A featured contribution from Leadership Perspectives, a curated forum for enterprise technology leaders, nominated by our subscribers and vetted by the CIOApplications Editorial Board.

Cherry Health

The Progression of HR in Healthcare

Our corporate office is located near what we call in Grand Rapids, “The Medical Mile”. We are surrounded by other healthcare agencies and hospitals causing a huge area of competition when it pertains to recruitment. So, we must rely on HRIS software to determine trends in turnover, needs to update compensation and so on.

We are constantly focusing on ways to stay ahead of competition and having the right software programs to drive the initiatives is imperative.

Implementing Current Disruptions in HR

Many organizations are adapting to the trend of becoming metrics-driven. Metrics steer organizations forward. There is a need to stay flexible with the output, however, an organization that is strong on metrics extends many advantages. At Cherry Health, we are striving to make the organization more metrics-driven offering support to trends in turnover. Metrics also provide a clearer picture on recruitment and talent acquisition aspects, we can determine the temperament of the environment on how long it takes to fill a position and then strategize accordingly. Analytics are critical; it can be used to combat issues concerning employment, such as hiring and terminating.

For instance, analyzing turnover can help us understand where the termination trends are originating from, as employees are leaving certain positions. This is then reported out to the executives every month to give them updated information about employees and the status of the turnover, after explaining the strategy employed. HR Business Partners are also helpful in strategizing change.

Healthcare continues to move at a lightening pace and HR needs to adapt to the changes. There are innovations and new positions. Keeping up with the advances in software with a reactive solution to these evolving plans of healthcare will help us respond appropriately to the competition. The software in use has to be sophisticated to stay in-line with the changes that healthcare throws in our way. Further, ensure that ‘bad data’ has no source of entry into the systems; cutting it off at the source is vital. Good data, on the other hand, must be strategized to make it meaningful and work for the organization.

Moral Precepts on How to Choose Appropriate Partners

A good HR software includes talent acquisition and metrics dashboards. Integrating new software essentially impacts a lot of departments in the organization, and it is significant to include the department heads such as IT, so as to ensure that the software meets the departmental needs. Currently, Cherry Health is looking at software for HR, while ensuring that it meets the needs of finance as well, thereby guaranteeing that we are not cutting ourselves short in one area to meet the needs of both.

Current Projects

As an employee retention initiative, we have started a program called High-Middle-Low, which is being carried out on a quarterly basis. The program is a philosophy on how you communicate and evaluate your staff. Assessment lets the leader get an idea of where each employee stands with regard to their performance and categorizes them into high, middle or low groups. The performance management software we are currently implementing aligns with this philosophy and documents progress, making the annual performance process much smoother.

Leadership Principles that Help Foster Work Culture

In the world of Human Resources, it is vital to stay fair and consistent. Pair this with integrity, and you will receive the respect that you deserve from your staff and colleagues. Staff looks up to us for upholding our key values.

The articles from these contributors are based on their personal expertise and viewpoints, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of their employers or affiliated organizations.