Why a healthy work culture requires a healthy investment in career development

For any organization to succeed, it needs a healthy workforce. And if the last five years have taught us anything, it’s that organizations must be adaptable and open to investing in its people. This includes helping employees do their job to the best of their ability, even if that means from home for a period of time.

A recent Capterra survey (conducted in 2022) revealed that “83% of workers suffering from change fatigue say their employer has not provided enough tools or resources to help them adapt.” And what’s even more worrisome — 54% of change-fatigued employees are looking for a new job.

If you want to keep your employees, you must invest in their needs and in their growth. This is no different for community health centers — in fact, it may be even more important.

Community health is mission-driven work.

It’s about being a part of a bigger purpose than the bottom line. Often times, it attracts like-minded individuals (or it should). Finding the right talent for a community health center requires a specific approach. And while you may enlist the help of an outside partner like 330 Talent to assist you in that process, once you land amazing talent, investing in their growth becomes just as much your responsibility as it is theirs.

Mentoring matters

Developing and growing talent within your community health center may be the most important element when it comes to retaining and elevating key players. And while there are a million other “things to do” on your checklist, leaving talent development off the list is a huge mistake.

To make talent development and mentoring a priority, you’ll need to invest. In other words, spend time, energy and resources. If you already have a mentoring program, well done. But have you assessed how it’s working? Asked for feedback from your employees who have gone through it? You should. Then, tweak as needed.

Don’t have a mentoring program but want to start one? Don’t stress. The first step is to create a framework to design the program. You want employees to want to be part of the mentoring program, so think about how to make it fun, engaging — and worth joining.

From there, building the program requires a few additional steps. Here’s a roadmap to help you get the wheels in motion.

Download PDF: Mentoring Programs – Employee Retention

Having fun does, too

Work isn’t always fun. But it can be. Most often, those who choose to work in community health go into the field because of what they believe and their values. It’s mission-driven — and it’s work that truly makes a difference. Keeping your employees engaged and fulfilled helps drive the fun factor. And employees who have fun at work can lead to happier, healthier patients, too — a win, win.

But fun doesn’t always mean afternoon happy hours and ping pong tables. The type of fun I’m talking about is what Adam Grant refers to as “deep fun”— the kind of fun that has more meaning, like enabling your employees to stretch their thinking. And to truly feel part of the bigger picture.

In the health space, this could take shape in many ways. Maybe it’s a brainstorm session about how to better engage with patients that involves everyone, not just the C-suite. Or a think tank session on how to deepen the connection employees have within the local community in which they work, to ultimately provide better patient care. Each example requires investing. And I assure you, the investment will be worth the time and commitment.

Kickstart your thinking

Looking for some inspiration to help jumpstart your employee programming? From mentoring best practices to building a culture of excellence and more — here are a few books I highly recommend: