Parkview Health

THE SUCCESS STORY

Data Empowers Hospital Leaders To Reduce Turnover.

Turnover can be costly and, in a medical setting, affect customer care quality. The answer to uncovering the cause of turnover and increasing retention is in understanding the reasons people have left. View the case study in its entirety here: Parkview Health case study

The Challenge

Parkview Health leaders set a strategic goal of reducing turnover, particularly among first-year nursing staff. At the time, Parkview managers completed a formal notice of separation process and recorded a reason for leaving. The reason for leaving data was not aggregated, tracked or used to shape retention strategies. Additionally, there was no confidence that internal reason for leaving codes were accurate. Leaders were forced to act upon common assumptions, including pay was a major reason employees were leaving Parkview.

The Solution

Partnered with Work Institute, Parkview conducted exit interviews with former employees, focusing on nurses who left before one year of employment, using an outbound telephonic method that achieved a solid 65% response rate. Work Institute’s trained interviewers used a behavioral interview process to ask open-ended questions and probe for specific details following each answer.

The Impact

  • 36% reduction in first-year nurse turnover
  • 33% increase in excellent scores for onboarding
  • 36% decrease in poor scores for onboarding
  • 65% response rate

Commitment To Improvement

Parkview Health system leaders provide excellent care to every person, every day. To achieve their goals, they needed to reduce turnover among staff – and the answer lay in understanding the real reasons why people left. In partnership with Work Institute, they uncovered the root causes of First Year Turnover so they could devise strategies to dramatically increase retention.

Taking Action

In 2013, Parkview partnered with Work Institute to implement a robust exit interview program as one of its key strategies to reduce first-year turnover. Work Institute’s evidence-based exit interview methodology produced accurate, detailed, and actionable data to inform strategies to reduce turnover.

Parkview conducted exit interviews with former employees using an outbound telephonic method that achieved a 65% response rate. Work Institute’s trained interviewers used a behavioral interview process to ask open-ended questions and probe for specific details following each answer.

Work Institute interviewers captured detailed verbatim responses to each question, coded each verbatim response using a numeric system, and then stored each response in Work Institute’s proprietary reporting portal. This allowed Parkview management to review data on demand, analyze data quantitatively at scale and obtain critical details by drilling down to qualitative responses.

The reliability of the data and detailed responses gathered through Work Institute’s telephonic interviews empowered Parkview managers with the real reasons employees left. These suggestions provided a detailed roadmap for improvements at the regional, unit, and department levels.

  • Interviews revealed that pay was not the number one reason employees left.
  • Leaders learned that expectations for the job were the top drivers of turnover.
  • Management learned their onboarding processes could be improved.
  • Data analysis uncovered regions and business units that needed additional assistance.
  • Leaders were able to focus efforts on accurate and specific areas that achieved results.

Parkview Health Today

With 11,000 employees and 415 physicians, community-owned Parkview Health serves northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio through 11 hospitals and other affiliated health services. Parkview Health clinical teams provide compassionate care, equipped with state-of-the-art technology and facilities. Parkview is a partner with civic leaders on the frontlines of safety, wellness and prevention.

Its work has won awards and recognition including US News’ Best Regional Hospitals Top 5 in Indiana, 2017 Advisory Board Workplace of the Year, 15 Top Health Systems 2017 by Truven Health Analytics and more.

Employee Retention & Engagement Strategies

We employ several strategies and tools to assist with employee retention programs, talent development solutions, employment consulting and data gathering. Ask questions. Be engaged. Retain Employees.

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