St. Francis Hospital Nurses: A Scheduling Evolution
byIf you’re skeptical about whether revamping your scheduling process could really impact your business, a recent article from HealthLeaders Media may change your mind. Only a short year and a half ago, St. Francis Hospital in Colombus, Georgia, struggled with staffing problems. Just to fill the schedule, nurses floated between units (against their wishes), the hospital handed out incentive payments for extra shifts, and nurses from expensive agencies filled in the remaining gaps. Fortunately, these scheduling woes are problems of the past, as St. Francis no longer has any scheduling holes, and doesn’t hand out extra dollars for incentive payments or agency nurses.
The schedule evolution began when St. Francis adopted self scheduling, which gives the nurses more say in when they work. The new program has given nurses the tools to be more involved at work, and more satisfied with their jobs. Nurse manager William Reynolds, explains that the nurses were always willing to pick up the extra shifts, they just wanted to control when and how they do it. With the new schedule, Reynolds says, “[Nurses] are not only picking up the shifts that we need when we need them to, but they do it willingly, and they’re excited about it.”
In addition to having more say in when they work, nurses are able to view the schedule online, which makes it convenient to keep up-to-date with schedule changes. The program also makes grabbing shifts easy and instant; nurses simply provide their availability, and the program will notify them immediately via text, phone, or email when a shift that fits within their availability opens up.
St. Francis has experienced the difference that schedule organization and autonomy can make, and we at When I Work know that scheduling is core to employee satisfaction, time-management, and overall productivity. We hear echos of our customers in each aspect of this story. When I Work has a similar “self-scheduling” feature that allows managers to post OpenShifts for the week, then employees can sign up for the ones that fit their schedules. Allowing availability requirements and preferences gives employees a voice to help guide their schedules, while mobility makes schedule management quick and painless for both employees and managers. Further, When I Work allows managers to set up multiple locations, which makes scheduling, especially for nurses and other healthcare workers, even easier.
To the skeptics out there who believe learning a new scheduling program isn’t worth the effort, think about what it’s worth to have an business that’s organized, fully-staffed, and filled with satisfied, happy employees.
Try When I Work for free, and start your own scheduling evolution.
