Amid a tight labor market and nationwide labor shortage, healthcare organizations already have their work cut out when it comes to filling vacant roles and retaining staff. What’s worse, engagement among healthcare employees is declining––fast.
That’s according to a recent Gallup poll that found engagement among all American workers was in a free fall. In fact, healthcare workers had the greatest engagement decline across industries, dropping nine points from early 2021 to early 2022. Engagement has even fallen among healthcare managers––from 2021 to 2022, engagement dropped seven points, but has since rebounded three points in early 2022.
The findings are a reverse from years of rising engagement before the COVID-19 pandemic. Employee engagement saw its first annual decline in a decade in 2021, Gallup found, with a drop from 36% engaged employees in 2020 to 34% in 2021. Overall, the ratio of engaged employees to disengaged employees is 1.9 to 1, compared to 2.1 to 1 in 2021 and 2.6 to 1 in 2020. 2019 represented a record high for engagement, when that ratio was 2.7 to 1.
“This pattern has continued into early 2022, as 32% of full- and part-time employees working for organizations are now engaged, while 17% are actively disengaged, an increase of one percentage point from last year,” Gallup noted.
Gallup queried nearly 15,000 U.S. full- and part-time employees about specific workplace elements that link to many organizational outcomes, including profitability, productivity, customer service, retention, safety and overall wellbeing. The survey measured employees' level of agreement about clarity of expectations, opportunities for development and their opinions counting at work.
Across industries, remote or hybrid employees had higher levels of engagement compared to those who worked on-site (37% and 29%, respectively). The drop in engagement has also coincided with a “sharp drop” in the percentage of employees who strongly agree that their employer cares about their overall wellbeing, Gallup noted.
Fortunately, while employee engagement has dropped, there are ways organizations can help turnaround the decline. Gallup suggested embracing flexible work environments and focusing on employee wellbeing.
“With the spread of COVID-19 stabilizing in the U.S., organizational leaders may have an opportunity to put new plans in motion for the foreseeable future,” the report concluded. “How they display their organizational values through these decisions and practices –– especially through their managers -–– will differentiate them from other organizations.”
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."