Description

When frontline workforce development truly succeeds, it is because it is “part of the way we do business” rather than stand-alone or one-off programs. Investing in frontline workers must reflect organizational priorities. That means aligning frontline workforce development with broader goals, such as the organization’s core mission, or its commitment to population health and community prosperity. By doing this, leaders will think about frontline worker investments as a core operating principle and prioritize them accordingly.

For example, talent acquisition leaders may be more receptive to requests for workforce investments when framed as a strategy to meet an overarching goal to be known as the best place to work and receive care.

Process

Integrating workforce investments with analysis of business impact is essential to making the business case – not only to generate good evidence, but also to ensure programs are sustainable. The first step to integration is to truly understand your organization’s priorities and how they impact frontline staff. Consider all the ways frontline workers contribute to your organization’s mission.

As you move forward, engage senior leaders in conversations to ensure their primary concerns are addressed and to help them understand how an engaged frontline workforce will meet their needs as well. Workforce analysis data, evaluation of program outcomes, and frontline worker success stories can help connect the dots between frontline investment and organizational priorities.

Areas of Strategic Business Impact Employers cite six major areas where developing the frontline workforce can have strategic business impact
Workforce Availability Frontline staffing needs are addressed by filling vacancies, reducing turnover, decreasing overtime, and reducing temporary agency use.	Employee Competency & Advancement Employees gain the needed knowledge, skills, and abilities to deliver high quality care and advance their careers.	Employee Engagement Employees express greater satisfaction with their jobs and are more engaged in their work, resulting in improved performance outcomes and increased staff retention.
Patient Experience Patients and their families express higher levels of satisfaction with the quality of care received and services provided. Patient satisfaction scores improve.	Community Impact Organizations demonstrate greater positive impact in the communities they serve by hiring local residents, increasing workforce diversity, and improving health outcomes in the community.	Quality & Safety Organizations improve performance by expanding the role of frontline workers and enhancing their skills to reduce such measures as medical errors and avoidable re-hospitalizations.