The Power of Diversity and Inclusion in Healthcare Talent Management

Above all else, healthcare is about providing quality care to every patient, no matter who they are. Diversity and inclusion are the cornerstones of quality patient care in health systems. However, minorities make up 32% of hospital patients, but just 14% of board members, 11% of executive hospital leadership, and 19% of mid- and first-level managers.1

To change these numbers, health systems need to change their internal diversity and inclusion practices. And leaders recognize this: 79% of hospitals educate clinical staff during onboarding about addressing cultural and language differences with patients.2 However, diversity and inclusion is much more than cultural sensitivity training. A truly diverse and inclusive health system includes diverse leaders, staff, and contingent workers.

A health system that does not discriminate against protected statuses including race, religion, nationality, age, gender, sexual orientation, or veteran status in their employees is better positioned to serve patients from all different backgrounds and cultures. Health systems can ensure they are bringing on staff from all different backgrounds by working with diverse staffing agencies. In a work culture of diversity, staff will feel respected and unified, and that sense of belonging will translate to patients.

What Is Diversity and Inclusion in Healthcare Talent Management?

Healthcare organizations should be dedicated to supplier and staffing agency diversity, and those vendors should be dedicated to supporting health systems’ diversity and inclusion goals by providing well-qualified candidates, despite protected statuses. But healthcare talent management goes beyond the walls of the healthcare facility. It also involves inclusivity among communities health systems serve and the partners they leverage to drive greater quality of patient care.

Additionally, health systems can strive to work with agencies that are owned by women, people of color, veterans, or those with disabilities. If you’re working with a staffing vendor that keeps diversity and inclusion top of mind in their own company, it stands to reason that your own workforce will be diverse.

Why Is Diversity and Inclusion in Talent Management Important?

Seeking diverse people and including them on your team is a critical initiative for any company. But it’s actually part of a process that leads to the ultimate goal of equality. To build a values-based company that truly reflects your team, clients, suppliers, and local and global community, pursuing diversity and inclusion is more than necessary. Only by capitalizing on diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives — and by utilizing inclusive talent pools — can health systems achieve excellence.

Health systems with a good balance of men and women are 21% more likely to outperform the competition.3

Health systems with a good mix of ethnic backgrounds are 33% more likely to outperform the competition in profitability.4

Teams with gender, age, and ethnic diversity make better decisions up to 87% of the time.5

Gain a Competitive Edge

While diversity and inclusion is imperative to creating a welcoming, unique workforce, there are other tangible benefits. Studies show that staying open to diversity can add a competitive edge to your health system and increase your potential for creativity, innovation, and motivation:

Seek Accreditation

The United States government requires health systems to hire staff without discriminating against protected statuses. However, there are no laws in place for exactly how diverse your workforce needs to be. But as there are so many benefits of diversity and inclusion, health systems can ensure they are prioritizing it by receiving accreditation from diversity-focused organizations.

Accreditation can be received through the diversity standards of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and The Joint Commission, as well as organizations including Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). OFCCP enforces the U.S. government’s rules regarding affirmative action, and has begun performing audits in hospitals to check for systemic discrimination in hiring and compensation.

If your health system is accredited or rated highly in diversity and inclusion, you will be recognized as an inclusive staffer and will continue to attract a diverse workforce.

How Can You Support Diversity and Inclusion in Your Core Talent Management Strategy?

INCREASE DIVERSE SUPPLIER POOLS.Just like core staff, contingent workers should be in line with your organization’s diversity and inclusion goals. By prioritizing diverse supplier pools, you can regularly work with vendors who are also committed to diversity. That means that the workers you bring on to cover shifts will be as diverse as the rest of your workforce. To do this, pay attention to the vendors you’re working with, or even ask them about how they encourage staffing diversity and inclusion.

LEVERAGE WORKFORCE TECHNOLOGY ACROSS ALL MODALITIES. Health systems have many things to be tracked. A vendor management system (VMS) can dramatically increase visibility into your core staff and contingent workforce, helping you know exactly where you stand when it comes to diversity and inclusion. This visibility helps you align your contingent workers with your full-time staff, creating consistency in your diversity and inclusion strategy. A VMS also offers insight into workforce costs, limits risk and liability during audits, and streamlines your staff’s workflow.

While there are many VMS technologies on the market, few have access to a wide variety of vendors that can refer candidates from various backgrounds. But ShiftWise is widely known in the healthcare staffing industry, and has meaningful connections with many diverse vendors who are devoted to equality and inclusivity. ShiftWise can help your health system form beneficial partnerships with vendors by:

PARTNER WITH EXPERTS. VMS firms are well-versed in helping health systems meet diversity and inclusivity goals. They help match you up with the right supplier mix to find the right candidates for open shifts at your health center. Backed up by benchmark data and strong industry connections, VMS firms can enforce service-level agreements (SLAs) that positively impact staffing outcomes.

Recommending vendor partners who have the resources to meet your system’s diversity goals, including clinical, allied, non-clinical, IT, and locum tenens staff

Acting as a liaison with vendor partners to ensure they meet set SLAs

Supporting your system to ensure you are successful and continuously improving

Capturing and analyzing all the data for reporting, management, and audit purposes

Helping you navigate your changing workforce needs, such as expanding your organization and creating diverse float pools

Are you ready to introduce diversity and inclusion into your talent management strategy, or take your current program to a new level of success?

ShiftWise has the tools that you need.

Contact us today to see how a VMS can encourage diversity and inclusion in your health system.

www.shiftwise.com

1. https://www.amnhealthcare.com/latest-healthcare-news/rewards-of-diversity-in-healthcare-leadership/2. https://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20170923/NEWS/170929949/health-systems-turn-to-chief-diversity-officers-to-promote-inclusive-workforce3. https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/delivering-through-diversity4. https://www.forbes.com/sites/eriklarson/2017/09/21/new-research-diversity-inclusion-better-decision-making-at-work/#4f1de7264cbf5. https://hbr.org/2013/12/how-diversity-can-drive-innovation

Based in Dallas, Texas, Parkland Health & Hospital System provides care to more than 1 million patients each year. When Parkland came to ShiftWise, they were struggling to manage a variety of staffing vendors without wasting both time and money. They also wanted to increase diversity and inclusion among their staff and contingent workers by including more MWBE staffers in their vendor pool.

By using ShiftWise’s VMS solution, Parkland increased their average usage of women and minority businesses from the single digits to 31%, well surpassing their goal of 25% participation. With a broad vendor pool and efficient vendor management technology, Parkland brought diversity, inclusion, and understanding to their workforce and patient care practices. Along with that, their quality of patient care metrics also dramatically increased.

“31% average usage of women and minority businesses since 2015.”

— Parkland VP & Chief Workforce Officer