Healthcare workers often find themselves on the front lines of high-pressure environments and experience first-hand the stress of peak demand for healthcare services. Global events, major accidents, and natural disasters place additional stress on healthcare personnel, and the impact on mental health can be dramatic. Our healthcare workers are true superheroes, but what is the impact on those who support others and where do they get that support?
Physician burnout is associated with reduced patient experience and increased costs, affecting key healthcare improvements. It makes sense, therefore, that there is a growing focus on improving the working life and well-being of the “care team” to improve patient outcomes and the quality of care provided.
Supporting care teams and managing healthcare personnel can be a challenge for healthcare providers, especially during times of stress and peak demand. With workers feeling overworked, stressed and burned out, the need for a holistic approach to workforce management has never been greater.
There has been an ongoing effort to find solutions to meet the growing business needs of the healthcare industry, especially those related to workforce management, such as:
- Effective recruitment and onboarding resources
- Allocate resources/capacities based on service needs
- Mobilize workforce if demand changes
- Access the right information to make critical decisions quickly
- Meets quality certification and compliance standards
- Map skills to competency frameworks to support performance management, succession planning and employee development
- Support urgent, critical skills needs through structured education and “just in time” learning
- Protect and support workers during and after increased stress and psychological impact
The result is a suite of innovative solutions that address workforce management challenges while placing worker well-being at the heart of the solution. DXC Workforce Suite Healthcare with SAP® Solutions Focused on providing healthcare organizations with the tools to manage, support and care for their employees professionally, personally and psychologically.
Benefit from integrated modules
The DXC Workforce Suite for Healthcare consists of SAP workforce-related solutions and DXC intellectual property, organized into eight modules that can be configured and delivered quickly and incrementally across regions. With flexible HR system integration (SAP or other), customers can subscribe modules in a ‘mix and match’ fashion based on their specific focus areas, and can be implemented in stages to deliver benefit modules incrementally through integration and rapid time-to-value.
While some modules focus on areas of need, such as recruiting and onboarding employees and contractors, managing performance, developing competencies and closing competency gaps; others improve employee engagement and identify where support and resources should be directed.
There is also the SafeSpace module developed by DXC – a personal-use support tool for workers to use during times of stress, trauma and other personal or occupational difficulties. SafeSpace enables healthcare professionals to connect with others for peer support, express their emotions, and find inspiration and support during times of stress. Users can interact and share experiences, emotions and common interests with others in their field. SafeSpace is accessible from a smartphone or other device, maintains privacy and anonymity through user profiles, and the app can connect to employer-identified services and expand employee assistance-related offerings.
Designed for healthcare workers
The SafeSpace module was developed in close consultation with healthcare industry professionals, including frontline healthcare workers. Through ideation and design thinking workshops, DXC asks how technology can help meet their most pressing needs.
Now is the time to make employee benefits a core business process
Just as payroll and accounts payable are core business processes, now is the time for organizations to prioritize employee well-being—especially when service quality and business outcomes, such as patient safety, depend on the well-being of care teams. Since healthcare isn’t the only industry where workers have to deal with stress and burnout, DXC is exploring expanding the suite, including the SafeSpace app, to industries such as life sciences, first responders and emergency services, law enforcement, defense, public sector, and information technology.
Regardless of the industry, workforce management tools that support productivity, scalability, communication, collaboration, and workforce mental health must be a priority. Organizations around the world need the best workforce management and engagement tools to ensure critical decisions can be made and service delivery planned and executed, and DXC is a trusted partner to help make it happen.
DXC Workforce Suite for Healthcare webinar, sponsored by DXC and SAP and facilitated by Frost and Sullivan, or find out about .
About the author: Coppelia Rose is the Global SAP Healthcare and Life Sciences Product Leader at DXC Technology. Coppelia has worked in healthcare-related organizations for almost her entire career and remains passionate about contributing to the field. The recent global impact gave Coppelia reason to develop this industry-specific workforce management solution that includes mental health support for frontline healthcare workers.
Photo: SafeSpace Module for DXC
