by scott | Nov 24, 2021 | Blog, Job Seekers
Over the past year and a half, healthcare providers have been put through the wringer. The stresses of COVID-19, along with unprecedented staffing shortages have created unbearable pressures on many healthcare providers. This has led to high levels of burnout across more than one-half of all U.S. health providers. Finding a balance between work and life is something that every healthcare provider should strive for. But these days that balance is a lot harder to achieve. We’ve pulled together some suggestions to help protect yourself from the daily stresses of the healthcare profession. Here’s how to find balance in your job again.
Finding Work/Life Balance in Healthcare
Most clinical healthcare providers understand the need for a healthy balance of work and home. When work becomes too all-encompassing, burnout creeps in, affecting your mental and physical health. While healthcare workers may be great at taking care of others, they may not have enough in the tank to focus on taking care of themselves. Finding balance requires effort, and we have some tips that may help:
- The first is to know when to ask for help. Reaching out to someone in your peer network or a supervisor that you’re approaching burnout is a good step. If your manager is good, he or she will work with you to find ways to mitigate your stress.
- Next, reevaluate your schedule from the perspective of what can you eliminate? Have you been working longer hours? Are there household demands that you can eliminate or delegate? To regain control of your schedule, and your life, please consider it with a clear eye toward protecting your energy and your health.
- Here’s the reality: You cannot be all things to all people. Learn to say “No.” Relish it. Covering extra shifts at the hospital? No. Volunteering to host a child-related event? Not now. Taking on a committee at daycare or church? Absolutely not. Find space. Then fill that space with activities that rejuvenate your mind and body, even if that means you just take a nap.
- Take your vacations. The work will still be there when you return. Americans regularly fail to take 700 million hours of vacation annually. The U.S. Travel Association reports 52% of Americans fail to use all of their vacation each year. Vacation guilt is often an issue in the healthcare space, where lives depend on your presence. The problem is that burnout is a real clinical phenomenon and it leads to medical mistakes. If you’re so exhausted you can’t perform, you will be no good to anyone, including yourself.
- One last tip: Really take your vacation. We how that the majority of Americans continue to check their email, instant messaging, or texts related to work, even when out of the office. Learn to limit your access while out of the office and set the expectations with your teams that when you’re out—you are really unavailable. It is the only way to truly recharge your work battery.
Sometimes the best defense against burnout is a change of venue. AG Globe Services works to match top healthcare employers with well-qualified candidates. If you’re concerned that burnout is challenging your life, we may be able to help. Browse our current openings today!
by scott | Nov 10, 2021 | Blog, Client
Finding the right VMS (vendor management system) is challenging unless you know the right questions to ask. There are dozens of software vendors out there, and many of them work with recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) firms like AG Globe Services to increase the productivity of your business. We’ve compiled some of the best questions to ask a VMS vendor to help you make a more informed decision about outsourcing your hiring processes.
16 Questions to Ask a VMS
Not every VMS is created equally, & if you’re going to work with a VMS, you want to ensure its high quality and that it will help you meet your goals. Your requirements for the VMS platform are also important to your vendor selection. For example, perhaps you’re considering a managed service provider (MSP) or you are self-servicing your in-house contingent workforce. Whatever your business models, the VMS should support it. Good questions to ask include:
1.) What workforce models can the VMS support?
2.) How do user permissions and roles work?
3.) Are there systems that the VMS can’t integrate with?
You should also check in about the specific features that the software offers. Do their analytics support your goals of increasing efficiency or reducing expenses? Ask your potential vendors:
4.) What kind of reporting features does the tool offer and how do they work?
5.) What kind of workflow customization does the tool offer?
6.) What automation features can help your team work smarter?
A good VMS should also be able to handle sourcing, procurement, and the management of suppliers and/or contingent workers. It should allow for a statement of work (SOW) or request for proposal (RFP) document tracking, as well, which is helpful for working with a staffing agency or MSP. Good questions to ask include:
7.) Does the technology help manage different payment structures detailed within vendor-specific SOWs?
8.) How does the VMS enable the negotiation and evaluation process when looking at multiple vendors?
Of course, today, IT security is always an issue, so screening your vendor in this area is critical. Particularly because the VMS will field data from multiple locations into a central hub connected to your business. Consider asking the VMS vendor:
9.) What are the third-party tools used in the reporting/analytics platform?
10.) What type of cyber security measures are in place to field candidate data?
11.) What is the architecture for intrusion detection and backups?
12.) Do you have a disaster recovery plan in place?
Finally, consider the actual implementation of the platfoWe’vee’ve heard of many unsuccessful technology rollouts, simply because the vendor lacked the contingency planning necessary for a successful deployment. Stakeholder buy-ins are often an area that the vendor misses until you have an office full of unhappy employees! To avoid this, make sure you get the answers to these questions:
13.) What are the crucial elements for a successful VMS deployment?
14.) How do you ensure the VMS integrates successfully with existing software—and human workflows.
15.) What are your plans for continuous learning and support for the VMS software?
16.) How do you ensure every end-user has an optimal experience?
We know the right questions to ask your VMS because AG Globe Services is an offshoring company specializing in recruitment process outsourcing (RPO). Find out how we help our clients handle their contingency labor to benefit their businesses & get in touch with us today!
