In the world of healthcare, marketing teams and human resources (HR) departments pursue a similar goal – to convince people to choose their organization over another. Separately, these groups use data, best practices, stories, and imagery to make their case, i.e., bring in new employees or patients. But imagine the impact if they strategically and consistently worked together.
Remember “synergize” - habit #6 from Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People? That’s what we’re talking about here - cooperation that creates a whole greater than the sum of its parts, like 2+2 = 5.
In this synergy analogy, the health system's marketing team and HR staff work together to reach a stretch goal that would be unattainable without a partner. At the simplest level, the two groups share information and distribution channel access to enhance communication with internal audiences. At the most complex level, Marketing and HR departments combine skills and resources to bring the brand promise to life.
If you're not sure how to create synergy with the health system's HR department and keep it going, here are three tried-and-true examples to help you get started.
Employee engagement really begins on day one. New staff members are wide-eyed and eager to learn all the cool stuff that comes with being part of the organization. So, in addition to the branded pen and notepad, secure a spot on the new employee orientation agenda and show the newbies how to find and use the preferred channels of communication. What could that look like?
Moving the needle on diversity and inclusion can’t happen until you figure out where the needle currently resides. HR knows the demographic breakdown of your employee population and details on the makeup of your community are accessible through a variety of government and research websites. Start important internal conversations with these action items:
With some time and focus, that needle will find its spot and you will understand how to keep it there.
The hiring cycle for entry-level positions never stops. One possible reason for such high turnover in these areas is the job applicant didn’t fully understand the requirements of the position. That’s why reviewing job descriptions and assigned tasks for clarity as well as reading comprehension is another great opportunity for a Marketing/HR collab.
Have a marketing team member sit down with the HR staff person who creates job descriptions or has the most knowledge about entry-level positions. Ask them to explain the requirements then review the actual job descriptions one at a time. What do you notice?
Discuss your observations with the HR staff person, and together, think of more concise or simple language. Incorporate feedback from people who accepted then quickly departed these entry-level jobs. Consider revising the way in which this information is presented to applicants. (Bullet points for the win!) Your concerted effort will create an accurate and specific depiction of the job while explaining it in simple, understandable terms.
Bottom line - in a world of tight budgets, knowing where you can make the biggest impact with the fewest resources is critical. When marketing and HR combine their experience, knowledge, and tools, the result is definitely a whole greater than the sum of its parts. This kind of collaboration brings out the best in both teams and enables your messages to go further and have a greater impact. As Jon Headlee, president of Ten Adams said in a recent blog about how healthcare marketers can impact recruitment efforts, "Don’t underestimate the power of collaborating with the recruitment team to devise a strategy and set shared goals."
Want to take your Marketing + HR relationship to the next level? Let’s talk. We’d love to explain how we’ve helped other health systems create and maintain synergy with their human resources department.