Importance of staff engagement in a post-COVID-19 world

Healthcare workers are the backbone of any medical system and are vital to healthcare delivery and the patient experience. Although more than two years removed from the height of COVID-19, the reverberation set in motion will be felt for years, possibly decades, to come. The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on healthcare teams who have been on the front lines of the pandemic, with many suffering from stress, trauma, burnout and increased behavioural health challenges. Systems have negotiated staffing shortages and the mental health of their workforce and have also redefined diversity. A 2021 Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that nearly 30 per cent of healthcare workers are considering leaving their profession altogether, and nearly 60 per cent reported adverse effects of their work on their mental health during the pandemic. Central to these struggles is the complex task of re-engaging a workforce that has largely been fragmented and isolated and recovering personally and professionally from the most devastating pandemic since 1918. It is incumbent on all healthcare leaders to prioritise staff engagement to ensure that a gap in healthcare delivery is not experienced. There are practical ways to accomplish this, most of which are initiated by leadership being available and prompt in their interactions with staff.