By Tim Cannon, VP of Product Management & Marketing, HealthITJobs.com
Twitter: @HealthITJobscom
Health IT professionals are in high-demand, and the competition for talent is stiff. What’s worse, your talented pros are always on the lookout for new opportunities, leaving you with more health IT jobs to fill.
But why are they leaving? And why can’t you get new talent to accept your offers? Here are some of the top things that drive talented health IT candidates away and how to fix them:
Your offer isn’t competitive.
Talented professionals are looking for health IT jobs that offer challenging work and salaries that match their effort. If top talent is turning down your positions, your salary offer may not be competitive enough.
In the 2016 Health IT Job Perk Report conducted by my company, HealthITJobs.com, 36 percent of professionals surveyed ranked their current income in their top two drivers of dissatisfaction. Moving from one job to the next can boost salary, and professionals are looking for the health IT jobs that pay the most.
In fact, in a 2015 survey conducted by Gallup, 49 percent of those who had been employed for less than three months said that a significant income increase was an important factor in their decision to take their current job.
When offering a position to health IT pros, have an open conversation about the salary offered. If the offer is less competitive, acknowledge it, and talk about income potential instead.
Let them know how the salary is determined, how raises and bonuses are earned, and what they can expect to make in a few years. After all, income potential was one of the top drivers of satisfaction among health IT pros surveyed by HealthITJobs.com.
You’re overloading employees.
Top talent loves challenging health IT jobs, but not at the expense of their health and well-being. In the 2016 Health IT Job Benefits and Satisfaction Update, an excessive workload was among the top drivers of workplace dissatisfaction. As more and more employees feel the strain of chronic stress, health IT professionals are looking for jobs that offer better work-life balance.
To keep current employees satisfied and attract more talent, create more flexible working environments. Offer flexible start times, work from home options, time-off after stressful periods, and other options to improve balance. When talking with a promising candidate, discuss their lifestyle and how your flexibility perks could accommodate it.
You’re too involved in politics.
Professionals don’t want health IT jobs that come with a side of drama — hospital and healthcare politics were ranked among the top drivers of dissatisfaction in the 2016 Health IT Job Benefits and Satisfaction Update.
Health IT pros want to do their part to improve care and patient outcomes without the politics of the organization impacting their work. Politics are difficult to avoid in any working environment, especially one as complex as a hospital or health system. But to attract the best talent, keep politics as separate from health IT as possible.
Have clear roles and responsibilities for each team member and well-defined processes to deal with specific situations. That way, unnecessary work drama is avoided.
You’re not offering advancement.
The most attractive health IT jobs show a promising career path — professionals can see themselves working for the employer now and five years down the road. In the 2016 Health IT Job Benefits and Satisfaction Update, the ability to advance their career, do what they do best every day, and learn new skills all ranked in the top drivers of job satisfaction.
Explain to candidates what their career path with the employer could look like, and discuss continuing education and development opportunities available. Show them how they can grow along with the job and the impact it can have on their career.
Attracting and adding top health IT talent to your team is a challenge, but understanding what turns them off to an employer can give you a leg up over the competition. Focus on what professionals want most to fill your open health IT jobs.