other way. Our employees are thriving and they ’re just as produc tive as before

The feedback we got fromour annual surveys was loud and clear too– people wanted this flexibility to continue Af ter sharing thisinformationwith our leaders and managers, they decided which work structure would best suit their team remote or hybrid– and then made it permanent. Then it ’s about surrounding your team with the right suppor t, technology and to ol s within that environment to ensure coll aboration, social time, engagement and recognition continue, too.

Leaders and managers should also look at ways to drive workplace inclusion that are unique to each environment–fromminimizing conscious and unconscious bias,prioritizing flexiblehours, ensuring participative decisionmaking and impartial treatment to other resources that of fer work-life support, like an Employee Assistance Program (E AP).

4. Prioritize health and well-being throughout your culture

When we talkabout burnout, what’s behind that is unmet needs. We’ve hearda lot of about how the pandemic has af fectedmental health, but it’s bigger than that It ’s really considering how to proactively take care of whole health –thephysical,emotional, mental, spiritual, social and financial.

You can’t let those needs go unchecked for too long – you have to be proactive and surround your workforce with tool s, information and suppor t to help them thrive. Retention depends on it

Lean on a partner,like your health plan, that of fers comprehensive, robust suppor t, and not simplya laundry list of disjointed apps and programs.

Health plans that prioritize prevention and proactive outreach can help you be well-equipped to meetunmet workforce needs and create a positive employee experience.

At HealthPartners, ourintegrated medical, dental and pharmacy coverage and health and well-being suppor t take a systemic approach to improving workforce healththrough connected teams, technology and programs That means we can easily refer people to different services to meet ever-changing needs, of fer the right support at the right time, make life-saving treatment decisions, all while sharing vital information to help detect conditions earlier

We can help you care for all the needs of your workforce, giving you more time to spendshaping the inclusive culture your employees want. Investing in personalized employee experiences that directly address ever-changing needsis much more likely to have a positive ef fect on retention and make your bottom line healthier for it

HealthPar tners brings top notchhealth care and insurance coverage together regionally and across the countr y through simple, affordablesolutions.

We of fera range of flexible, fully insure d and se lf-insured integrated medical, dentaland pharmac y health plan options for employers of all sizes in Minnesota, Nor th Dakota and South Dakota Learn moreat healthpartners .com/insurance

DeLinda Washington is Senior Vice President and ChiefPeople Of ficer at HealthPartners She is responsible forleading human resources across the organization and strengthening our Head + Hear t, Together culture. DeLinda has more than 28 years of exp erience in human resources with a re cord of success in providing leadership, vision and management to industry leaders.