"Every now and then a little article or two or three hundred will pop up on Linkedin with some kind of variation of "People don't leave jobs, they leave toxic cultures" or "People don't leave companies, they leave bad managers." If you've spent any time on this platform, you've probably seen it -- and maybe even shared it (It's okay, I forgive you).
One of the reasons for the viral nature of these articles is that we've all experienced the tremendously negative impact of a bad boss and/or a toxic workplace culture. So far, it's all true enough. People sometimes do leave because they can't stand their manager or because they are tired of being ignored, belittled, and otherwise taken advantage of.
But here's the deal guys - it's simply untrue to say that people never leave jobs for any other reason, because....actually they DO. Even a "winning culture" with bosses who would do anything to see their people succeed, can't overcome inherent short-comings about certain jobs and industry scenarios that a simple cliché about toxic cultures can't explain.
Our little niche of Sterile Processing is a prime example worth considering:
The work is hard - manual cleaning, lifting, pushing, loading, carrying, and standing for long periods of time.
The work is dangerous - sharps risk are a constant threat with every imaginable blood borne pathogen just waiting to pierce through PPE in the decontamination phase.
The importance is paramount - literal life & death hinge on our ability to adequately clean, inspect, package, sterilize, and store medical devices for every type of surgery under the sun -- from appendectomies to heart transplants. One failure can have dire consequences.
The pay is laughable - considering the risks to employees and the value given to health systems, the inexcusably low pay scale typically can't even compete with local hardware stores or entry level retail positions. Some barely hover above minimum wage.
The career ladder is short and broken - growth in this industry is limited to different levels of technicians (I, II, III, etc), supervisors, managers, and directors with many facilities having only a single supervisor or lead technician -- and even most of these leadership positions are paid below their hospital peers in the OR & Supply Chain.
Considering all of this, we should not be surprised to see so many high performing technicians simply decide to pull the plug on a career in Sterile Processing to go on to do something else. These folks aren't primarily leaving any broken culture or backward manager -- they really are leaving a JOB. And who among you can blame them?
If we want to stop this brain-drain and talent-drain from the CS/SPD industry, simply blaming bad cultures and bosses will never get us there. First and foremost, we need to honestly and earnestly take a look at the job itself, and get to work fixing all the reasons that great technicians are leaving our department in droves. Are there HR reasons that people leave SPD? Of course. But they are not the only reasons, and I would argue they are not even the most important ones.
It's easy to look at someone else and say "I can't believe they would treat a worker like that." It's much harder and more convicting to ask, "Why would anyone ever want to do this job in the first place?" Leaders in the Sterile Processing industry should be laboring each and every day to develop innovations and processes that make these jobs easier, safer, more efficient, better compensated, and positioned for growth. There are all kinds of different jobs that someone could do to feel fulfilled and find purpose. Our challenge is to build an industry where the best and the brightest want to come and stay in Sterile Processing, not get burned out and leave.
What say you?"
- Hank Balch
One of the reasons for the viral nature of these articles is that we've all experienced the tremendously negative impact of a bad boss and/or a toxic workplace culture. So far, it's all true enough. People sometimes do leave because they can't stand their manager or because they are tired of being ignored, belittled, and otherwise taken advantage of.
But here's the deal guys - it's simply untrue to say that people never leave jobs for any other reason, because....actually they DO. Even a "winning culture" with bosses who would do anything to see their people succeed, can't overcome inherent short-comings about certain jobs and industry scenarios that a simple cliché about toxic cultures can't explain.
Our little niche of Sterile Processing is a prime example worth considering:
The work is hard - manual cleaning, lifting, pushing, loading, carrying, and standing for long periods of time.
The work is dangerous - sharps risk are a constant threat with every imaginable blood borne pathogen just waiting to pierce through PPE in the decontamination phase.
The importance is paramount - literal life & death hinge on our ability to adequately clean, inspect, package, sterilize, and store medical devices for every type of surgery under the sun -- from appendectomies to heart transplants. One failure can have dire consequences.
The pay is laughable - considering the risks to employees and the value given to health systems, the inexcusably low pay scale typically can't even compete with local hardware stores or entry level retail positions. Some barely hover above minimum wage.
The career ladder is short and broken - growth in this industry is limited to different levels of technicians (I, II, III, etc), supervisors, managers, and directors with many facilities having only a single supervisor or lead technician -- and even most of these leadership positions are paid below their hospital peers in the OR & Supply Chain.
Considering all of this, we should not be surprised to see so many high performing technicians simply decide to pull the plug on a career in Sterile Processing to go on to do something else. These folks aren't primarily leaving any broken culture or backward manager -- they really are leaving a JOB. And who among you can blame them?
If we want to stop this brain-drain and talent-drain from the CS/SPD industry, simply blaming bad cultures and bosses will never get us there. First and foremost, we need to honestly and earnestly take a look at the job itself, and get to work fixing all the reasons that great technicians are leaving our department in droves. Are there HR reasons that people leave SPD? Of course. But they are not the only reasons, and I would argue they are not even the most important ones.
It's easy to look at someone else and say "I can't believe they would treat a worker like that." It's much harder and more convicting to ask, "Why would anyone ever want to do this job in the first place?" Leaders in the Sterile Processing industry should be laboring each and every day to develop innovations and processes that make these jobs easier, safer, more efficient, better compensated, and positioned for growth. There are all kinds of different jobs that someone could do to feel fulfilled and find purpose. Our challenge is to build an industry where the best and the brightest want to come and stay in Sterile Processing, not get burned out and leave.
What say you?"
- Hank Balch