Employee Retention is a concern for every industry because turnover is costly and disruptive. For healthcare organizations the turnover rate is approximately 16.2% with the average cost of turnover for a bedside Registered Nurse (RN) ranging from $38,900-$59,700. Our healthcare workers continue to be at the front line of the COVID-19 global pandemic where their stress and emotional well-being has become dire. Compassion fatigue and its related symptoms are a particular issue. Improving, maintaining, and providing staff respite areas to foster community and protect healthcare workers’ mental health is imperative now and in future consideration of space planning. Workplace stress can influence healthcare professionals’ physical and emotional well-being by curbing their efficiency and having a negative impact on their overall quality of life. Creating unique amenity space can enable hospitals to engage staff by creating communities that celebrate teamwork and support wellness. This article will provide examples of staff amenity spaces and best practices to help health workers mental/emotional health. In this article we will cover the following categories: Food Amenity Spaces, Connections to Nature, Wellness Rooms, and Staff Break/Lounge Rooms. As thought leaders we aim to help our clients to understand and develop staff retention initiatives that can improve employee well-being while improving an organization’s bottom line.
This article originally appeared in Vol 14.01 of the Perkins&Will Research Journal. CLICK HERE to see the whole article.
