Tackling the HR Challenges of a post-COVID Healthcare sector

HR teams are under huge pressure to help improve staff wellbeing and reduce the pressures placed on workers during the pandemic. An HR addendum, based on a recently published  by SAP Concur, explores how technology can help in this area.

The healthcare sector is facing a huge raft of HR challenges in the coming years. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare staff were being side-lined for long periods of their working day by cumbersome admin tasks; coming under increasing pressure to juggle growing workloads with non-essential activities; and morale was low among many frontline workers.

During the pandemic, however, many of these issues have been exacerbated and the need to address them has grown – as staff have struggled to deliver services under unprecedented circumstances and in the face of an increased threat to their own wellbeing.

In the addendum, it was revealed that a staggering 80% of frontline workers¹ say that their mental health has suffered because of the pandemic, and experts talk of a long-term mental wellbeing crisis² waiting to unfurl.

It also sets out how digital transformation can play a crucial role in alleviating the pressure on many aspects of our health system going forward and includes:

• Streamlining labour-intensive processes
• Prioritising employee wellbeing
• Safeguarding employees

Streamlining labour-intensive processes

A global study of 5,000 employees conducted by OnePoll³ found that, on average, around a quarter of an employee’s day is wasted on avoidable administrative chores and outdated ways of working. Automation can eliminate manual, repetitive and often labour-intensive tasks, freeing up valuable time for staff to focus on value-added patient care.

Prioritising employee wellbeing

Thousands of healthcare workers are battling anxiety, exhaustion and depression. The NHS People Plan⁴ says harnessing new technology is fundamental to devising new ways of working and of running care services that are not only more efficient but are also designed to create a better working environment for staff.

Safeguarding Employees

Attempts to limit Coronavirus infections among frontline staff and protect vulnerable patients have led to a dramatic increase in remote and online consultations. Streamlining more routine appointments can relieve some of the administrative workload on staff by reducing patient phone calls and visits, further freeing them up to support improvements to other aspects of care services.

The ability to look after staff, to facilitate new ways of working and collaborating, and to improve staff retention and grow the workforce are all cornerstones of the NHS people strategy⁵.

Technology is clearly the enabler. This addendum sets out exactly how it can be implemented quickly and efficiently – to begin tackling the multiple HR challenges facing the healthcare sector today.

and if you want to hear more about SAP Concur’s presence within the Public Sector space, please contact us!

References:

1. https://www.hsmsearhttps/www.hsmsearch.com/Frontline-workplace-mental-health-supportch.com/Frontline-workplace-mental-health-support. (Last accessed 02-Jul-21).
2. https://post.parliament.uk/mental-health-impacts-of-covid-19-on-nhs-healthcare-staff/. (Last accessed 02-Jul-21).
3. https://www.financialdirector.co.uk/2019/06/19/how-inefficient-processes-waste-nearly-a-third-of-employees-time/. (Last accessed 02-Jul-21).
4. https://www.england.nhs.uk/ournhspeople/ (Last accessed 02-Jul-21).
5. https://www.england.nhs.uk/ournhspeople/. (Last accessed 02-Jul-21).