Bill Klaproth (Host): This podcast is brought to you by UK G at UK G. Our purpose is people. Digital transformation initiatives must be embraced in rethinking how an organization uses technology, people and processes to fundamentally change its performance and ultimately its patients experience to learn more about UK GI.

Visit UK g.com/healthcare. This is a special AONL podcast as we record live from the AONL 2023 Conference. And with me is Corrie Halas and Samantha Glennon, both our regional nurse executives with UKG, the Ultimate Kronos Group, as we talk about dynamic staffing.

Host: This is Today in Nursing Leadership, a podcast from the American Organization for Nursing Leadership. I'm Bill Klaproth. Corrie and Samantha, welcome.

Corrie Halas: Thank you.

Samantha Glennon: Thanks, Bill. Thanks for having us.

Host: You bet. Thank you for being here. So, let's talk about dynamic staffing. Sam, I'm going to start with you. So when we talk about dynamic staffing, what is the compelling issue that we need to know about?

Samantha Glennon: Absolutely. So, I think that there's an overall general understanding that more and more healthcare organizations are focused on how to provide the right resource at the right time because our patient populations are becoming more ill, more acute. But oftentimes, we have less resources to care for them, and we're finding that there's an increase in social needs as well.

And a couple of items, just to dovetail off of that, is UKG every year puts out megatrends associated with what we're seeing in the industry. And this year's megatrends have definitely shown, first and foremost, navigation of the human energy crisis is huge. And what really that is, is the pandemic has taken a toll on all of our individuals, including employees. And so, what that means is we're forcing employees to come to work, feeling that they need to be creative, be innovative, when really there's so many external factors happening outside of the workplace that really their basic needs needed to be met first before they can reach that higher functioning capacity of that innovation.

Secondarily, the optimizing the organizational plasticity, we really need to reject the status quo. And so, we're finding organizations that are going to be successful are going to have both learn fast and fail fast adaptability in order to be viable within today's healthcare marketplace.

And the last megatrend was the Gen X effect. We're seeing a lot of Baby Boomers retiring. And with them retiring, a lot of Gen Xers are now becoming C-suite executives. And they have a lot of various and differentiating factors such as social and more environmental practices that they are now instituting that might not have been regularly introduced to healthcare prior to that. And again, the lack of RN and assisted personnel to help with those licensed staff on the floor. We have a recent growth in staffing agencies and how organizations need to move away from that to have more cost viable practices.

And again, just very simply, what's the visibility of our current future staffing? Visibility is huge. That transparency is something that we have been lacking. And then, the dynamic staffing models need to enlist an amazing employee experience. And so, all of that can be honed in on with technology, so we're really looking at the right technology to provide the right staff at the right time.

Host: Right. As you said before, the right resources at the right time. So, three things we need to remember when it comes to these megatrends: the navigation of human energy or the human energy crisis, optimizing organizational plasticity and then, of course, we need to think about the Gen X effect. So, that's really good.

So when we talk about the right resources at the right time and putting technology to work together for us, Corrie, what do we need to do that? What are the initiatives or tactics we can use or think about to put this in place so we reach the right people at the right time with the right resources?

Corrie Halas: Yeah. So, I think flexibility is key and having a technology platform that really supports that dynamic staffing model, giving you that transparency that Sam was just mentioning, that real-time visibility so that you can appropriately allocate those resources, and be more nimble. So, having that plasticity that she was also mentioning is huge today, as we have to be more nimble in how we accomplish things in our approach with great change all the time. You know, looking at that transparency, that real-time visibility, so that we can make sure that we're meeting the patient needs in that dynamic way.

We also need to focus on that global view. So, how do we look across the entire organization and best utilize those resources. And I think this is one of the things the pandemic brought to light as well. We were functioning isolated in how we manage our inpatient outpatient care areas. And I think with the pandemic and the nursing shortage exacerbated by the pandemic, we've had to look at staffing across our entire organization and how we can flex resources across the entire continuum versus just inpatient units. So, I think that's something that technology can help with, giving you that global visibility.

And then, we look at down to the unit level, and understanding the complexity of those acute patients that Sam was also mentioning in those megatrends, people are more sick, they have more social needs today. How are we looking at that? Making sure the right person is in the right place and the right unit. And getting paid appropriately because we now have pay equity that's important to the workforce. And so, looking at those, how technology can support that, you know, that daily staffing and to the right person, right time, and looking at that workload. And then, using realtime analytics to really drive that decision, starting at the frontline leader. If they can't manage in the moment, they're behind the eight ball. So, how can we give them access to data in real time, so that they can manage and then bubble that up to the executive level. So, they also have the information they need to coach and mentor those frontline leaders.

Host: I love that term that you used, flex resources. So, Corrie, let me ask you this, how do we put this technology to use? How do you deploy it within an organization?

Corrie Halas: So, I think It's first identifying what solutions you have in place right now that you don't have that visibility that you need to be able to flex. So if you can't see it, you can't manage it. So, making sure you have the right technology in place, so you can see where your staffing lies in the moment, so we can flex those resources.

Host: Okay. And Sam, this really just makes sense when you're talking about the nursing profession today with short staff and burnout and all of those things. Why is this ultimately really important that we take a look at technology to fix this problem?

Samantha Glennon: Absolutely. So, we're in a place in the industry where we're not going to hire our way out of this, and we can't pay our way out of this. So, we really need to be resourceful. And what resourceful means is looking at technology to help us, so that we can alleviate that administrative burden because we can't ask our staff to do these additional tasks on top of what they're already doing. So, how can technology be utilized in a beneficial, in an appropriate way? Because we also have to respect the nursing clinical judgment. That's always going to be something that we have to take into account. So, deciphering the right technology to decipher the right resource at the right time is going to be a critical concept with us to be successful in the industry.

