Managers play a pivotal role in care team member safety and wellbeing

11.12.2024

by Liz Boehm
Executive Strategist, Human-Centered Research

In a recent episode of the Caring Greatly podcast, I sat down with L. Casey Chosewood, MD, MPH, Director of the Office for Total Worker Health at the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). We explored how frontline managers shape the safety and wellbeing of their team members. Dr. Chosewood’s work centers around protecting and promoting the health of workers in environments that are becoming increasingly complex.

As healthcare systems grapple with clinician burnout and staffing shortages, it’s become more important than ever for frontline leaders to ensure a safe, supportive environment for all members of the care team. Dr. Chosewood’s insights offer a framework for addressing these complex issues, highlighting the importance of Total Worker Health and emphasizing the vital role of leaders in supporting the wellbeing of their employees.

The “Three P’s” of Total Worker Health

Total Worker Health focuses on the “Three P’s”: policies, programs and practices. These are the elements organizations and leaders must establish to make—or break—a culture of wellbeing within a healthcare organization.

Policies
Healthcare leaders are instrumental in shaping policies that support clinician wellbeing, safety and overall job satisfaction. This includes policies around mental health support, preventing workplace violence and creating environments that promote work-life balance. Dr. Chosewood emphasizes that frontline leaders have a direct line to senior decision-makers and can advocate for changes that reflect the needs of their teams. Policies that support flexible scheduling, promote rest and recovery and establish zero-tolerance measures for violence are critical to maintaining a healthy workforce.
Programs
Implementing the right programs aimed at reducing burnout, such as peer support initiatives or mental health resources, can help alleviate the significant stress healthcare providers face daily. Dr. Chosewood points to the benefits of offering wellness programs that prioritize physical and mental health, as well as initiatives that promote ongoing professional development and mentorship. These programs not only support individual wellbeing but can also boost retention rates by making healthcare organizations more desirable places to work. While frontline leaders don’t often create or control these programs, they are a critical access and endorsement point for their team members.
Practices
At the level of daily operations, frontline leaders have the ability to implement practices that shape the wellbeing of their teams. This includes how workloads are managed, scheduling is managed and team members are supported during high-pressure situations. Dr. Chosewood underscores the importance of minimizing cognitive overload by streamlining communication, optimizing workflows and offering flexible scheduling options. Leaders’ sensitivity to the impact of long shifts and consecutive days without adequate rest can significantly reduce burnout and absenteeism rates.

Empowering human-centered leadership

Frontline managers help manage the normal stressors of work, which can dictate how much time and energy workers have left over at the end of the day to pursue things that are personally important to them. Inclusion, belonging and trust are also core elements of a healthy work environment, yet they are often overlooked in fast-paced healthcare settings. The power held by frontline managers to create belonging is an enormous opportunity, and yet these leaders often are not supported to build these softer skills and support needed to carry this responsibility out in meaningful ways.

Dr. Chosewood emphasizes that frontline leaders need more training and resources to strengthen their people skills. Training focused on being better listeners, showing more empathy, having an open-door policy and encouraging frequent check-ins with staff goes a long way in promoting a culture of belonging and wellbeing. Many leaders also need to enhance their problem-solving skills to find creative ways to manage patient load and design the flow of work in a more human-centered way. Finally, simply acknowledging that work is constantly changing and evolving can help leaders connect and show a level of support and understanding for how changes impact their teams.

The Impact Wellbeing Guide and suite of resources offered through the Total Worker Health program provides leaders with tools and resources, including a step-by-step systems approach, to improving healthcare worker wellbeing.

Measuring wellbeing: actionable metrics for healthcare leaders

Dr. Chosewood also spoke about the importance of research and using metrics to gauge worker wellbeing and continuously strengthen policies, programs and practices. Key metrics include:

Employee engagement and satisfaction scores: Regularly assessing how engaged and satisfied team members are can provide a pulse on overall wellbeing. These scores are an important indicator of when and where leaders need to sit down and listen to team members’ challenges and concerns.
Rates of absenteeism and presenteeism: These metrics indicate whether work conditions are contributing to stress or health issues.
Turnover and retention rates: High turnover can signal underlying issues in the work environment that need to be addressed. By utilizing these metrics, healthcare leaders can identify areas for improvement and track the impact of their interventions over time, ultimately leading to a healthier, more engaged workforce.

Dr. Chosewood’s insights serve as both a call to action and a source of encouragement. Leaders who invest in creating a positive, healthy work environment will find that their teams are not only safer and healthier, but also more engaged and productive.

Managers play a pivotal role in care team member safety and wellbeing

11.12.2024

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