Rad Idea: Communication is Key

By Amy Rutledge, MBA, RDMS

The cost analysis of retaining employees’ verses recruiting new ones has been well documented. Simply put, it is financially advantageous for institutions to retain their employees rather than to recruit new ones. So, what then are some strategies to engage and retain employees? As rudimentary as it sounds, communicate! Meaningful and transparent communication should be the bedrock of any retention strategy. One tool in the leadership toolkit should be leadership rounding. Leadership rounding is the consistent practice of asking open-ended, targeted questions to key stakeholders – to obtain actionable information.

 Leadership rounding focuses on:

Establishing Relationships – “What did you think about the game last week?”

Cultivate Victories – “What is working well in your department?”

Identify Opportunities for Improvement – “Do you have any ideas to improve patient safety?”

Repair/Replace systems – “Do you have the tools you need to do your job?”

Building a Culture of Recognition – “Is there anyone I should recognize?” 

Relationship-building questions during rounding help open channels of communication while also demonstrating to employees that their leaders value them as a complete individual. Additionally, 1:1 rounding allows the perceptive leader to gauge the employees’ level of stress by not only listening but also watching for non-verbal cues. This may give the leader some actionable items to follow up on. 

Many health care employees tend to notice and speak out when something is not working well, which is without a doubt necessary for quality patient outcomes. As leaders, we want to encourage that as a way identify opportunities for improvement and find systems that may need repair. At the same time, we also need to load balance and create a culture where our employees recognize what is working well in the department. We want to overcome the obstacle of always focusing on the negatives and cultivate some victories with open ended questions like “Who has been really helpful lately?” or “What is working well”?

Rounding also builds a culture of recognition. Employee recognition is always more meaningful when it is timely and tied to a specific accomplishment. Rounding allows the leader to gain that employee-level information that they may not otherwise have and recognize that employee in an authentic way.

Lastly, rounding is to assist leaders in gaining actionable information. Once the information is obtained, it is imperative that we are committed to assisting staff resolve issues and are willing to provide follow-up. Closing the communication loop or tracking the actionable item allows the staff to see how their concerns are addressed. This, in turn, will improve employee retention and engagement, which drives better service, improved financials and growth.

– Amy Rutledge, MBA, RDMS, is manager of the UHCMC Department of Radiology. 

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