Health managers: alarming working conditions!

2023-06-09 07:16:25

Carried out among five hundred healthcare managers in France at the start of 2023, a survey by the Syndicat des Managers Publics de Santé (SMPS) (1) sheds light on their working conditions. The results show, among other things, a lack of support and recognition, heaviness in decision-making and a lack of training and salary recognition .

Interviewed from mid-April to mid-May 2023, five hundred respondents took part in this survey. Half are senior health managers and health managers, while the other half is made up of hospital and deputy directors, administrative executives, engineers, technical managers, directors of health, social and medico-social establishments, etc.

Data speaks for itself!

Working time : 62% of managers work between 40 and 50 hours per week and 34% work more than 50 hours with a negative impact on their private life (67%) and on their well-being (83%).

Decision making : 81% of health managers want decision-making to be accelerated and simplified in their establishments.

Resources : 46% of them say they lack the resources to manage complex situations: lack of support and availability from the hierarchy (27%), lack of staff and too broad missions (19%), decision-making chain too cumbersome (12% ) …

Recognition and support: 69% lack of recognition and support, 58% point to insufficient career and promotion possibilities and 53% exclusively downward relations with the hierarchy

72% deplore insufficient coordination

Training needs for 70% of respondents: project management, conflict management, collaborative practices, etc.

Remuneration: 84% of managers believe that they are not paid the “fair value” of their activity in view of the constraints of the profession

Management Tools : 73% of managers rely on ergonomic digital solutions and 64% use asynchronous direct communication tools (emails, document sharing platforms, etc.) and wish to use artificial intelligence. However, 70% of them believe that they do not benefit from the right support software

Managers offer pragmatic solutions to simplify their daily lives: reduce unnecessary administrative tasks, improve salaries, improve relations with the hierarchy by operating less in silos, improve the functioning of human resources (HR) management, or even strengthen the workforce, particularly in positions providing real added value for the quality of life at work. Jérôme GOEMINNE, President of the SMPS, particularly insisted on 6 lines of work to bring to the authorities in the continuation of this investigation:

1) Strengthen the place of services in the hospital for more freedom to act locally for managers and their teams;

2) Have dedicated training plans for Health Managers;

3) Reinforce investment in the convergence of information systems and in the HR of information systems in the hospital;

4) Strengthen the individualized follow-up of each hospital professional by the human resources departments;

5) Align the remuneration of Health Managers in the hospital public service with that of other public services

6) Apply the principle of “tell us only once” at all levels of the health system to simplify the working conditions of health managers and hospital workers