HR Challenges for Healthcare Practices in Ontario
Healthcare practices in Ontario face unique challenges, reflecting province-specific regulations, workforce shortages, and the demands put on current employees and leaders.
Managers and employees both experience the stress caused by work environments that are short-staffed and lack the necessary HR practices needed to support their people and ensure organizational success.
From staffing shortages and generational differences to navigating complex compliance requirements, healthcare practices are pressed to implement more effective strategies for managing their Human Resources and overall company performance.
A fractional Chief HR Officer (CHRO), also known as part-time CHRO, can be a cost-effective solution to address these challenges, building effective HR functions and programs that transform your practice into a place where people love to work. Having a dedicated person to manage your organization’s most valuable asset — your people — is essential for fostering a positive, productive work environment and driving long-term success.
Below are four core Human Resources challenges healthcare providers in Ontario are facing.
Staffing shortages
Ontario Healthcare practices are feeling challenged to attract and retain employees in a competitive market that’s increasingly short on skilled healthcare workers.
There were over 90,000 unfilled positions in the Canadian healthcare sector at the end of 2023. Over 30% of job vacancies in 2022 included personal support worker positions, psychiatric nurses, and mental health workers. In long-term care, facilities have continued to see losses in direct care nurses, affecting the quality of care and performance.
Shortages have been increasing responsibilities for existing workers, leading to overwork, burnout, and compromised patient care.
As a response, workers from other nations now make up a sizable percentage of the healthcare workforce, with more than one-third of pharmacists and one-third of physicians being educated in another country.
Pandemic burnout, an aging workforce, and increasing patient demands are the core challenges straining healthcare practices and driving them to implement better people management strategies.
Complex regulations and compliance requirements
Healthcare practices in Ontario must consistently stay updated on employment-related regulations to ensure they operate legally and ethically.
Recently in Ontario, there were changes in policies for remote work, overtime calculations, and wage increases.
Due to an increased number of Canadian healthcare companies hiring healthcare workers from abroad, Ontario has modified policies to expedite the entry and settlement of international healthcare workers in the workforce.
Implementing compliance documentation and training stakeholders on recent updates like these is challenging for small businesses without a dedicated HR department.
Working with a Part-time HR leader to maintain agile policies and practices can help small healthcare practices adapt to rapid changes and implement them efficiently.
They Bring Fresh Perspectives For Problem Solving
Part-time Chief HR Officers work with business leaders to discuss, navigate, and resolve HR problems.
They offer an objective lens to think about the challenges and offer their knowledge and experience to explore new ways to solve problems.
They are a sounding board to understand, ideate, and implement strategies that will support organizational effectiveness.
They help develop opportunities for the company to grow strategically.
Generational & Cultural Differences Among Employees
Ontario health practices are diverse work environments, employing people of different ages, cultural backgrounds, and nationalities.
The Government of Canada recently announced that it will be helping over 6000 educated healthcare professionals work in Canada.
Diverse, internationally educated, multi-generational teams working together while holding varying values, needs, and work styles can be the source of workplace disharmony.
Conflicting expectations and needs can lead to tense team dynamics and management challenges that can negatively affect a health practice if not addressed and integrated.
Wondering whether a Fractional CHRO will be a good fit for your team?
Book a free consultation today with Nabila Rezwan to learn more.
Nabila Rezwan
Certified HR Leader (CHRL) with over 10 years of experience.
As a fractional Chief HR Officer, I work with startups and early-stage companies to build and scale their HR functions for a fraction of what it would cost to hire a full-time HR Executive. I help my clients build comprehensive HR foundations from the ground up that reduce employee turnover and build strong teams. As your fractional Chief HR Officer, I become an extension of your Leadership team, driving business success with strategic HR leadership on a flexible, part-time basis.
