How to improve staff experiences for better retention

Practices across the UK are struggling with a recruitment and retention crisis, but there is support they can they offer their staff to boost retention rates and create a better staff experience

According to the latest BMA pay review declines in pay have had a damaging impact on the morale of frontline NHS staff. This has contributed to a global workforce crisis in the NHS that is seeing practices struggle to recruit and retrain healthcare staff. To help mitigate this, practices should think carefully about how to best improve staff experience and engagement in order to improve morale and increase staff recruitment. Consider action in these three broad areas:

Physical health

According to the Public Health Agency employees who engage in physical activity report greater enjoyment of their work, improved concentration and mental alertness, and improved co-operation and rapport with colleagues. Could you offer:

• A clinic for staff to attend for health checks such as BMI, cholesterol and diabetes?
• A gym membership to encourage staff to move more?

Emotional health

Good mental health at work and good management go hand-in-hand according to the Mental Health Foundation which states that there is strong evidence that workplaces with high levels of mental wellbeing are more productive because addressing well-being at work increases productivity by as much as 12%. Think about offering:

• staff psychology services – including services from a clinical psychologist, a counsellor or a post-traumatic stress disorder and cognitive behavioural therapist to look after the emotional well-being of staff;
• mental health first aiders  can offer support and signposting to staff requiring support at a lower level of need;
• well-being incentives – such as well-being days, promotional campaigns and competitions to spread awareness;
• a well-being guardian – whose role it is to hold the organisation to account for the wellbeing programme in place;
• wellbeing passports for staff who require additional support to be their best selves at work. These passports recognise that staff work in different areas and that this vital information should go with them to ensure support is continued.

Financial health

People who experience financial wellbeing are less stressed about money and this, in turn, has positive effects on their overall mental and physical health, and on their relationships. There are many ways to boost the financial health of your employees, such as:

• A wage and benefits monitoring system that allows staff access to a percentage of their earnings. This helps to prevent staff from going into an overdraft situation should an urgent cost arise.
• Access to a finance health clinic to gain advice and support in all aspects of financial health.
• A crisis loan, where staff can apply for a loan of up to maybe £1500 should an urgent need arise; the money is then deducted back from their salaries.
• Overall support to help staff with cost of living pressures, such as discounted meals and food banks. 

By making these changes, practices can create a good practice culture which will lead to better overall staff well-being and improved patient experiences.