Talk with a nurse, doctor or any other healthcare worker and they will tell you about the times they have been denied leave for their family events, mandatory appointments or even their own weddings.
Some might say that this is to be expected in healthcare careers, but we beg to differ. In most cases, it is because of poor scheduling procedures and lack of foresight.
Before we go any further, let’s take a closer look at some facts and figures, shall we?
According to a study by Skills for Care, employee retention is one of the most pressing issues in the UK's private healthcare industry currently.
With nurse turnover rates as high as 30% a year and nearly half of UK care home nurses quitting within a year, it is clear that regular employee retention can be extremely costly to the healthcare organization.
However, there is a bigger problem at hand here than just the cost of hiring a new team member.
With care staff coming and going at your organization, it is difficult to establish a relationship with and among your team members, which creates mistrust, lower employee morale, and a reduced level of client care and support.
So what’s it all mean?
It means you need to create a positive and organized work experience for your employees so that your business runs smoothly and efficiently.
A healthcare organization is like a well-oiled machine that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 52 weeks a year. Managing such a business is no easy task as it requires meticulous planning and robust staff scheduling procedures. That is why rota play a crucial role in creating a great working environment and improving staff retention.
An ideal rota would be adaptable, competently staffed and scheduled well in advance.
It sounds simple. But it isn’t.
Staff rota in hospitals, care homes and any other healthcare organizations are dynamic. The number of people on the rota, their roles, and the amount of time they spend on it can all differ significantly. Rota coordinators have to maintain a secure standard of clinical care and keep everyone on the rota happy - which can be challenging.
The process of rota planning and management tends to be time-consuming, chaotic and tedious.
You might have spent hours pouring over your rota plan and made sure you have the right number of people in the right place at the right time. But as soon as the rota is circulated to your team, there are going to be things you need to change. All of a sudden, your perfect rota turns into a scribbled mess.
You feel you’re banging your head against a wall.
Well, we know how it feels.
That is why we recommend you make the switch from your Excel spreadsheets or pen and paper scheduling to an efficient rota management software.
Bear with us, because we are going to show you how rota management software can be beneficial to your healthcare organization.
- Saves time and effort: Rota management software solutions have a simple and intuitive user interface that allows its users to generate rota automatically. Take JMS One for instance - it is powered by sophisticated AI algorithms, which calculates the optimal shift combinations based on your staffing levels, giving you the best rota possible in simple steps.
Rota planning software also provides the employees with a centralized digital location where they can view all of their rotas. Generating new rotas and editing the existing ones is easier with a software solution.
- Empower your employees: What your employees need from rota are certainty, stability and easy access. Your employees would be pleased with an efficient shift structure and adequate planning. Better management, appropriate workloads, and easy to use shift requests all contribute to the employees' satisfaction with their scheduled rota.
With rota planning and management software, it would be easier to put together a schedule with a reasonable division of labour. This extends to both the scheduling of shifts and the scheduling of breaks in shifts. As a result, you'll see an increase in your employee morale. Your team would also appreciate getting more schedule flexibility.
They will keep track of their attendance and see their future schedules without difficulty. With rota planning software, any employee, regardless of their digital competency, can easily check their rotas on the go.
- Better control and visibility: With the traditional Excel sheets or manual process, building a rota is usually simple, but updating the rota it isn’t. A rota management software solves this dilemma as administrators or department heads can make adjustments to the rota at any time, and an alert would be sent to employees reminding them of the changes, allowing for more effective management of late shift alterations.
Moreover, the authorized personnel can always see who is working and easily find shifts that need to be filled, ensuring that you are never understaffed. With a few taps or clicks, department heads can review rotas at a granular level and make edits.
- Improved accuracy:After you've organized all of your employee data, the software program detects conflicts clashes in real-time. This means that it negates the chances of understaffing or overstaffing.
Rota management software systems are capable of automatically adding availability and time-off details, thus helping you avoid scheduling errors. The last thing you want to do is schedule people who have indicated that they are unavailable, giving the impression that your organization is unconcerned with their vacation requests.
- Higher security:Every business organization needs to protect their employees' personal information. But it would be difficult with spreadsheets as they're shared around different locations. So storing all employee data in a single staff rota system with modern security protocols is a much more effective and reliable solution.
With rota management software like JMS One, certain forms of data may also be limited to specific administrative accounts, which helps to keep all employee information secure.
Wrap-up
By now, you might have realized the importance of having a fair rota and the benefits of investing in rota management software.
Rota planning and management doesn't have to be a dreaded task.
It doesn't need to take up hours or even days every time.
Instead, rota management software can be quick and easy.
Trust us and give it a try. Your organization will save time, money, energy and a great deal of frustration. Your staff will thank you. Your patients will be happy.
So what are you waiting for? Get in touch with us to know more about JMS One’s Rota creation and management solution.
