You’ve been worried about your clinical teams, who have been on the front lines of a global pandemic for two years. But what about your back-office HR staff? HR teams have ridden the roller coaster of shutdowns, high census numbers, mask mandates, and so much more. That’s left about half of them wondering if they’re in the right profession at all. What’s going on with your HR teams? There’s some national data that will help you understand what HR has been quietly experiencing over the past few years.
The Experience of HR During the Global Pandemic
CNBC describes the ordeal HR teams have experienced in the past two years:
“Since March 2020, armies of HR workers have been key to helping companies shift to remote work. They’ve been tasked with laying off tens of millions of workers, then trying to hire them back during a global health crisis. They’ve conducted survey after survey, drafted every type of business update and filtered down messages from the top oftentimes bearing the brunt of negative feedback from employees.”
The crisis of the last two years has left many HR teams feeling burnt out. An annual report by payroll provider Paychex shows that 98% of HR leaders say COVID-19 transformed their role. The top issues HR teams face today are different from before the pandemic. They include:
- Workforce safety and health.
- Employee emotional well-being and mental health.
- Finding technology to keep a dispersed workforce connected.
While the focus of your HR team is different from prior years, the most overwhelming challenges they face include:
- Attracting talent.
- Planning and implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
- Offering benefits and perks that are competitive.
- Keeping up on the latest technologies.
- Complying with regulatory changes.
In addition to these challenges, more than half of HR managers say the volume of issues filed by employees increased since the pandemic started. But yet, our HR teams consistently score high in worker satisfaction scores. Despite the heavy load pushing human resources to the brink, 75% of employees say their organization is handling HR responsibilities well. At the same time, 70% of HR leaders express that the past two years have been the most challenging of their entire professional careers.
What Can FQHCs Do to Support Their HR Teams?
With burnout soaring in healthcare, is there something your organization can do to support your HR staff? Here are some suggestions:
- Mental health support isn’t just for your front-line workforce. Make sure you’re talking openly about mental health issues with your entire team. Create an environment where the idea of health encompasses the brain and body. Open dialogues around mental health with your HR teams.
- Check in with HR about their use of benefits and resources. Work with your team to be sure the benefits are both appropriate—and used.
- Give your HR team some time off. We know management often struggles to take the time away that they need. While HR may monitor this for your clinical and support staff, who is watching the watchers? Alleviate burnout and support HR by giving them the time they need to get away.
- Outsource your recruiting effort. If you’re like most FQHCs, your HR team juggles many disparate types of tasks. Outsourcing the stress of finding healthcare talent allows your HR team to focus on key organizational initiatives.
UHC Solutions is proud to support HR teams with our expert recruiting skills. We work in tandem with your HR teams to free them up by supplementing your staffing efforts. Call on us to find out more.
