HR Challenges in the Healthcare Industry 

1. Staffing  

Even though 3.8 million new positions in the healthcare sector are anticipated to be added by 2024, the skill pool is getting smaller. The demand for more healthcare experts is forcing businesses and HR professionals to struggle to find qualified candidates for open positions. Healthcare HR professionals must learn to deal with staff shortages, increased recruiting pressure, validation of medical qualifications and licensing, continuous training progress, recertification, and even reinstatement due to the dwindling talent pool and aging population. 

2. Patients’ and Employees’ Safety 

Compared to many other workers, healthcare employees are more likely to sustain an injury while at work. According to the BLS, injury and illness rates have increased by 249% in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic not only increased the risk of injury but also that of staff infection. 

Compared to other types of difficulties, just 70% of HRs feel equipped to tackle these ones. Healthcare personnel is particularly affected; more than 1 in 4 report having encountered or seen instances of emotional and psychological problems at work. 

3. Digital Transformation 

As the healthcare sector has evolved over time, digitization has become increasingly important. Being an HR professional in the healthcare industry means having a flexible, risk-taking mindset as well as a streamlined training procedure to keep yourself and your team up to date on new technologies. Digital advancements in healthcare can take the form of electronic health record systems with a sometimes high learning curve or brand-new telemedicine procedures. HR managers need to be knowledgeable about evaluations, training, and technology predictions. 

4. Retention  

According to the research National Healthcare Retention and RN Staffing Report, the average hospital has lost 89% of its workers during the previous five years, and the national hospital staff turnover rate was 17.8%. Therefore, decreased turnover rates and increased employee retention and contentment inside firms are hence continuing HR challenges. In order to retain employees, HR managers are also reassessing company culture. 

5. Employee Burnout 

The COVID-19 pandemic’s direct effects on healthcare professionals, as well as the staffing and turnover concerns, According to a US study on healthcare professionals, more than 50% of doctors and 33% of nurses report having burnout symptoms, such as fatigue and cynicism, brought on by prolonged job stress. Employee satisfaction is crucial to a productive workforce; thus, HR managers are expected to support their organizations in managing, preventing, and reducing employee burnout. This might involve anything from strengthening corporate policies on mental health to streamlining PTO rules. 

6. Privacy Policy 

HR managers must be acutely aware of compliance rules surrounding healthcare providers, plans, and clearinghouses because the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was put in place to combat fraud and theft of protected health information (PHI). Data breaches in the healthcare industry are on the rise as a result of the abundance of valuable digital data and inadequate cybersecurity. Additionally, HR will continue to be responsible for data security and privacy, so it is crucial to ensure that staff members receive enough training. The pandemic’s growing popularity of working from home has highlighted the necessity for HR to implement effective measures for remote workers.