Productivity management in healthcare should be a love story. It is where staff hours and operational volumes come to get married, creating lasting alignment between resources and demand so that everyone can live happily ever after. Sadly, many organizations’ experiences with productivity have been more of a bad romance. Misguided benchmarks, poor communication, limited reporting, and a lack of leadership involvement can make performance improvement initiatives fall apart, leaving staff jaded when it comes to productivity.
As you celebrate this month of love, pop some corn, get cozy, and watch a few of ALTIUS’ favorite romantic movies that highlight the positives of productivity.
- Jerry Maguire: In this Rom Com classic, a slick sports agent named Jerry Maguire has a crisis of conscience and pens a heartfelt, company-wide memo about humanizing the approach to client management which promptly gets him fired. In response, Jerry starts his own firm with only single mother Dorothy Boyd joining him in his new venture. Desperate to hang on, Jerry finds himself banking on football player Rod Tidwell, who becomes his sole client. A unique bond forms between client and agent as simultaneously Jerry and Dorothy begin to fall in love while struggling to make their business work.
Productivity Love Connection – Show me the Money: One of the most famous quotes from Jerry Maquire is Rod’s response to almost everything that Jerry throws at him; “show me the money!” Most healthcare leaders have the same demand of their productivity initiatives. Appropriately aligning resources with demand leads to efficient operations which in turn generates routine cost savings. Consistent and continuous productivity reporting ensures that improved performance is sustainable!
- 10 Things I Hate About You: In this coming-of-age story inspired by Shakespear’s Taming of the Shrew, beautiful, smart, and extremely opinionated high-school senior Kat Stratford does not attract the attention of many boys given her abrasive personality. Unfortunately for her younger sister, Bianca, house rules say that she is not allowed to date until Kat does. Strings are pulled to set Kat up for a romance and “free” Bianca. Handsome new arrival Patrick Verona is chosen to woo the difficult damsel. Kat lets her guard down enough to fall for the effortlessly charming Patrick who starts to develop feelings for Kat in turn. Things go sideways when Kat uncovers that Patrick was paid to date her – can young love withstand betrayal?
Productivity Love Connection – Hate can be love in disguise: In an emotional moment towards the conclusion of the movie, Kat reads a personal poem she wrote aloud in English class. She details all of the things she “hates” about Patrick – ultimately realizing that she in fact, does not hate him at all. Productivity in healthcare often gets a negative reaction from staff and leadership who associate the “more with less” mindset with any performance improvement project. Slashing staff without proper data or direction would make anyone hate productivity. Using accurate benchmarks to set meaningful goals ensures that the right resources are in place. Effective productivity management elevates patient satisfaction, employee engagement, quality, and operational/financial performance – who would not love that?!
- 50 First Dates: Playboy veterinarian Henry has romanced many women using the beauty of Hawaii and his love of animals to lore them into one-night stands. When he sets his heart on romancing Lucy, he quickly discovers a major obstacle – she suffers from short-term memory loss. Lucy cannot remember anything that happened the day before, so each and every morning, Henry has to court her again. Lucy’s friends and family are very protective and, given Henry’s past, he must convince them that he is in it for love.
Productivity Love Connection – The importance of tracking so nothing is forgotten: Healthcare operates at a rapid pace. It is hard to remember what happened yesterday let alone weeks before. Having a system for proper productivity monitoring that tracks volume and staffing trends bi-weekly can be the difference between failure and success. It allows leaders to understand variances to their goals and make real-time adjustments. Productivity reporting also provides the data to support strategic decisions, highlighting the capacity of current staff and tipping points for when changes may be necessary. Consistently monitor performance and never forget again!
- Sleepless in Seattle: After the death of his wife, Sam Baldwin moves to Seattle with his son, Jonah. When Jonah calls in to a talk-radio program on Christmas Eve to find a new wife for his dad, Sam grudgingly gets on the line to discuss his feelings and inability to sleep. Annie Reed, a reporter in Baltimore, hears Sam speak and falls for him, even though they have never met and she is engaged. Unsure where it will lead, she writes Sam a letter asking him to meet her at the top of the Empire State Building on Valentine’s Day to see what “magic” may exist between them.
Productivity Love Connection – Understanding how to effectively manage “sleepless” shifts: The night-shift can be viewed by many leaders as a productivity downfall with minimum staffing and low volumes negatively impacting performance. Understanding time-of-day, day-of-week demand can help to create balance between high and low volume periods. When peak shifts are staffed appropriately, the efficiencies gained can offset the effects of the off hours on overall productivity. In addition, required overnight staffing in certain areas can help to support other functions – keeping employees busy and engaged while increasing productivity organization-wide.
- Wedding Planner: Mary Fiore is one of the most sought-after wedding planners in the San Franciso Bay area. While celebrating her newest and most lucrative account, the wedding of the ultra-wealthy Fran Donelly, Mary is rescued from a near-fatal collision with a runaway dumpster by handsome pediatrician Steve Edison. After spending the most enchanting evening of their lives together, Mary thinks she has finally found a reason to believe in love. What she does not realize is that cupid and her career are about to collide head-on when she discovers that Steve is the groom in the wedding she is planning for Fran.
Productivity Love Connection – Planning and delegating are critical to success: Mary’s favorite explanation for why she leads a dull life compared to the amazing and romantic weddings she orchestrates is that “those who can’t do, plan!” The reality is, everyone should plan – maybe not weddings, but definitely for positive results. Productivity affords healthcare leaders access to the data needed to make informed decisions and drive meaningful performance goals. Planning should be a team activity, not a top-down exercise. When staff are included in determining the direction and take part in defining the strategies to improve operations, it leads to more effective execution. Employees are engaged in the process and are willing to take on the assigned tasks because they know the why behind them. Strong communication is critical in love and in planning!
If Rom Coms have taught us anything, it is that you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince! ALTIUS offers the performance improvement and workforce optimization solutions needed for healthcare organizations to realize lasting success. Fall in love with productivity by partnering with our team today. To learn more, visit our website or reach out directly here!