Linking Employee Satisfaction With Patient Satisfaction and Safety - Using Talent Management Practices to Help Employees with Job Stress November 6th, 2008

Yvon Martel

Today is part three in my series on the link between employee and patient satisfaction, with a focus on how talent management can help employees with job stress and burnout.

The issue of job stress and burnout can be rampant in all healthcare roles but it is particularly acute in the nursing profession. Talent management provides a practical way to help alleviate some of this stress by creating a structured process for communicating expectations, setting goals and providing opportunities for skills development.

One of the biggest impacts talent management can have is to lessen job stress by ensuring everyone is on the same page. It provides a formalized forum for communicating expectations and managing expectations on both the side of management and the employee. Additionally, goal setting provides the opportunity to give employees a context for their work and efforts, so they have a clear picture of how their activities impact the organization as a whole. This creates the feeling that their contribution matters. Setting regular goals can also be a great opportunity for identifying unrealistic expectations and better balancing workloads.

Another key way where talent management can help with job stress is through the use of multi-rater feedback, where 360 degree feedback is collected on the same employee. This process helps to reduce the subjectivity of reviews for both managers and employees. Everyone involved in the process feels that there is a more accurate picture of an individual’s performance since it’s based on multiple perspectives.

Job stress can also be lessened through performance-based learning as part of the overall talent management process. With regular performance reviews in place, knowledge and skills gaps can be identified, and a training plan put in place. The same can be said for succession planning processes. With a succession plan and talent pools in place, employees have a clearer picture of the skills required for future success, and where they fit in the long-term with the organization.
The importance of consistency and fairness within the organization cannot, and should not be underestimated as it can make a vital difference between a happy and unhappy employee. Talent management levels the playing field as a consistent and uniform process ensures that employees are all being assessed in a similar fashion. Similarly, compensation programs automate and enforce policies that help to keep things fair.

Later this week we’ll wrap up this series with a deeper look at employees perceiving evaluations to be fair, and feeling their work makes a difference.

Tags: employee satisfaction, healthcare, talent management