Association of Communication, Engagement, and Well-Being With Turnover Among Faculty at a Large Academic Health Care and Research System.

Abstract

Purpose: Burnout among health care professionals is associated with turnover and significant costs. This study explored the association between self-reported communication, engagement, and employee well-being and department turnover among faculty at an academic medical institution.

Method: This study used engagement survey data from an annual survey administered to all faculty at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Data sources included individual self-reported survey data collected in February 2022 and subsequent department-wide turnover counts captured across academic year 2023 (July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023). Domain scores for communication, engagement, and well-being were constructed for participants, averaged across each department, and compared against matching department turnover in the following academic year. A principal component analysis was conducted to derive a weighted index score of wellness domains and fit in a negative binomial regression to assess its association with the ensuing turnover rate. Model R2 values determined predictive ability.

Results: Nineteen departments with 2,084 faculty members met the inclusion criteria of the study. There was a decreasing trend between all 3 wellness domain scores and turnover, such that departmental turnover rates were lower at higher reported departmental wellness domain scores. A stronger decreasing trend was observed between turnover and the weighted index wellness score, with a 1-unit (approximately 20%) increase in this score being associated with a significant decrease of 32% in the rate of turnover across departments (incidence rate ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.58-0.80; P < .001). The weighted index wellness score explained 53% of variation in departmental turnover (R2 = 0.53).

Conclusions: Strong communication, engagement, and well-being were significantly associated with decreased turnover among faculty within this organization. The strong association between turnover and the weighted index score indicates that a multipronged approach to improving workplace culture could be most effective at reducing turnover.