Human Resources – Recruitment / Retention

Service: Risk Management
Subject: Human Resources
Type: Risk Profiles

This risk relates to the failure to attract, retain, or develop skilled human resources while maintaining high-quality care. The risk of burnout or loss of staff morale during periods of understaffing and the risk of failing to engage and support staff is also considered in the recruitment/retention risk. This document contains information entered by HIROC Subscriber healthcare organizations (acute and non-acute) in the Risk Register application to help you in your assessment of this risk.

Key Controls / Mitigation Strategies

  • Recruitment
    • Comprehensive recruitment strategy to stabilize front-line staff and leadership, including review of staff levels
    • Enhanced Human Resources policies and procedures
    • Review and update roles, responsibilities and tools to support recruitment process
    • Implement strategies to reduce voluntary turnover rate
    • Review, revise and implement volunteer recruitment plan
    • Active recruitment with local universities and colleges
    • Encourage and support student placements
    • New graduate initiative (e.g., orientation, training buddy system)
    • Host targeted job and career fairs
    • Specialized nursing sponsorship programs (e.g., critical care and the operating room)
    • Late career nursing program
    • Enhanced training for new nurses
    • Ongoing physician recruitment program 
    • Social media postings and candidate searches
    • Financial incentives to attract talent 
      • Paid education/professional development offerings
      • Retention rewards program
      • Scholarships
    • Compelling brand (e.g., Top Employer)
    • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) program
  • Retention and engagement
    • Onboarding checklist
    • Complete onboarding in a timely manner
    • Comprehensive benefits and salary program
    • Regular compensation reviews
    • Ministry engagement for ongoing discussion on retention concerns related to monetary compensation
    • Retention bonuses
    • Cross-training to make sure that more than one individual has expertise
    • Develop and support succession planning
    • Cross appointments with other healthcare organizations
    • Full-time positions added to fill identified gaps in vacation scheduling 
    • Quarterly resource planning meetings
    • Innovative scheduling 
    • Alternative work arrangement program
    • Staff consultation for workload issues
    • Disability case management model
    • Supportive team models of care
    • Positive workplace culture and team building
    • Strategies to improve staff morale and satisfaction
    • Employee resources (e.g., Employee Assistance Program (EAP))
    • Regular performance reviews for ongoing feedback and support to staff
    • Performance management plan and program (tool for feedback, communication, employment engagement, training and other support)
    • Conduct and review employee satisfaction surveys
    • Staff forums
    • Financial support for education and tuition assistance program
    • Education and training opportunities
    • Leadership development (e.g., training and tools)
    • Long-service awards
    • Employee recognition

Monitoring / Indicators

  • Legislative requirements
  • Union activity and collective agreements 
  • Staff turnover, retention, absenteeism, retirement, vacancy, grievance rates
  • Number of applications for employment
  • Job acceptance rate
  • Time to fill vacant positions
  • Average length of service
  • Percentage of volunteer turnover
  • Percentage of employee and volunteer satisfaction
  • Employee engagement survey results
  • Critical shortages tracking
  • Department level workload reports
  • Workplace violence risk assessments
  • Patient safety/Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) incident tracking
  • Agency usage
  • Overtime rate and costs 
  • Budgeted hours not worked
  • Number of staff wellness activities
  • Patient feedback
  • Monthly monitoring of key strategies and gaps
  • Cost of training new hires
  • New hire survey results
  • Trends related to exit interviews
  • Trends related to interdepartmental transfers
Date last reviewed:
This is a resource for quality assurance and risk management purposes only, and is not intended to provide or replace legal or medical advice or reflect standards of care and/or standards of practice of a regulatory body. The information contained in this resource was deemed accurate at the time of publication, however, practices may change without notice.