A healthcare organization is only as strong as its people. At the Becker’s Hospital Review 5th Annual Meeting, Stephanie Reid, RN, BSN, MBA, chief nursing officer and vice president of quality at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster, Md., and Vicki Hess, RN, MS, CSP, principal of Catalyst Consulting, examined an oncology unit’s ailing employee engagement and supplied the three must-haves for creating a culture of employee satisfaction and commitment.
The Carroll Hospital Center’s Tevis Family Oncology unit was experiencing a 28 percent rate in employee turnover and 23 percent vacancy rate. Individuals were exhibiting non-productive behaviors and lack of a team attitude. Ms. Reid and Ms. Hess collaborated with the leader of the oncology to create a solution.
1. Individuals. Each individual employee’s actions contribute to the overall culture of a workplace. Ms. Reid, Ms. Hess and the leader of the oncology unit began by reaching out to each employee. Everyone filled out an engagement “snapshot” and identified issues contributing to and taking away from their ability to come to work each day as committed and satisfied employees. Afterwards, the unit leader met with each employee one-on-one and in group settings. The employees were given the power to identify what issues were weakening the employee environment and tasked with altering those behaviors. “Engagement is a mind set,” said Ms. Hess.
2. Organization. While staff members have the power to change how the behave in the workplace, organized efforts have the most powerful effect. As a team, employees can define workplace values and discuss the behavior needed to embody those values. “We really needed to focus on beliefs and mindsets and how this impacts actions and outcomes,” said Ms. Reid.
3. Leadership. The healthcare organization needs to commit to the values shift as well. It may require a financial commitment, and it requires active engagement at all levels, not just from the bottom up. Successful shifts towards employee engagement require open lines of communication between all employees and the organization’s leadership.
After months of concerted effort, turnover dropped to 0 percent and vacancy to 2 percent. “Employee engagement equals satisfied, energized and productive employees, which equals a professional paradise,” said Ms. Hess.
More Articles on Employee Engagement:
The Google Approach: How Hospitals Can Create Cultures That Drive Employee Engagement, Satisfaction
Improving Employee Engagement in Healthcare: Q&A With Author Vicki Hess
3 Must Haves for Sustainable Employee Engagement