Healthcare was one of the sectors most impacted by COVID-19. In the aftermath, many healthcare workers reprioritized their personal lives over their work lives, leaving jobs with high work-life interference. This shift remains a factor in the labor market. Jobs requiring work on holidays, nights, and weekends, or limiting time off during peak periods, struggle to compete with positions offering more predictable schedules. While healthcare requires round-the-clock care, employers can reduce work-life interference without hurting the bottom line. One actionable step is rethinking the surgical schedule over the holidays.
Focus on Major Holidays
While most hospitals observe six major holidays, Christmas and Thanksgiving are especially important to employees. Many organizations fail to adjust time-off allowances during the holidays, despite data showing a seasonal decrease in procedures. This leaves surgical and anesthesia departments scheduled to work, only to face cancellations closer to the holidays. Employees, particularly those with distant families, cannot plan time off effectively. Employers can address this issue to benefit employees without compromising surgeons, patients, or revenue.
Engage Surgeons and Proceduralists
Engaging surgeons and proceduralists as part of the solution is essential. Options include:
- Releasing blocks during Thanksgiving week or between Christmas and New Year’s at least three months in advance.
- Setting block time requirements to ensure unused blocks are rescheduled.
Surgeon and proceduralist buy-in reduces opposition and boosts departmental morale by showcasing teamwork to improve retention.
Use Data to Inform Decisions
Historical data can guide staffing adjustments for the holidays. Reviewing case volumes, start/end times, and number of staff historically working over the holiday helps model future staffing needs. If data consistently shows fewer cases, available blocks can be reduced accordingly. While this approach may create occasional bottlenecks, it enables more employees to take time off without sacrificing service quality.
Limit Block Time
Limiting blocks over the holidays may be controversial without surgeon buy-in, but focusing on essential service lines and clients can free up more employees to be off. If previous holiday schedules show minimal surgeries that fail to generate sufficient revenue to cover staffing costs, reducing elective surgeries may be justified. This approach prevents resource waste and supports better employee scheduling.
Conclusion
Whether you are deeply committed to your team or more indifferent, addressing work-life interference during the holidays can improve retention and improve recruitment. The holidays are a predictable time for employees to seek time off and maximizing time-off opportunities will pay dividends in morale and workforce stability.
For more content on leadership in anesthesia, follow expercis.
Copyright 2024
All rights reserved