Host: Right. And Corrie then, for a nurse leader listening to this podcast, where would someone start?

Corrie Halas: So at first, I think, there's hope. There's hope that there's technology that exists that can help with this problem. So, identifying again where those gaps are in your organization, starting there and then looking for places that offer this technology like UKG. And as you're readjusting those labor models, consider how, you know, you might deploy this technology in your organization to really help solve those critical business issues as you're allocating those resources. You know, and then with those limited resources, we have to look beyond what we're currently doing. We have to understand that we need that technology to support the processes that we need to put in place, like the digital virtual nurses that we're having to use or other cost-saving measures.

Host: So, can you talk about UKG? How do you work with clients? Do you have software that you implement? How do you do what you do?

Corrie Halas: So, yes, we have a full technology, workforce management and human capital management platform that we hired to retire that we help you manage your workforce, give you that visibility that you need across your whole enterprise.

Host: Is this something where a nurse leader will look at a simple dashboard to see what's happening in real time? Is that how it works, yeah?

Corrie Halas: Yeah. So, we have what we call our Workforce Dimensions Platform, and it provides that realtime data to manage. We've got over 150 KPIs out of the box that we can bubble up for those nurse leaders to really have that insight and visibility they need to manage in the moment.

Samantha Glennon: And I think that one thing to add to that very quickly is the fact that what Dimensions provides is a managed by exception as well. And so, we all understand the alarm fatigue that bedside nurses experience. Well, leaders also experience alarm fatigue. You know, looking at information, looking at data, we can oftentimes be glazed over about what do we need to do about it. So, that's one thing that I appreciated about Dimensions as an end user, is that it provides you what you need to do and the prescribed steps you need to take in order to better manage your labor and your resources in the moment, as Corrie was mentioning.

Host: Okay. So, can you give us an example of a success you've had or like case study? Or tell us a story about a client of yours that has used this and has really helped them.

Samantha Glennon: Absolutely. So obviously, with that enhanced visibility you get with the realtime data and any technology platform, we do have a lot of customer success stories. So actually, Forrester Research did a study on a few of our enterprise customers who migrated from our Workforce Central, which is our legacy solution to Dimensions and they had incredible results. So, 169% ROI in less than six months and over 34 million in a three-year period. And then also, not to mention, Bon Secours Mercy Health actually has stood up a central staffing office during the COVID pandemic, which did benefit their organization, it's ability to quickly mobilize resources and share resources throughout their entire enterprise. So, those are just a few benefits that we've seen with customers who have taken advantage of the Dimension solution.

Host: And that's a 34-million savings over three years. Is that correct?

Samantha Glennon: Correct.

Host: Wow, that's pretty impressive That'll open some eyes, for sure. So, Corrie, is there anything else you want us to know about your company or what you're talking about on this podcast episode today?

Corrie Halas: Yeah. So with UKG, we are a full workforce management and HCM platform. And we can offer the ability to really schedule in any area of organization. So, we're talking inpatient, outpatient, lab, housekeeping, all the above. Obviously, there's Sam and I that work here. We have over 25 clinicians that work at UKG, so we're very healthcare-focused and very nursing- focused, so we can can schedule across the continuum. We are the largest private-held software company in the world right now. And we have verticalized in our organization, so we have a healthcare vertical, and I was just mentioning those 25 clinicians that work here. But we can really give you that visibility and we offer those solutions that HR directors need, nurse leaders need, finance needs.

Host: Wow. So, you really cover a lot of ground for sure.

Samantha Glennon: Yes.

Host: Okay. Well, as we wrap up, this has been great. Thank you so much, Sam and Corrie. Final thoughts from each of you just on dynamic staffing. Sam, if I could start with you.

Samantha Glennon: Absolutely. I think that just as Corrie mentioned, I mean we have a very strong what we call healthcare vertical. We are sitting in over 3,500 hospitals. We continue to expand in other areas, including outpatient physician, perioperative, you name it. But one thing that always sticks to me and why I feel so strongly that UKG is an amazing solution for our healthcare field is that our true corporate tagline is our purpose is people. Well, in healthcare, our purpose is people, right? We're serving our patients, we're serving these families, we're serving our communities. So, I just don't think that it's really a coincidence that those two line up very wonderfully as far as our purpose is our people, and our people are going to be our customers in healthcare.

Host: Yeah, very well said. And Corrie, how about you? Final thoughts?

Corrie Halas: Yeah. So, I think our solutions can support that organizational plasticity and the dynamic needs that we see in the industry today, And I think to Sam's point, our purpose is people. And that really goes back to kind of the five P's of employee fulfillment. You've got pay, perks, people, pride and purpose. And so, I think all that ties together with our solutions. And those weren't in any particular order. Every generation might rate those a little differently, but, you know, I think we align with those five P's that are really important to employees.

Host: Yeah. And you said you work with 3,500 clients, is that right? Is that correct, 3,500?

Corrie Halas: Hospitals and health systems. And then, we have another 18,000 or so in post-acute care.

Host: Okay. So, you know what you're doing here. Wow. So if someone wants to contact you and learn more about what you do, do you have a website you can give out, yeah?

Corrie Halas: Yeah, ukg.com.

Host: Okay. That's a hard one to remember. Let me write that down, ukg.com. Oh my goodness. All right. Corrie Halas and Samantha Glennon. Thank you both for your time today. This has been great. Thank you telling us more about dynamic staffing and how UKG can help in this. Thank you again. And for more information, you can also visit aonl.org. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels. And check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you. This is Today in Nursing Leadership. Thanks for listening.