A Case Study - Using Assessments to Decrease Turnover!

An engaged workforce is a delight to employers and customers alike, but in a hospital setting, the importance of focused and productive workers takes on heightened significance. Now add a layer to that: The difficult environment of a psychiatric hospital, where continuity of care is crucial.

This case study takes us to just such an environment. Here, a medical hiring board struggled frequently as it tried to fill open positions, most of them forced by firings of unsuitable workers. With so much of its time spent in hiring meetings, less attention went to patient care. At one point, the hospital grappled with a turnover rate of almost 70 percent. Clearly, hiring managers needed to do something differently. The medical board turned to the ProfileXT™ to help identify top performers.

Method
The hospital chose 25 mental health workers for the assessment. Using their own criteria, hiring managers judged 17 as top performers and eight as bottom performers. From these workers they further developed a Job Match Pattern of 75 percent. This meant if new applicants scored 75 or greater on the Job Match Percentage, they were a good fit to the position. Meanwhile, hiring managers gathered turnover rates during a 10-month study period. At the end of the period, the hospital saw turnover drop from 28 percent to 16 percent.

Details
Highlights of the study include:
*Turnover dropped from 47.6 percent in fiscal year 2001 to 22.9 percent in the next fiscal year.
*This large turnover reduction of 52 percent saved more than $300,000.
*Staff spent less time in weekly hiring board meetings and more time on other hospital duties. *Staff efficiency increases saved an estimated $20,000 annually.
*Staff performance and client care improved after new mental health workers came to work under the new selection practices.
*Happily, involuntary termination rates, or firings, dropped 70 percent after the study was launched.

Summary
The Job Match Pattern can help employers identify which applicants are the best fit to the job – a key element to worker engagement everywhere, but even more important in the specialized environment. To discuss this case study or find out more details about how Job Match patterns can help recruit and develop engaged workers, call People Wise for a free report 816-858-7300!