Healthcare facilities throughout the world seem to always be searching for ways to increase the productivity of their staff. Something as simple  as implementing Ecotime time and attendance systems can have a positive impact on overall efficiency at a facility. Healthcare facilities hold a unique space in the world, and absenteeism and a lack of productivity in such places can have a negative effect on society as a whole. Fortunately, there are effective ways to increase productivity and decrease absenteeism. 

3 Effective Ways to Increase Productivity at Healthcare Facilities

1. Empower Employees - when employees feel that they have a stake in their positions, they're typically more productive. Making sure that employees feel empowered is usually a task that's easier said than done. However, with a robust Human Resources department in place, it's an achievable goal. Conducting annual 360-degree reviews is one way to gain a better understanding of where the weak performing areas are in an organization. Once the management team is aware of where there are areas for improvement, changes can be put in place to better empower employees in those areas. 

2. Provide Clear and Concise Job Descriptions - one of the most effective ways to empower employees is to provide them with clear and concise job descriptions. Everyone likes to know what is expected of them and how their performance is measured. Without a clear job description, many employees begin to lose motivation and figure that if they don't know what they're supposed to be doing, they should just stop trying. And, when administrators haven't provided clear expectations for their employees, it's the patients who ultimately suffer. 

3. Utilize Accurate, Real-Time Tracking Systems - another effective way to increase productivity at a healthcare facility, is to actively track and manage attendance. Without a real-time tracking system in place, it's difficult to know which departments are running as expected and which are falling behind. It surprises many administrators how much of an impact the right hospital time clock can make.

Anyone in a leadership position needs to better understand these three strategies that can help their facilities better serve their patients. Without a clear and direct plan in place, absenteeism can grow while productivity falls. A head-on approach is always best!

Decreasing Absenteeism

When it comes to effective interventions to decrease absenteeism, one of the first steps to take is implementing an accurate tracking system. Healthcare facilities that have active time tracking systems in place are much better equipped to combat absenteeism than those without them. When employees feel burnt out, their absenteeism increases. Administrators who are able to point to concrete data and trends are in a much stronger position to combat this problem than those that have a feeling that more people are calling in sick, but don't have real-time data and facts available.

 Facilities that have an absenteeism problem can benefit from implementing a comprehensive time tracking protocol. The information that they'll be able to glean from such systems will pay dividends when it comes to recognizing and correcting absenteeism and lost productivity. Absenteeism isn't a problem that goes away on its own. The reversal of this trend requires active attention and often concrete changes in employee management. 

When decreasing absenteeism is a priority, it's helpful to have an action plan. Without a clear-cut plan that's also shared with staff members, any initiative that's undertaken will be unlikely to produce the desired results of the campaign. Step one is to install a reliable time tracking system that provides management and leadership teams with the real-time information and data that's necessary to fully assess the situation.

Once the data is collected, an analysis can be conducted. This step will provide insight into the reality of employee attendance, under performing employees, and departments that have chronic absenteeism issues. Armed with this data, department heads can take effective steps to improve productivity in their areas.

When absenteeism and productivity are actively improved at healthcare facilities, the party that benefits the most are the facility's patients. Without active management, the converse is also true, and patients are the ones to suffer. Now is an ideal time to learn more ways to combat absenteeism and falling productivity at healthcare facilities.