HR Pulse - Summer 2008 - (Page 32)

>> CREATING A BEST PLACE TO WORK Awards and Accolades the things that are near and dear to my heart— the customer relations function that I worked so hard to develop,” says Olson. “It’s allowed me to see the programs I nurtured come full circle and still have time away in the winter.” Working Mother Magazine’s 100 Best Companies Mercy was named one of Working Mother magazine’s 100 Best Companies in 2006 and again in 2007. The magazine bases its annual awards on a variety of factors, including organizational culture, work-life balance programs, employee networks, and the advancement of women. In surveying companies that applied for the 2007 list, particular weight was given to three areas: ﬂexible scheduling, childcare options, and time off for new parents. In addition to the other programs and beneﬁts available to all employees, working mothers at Mercy enjoy: • Child care beneﬁts: The Soup n’ Snifﬂes/Sick Bay for Kids program provides back-up care for sick children and is staffed by registered nurses. The Childcare Connection referral program helps parents ﬁnd, evaluate, and secure qualiﬁed child care, and employees receive a 10 percent discount at any KinderCare facility. The organization also recognizes that even the best-planned child care arrangements can be disrupted from time to time, so back-up care is available at select Mercy locations. • Lactation accommodation: All Mercy facilities offer a private room for nursing mothers. • Overnight travel child care stipend program: Parents who are asked to travel to non-Mercy locations that require an overnight stay receive a $50 stipend to help cover the cost of additional child care. • Women’s Issue Task Force: The group was created as a supplement to the Work-Life Task Force to help more precisely target and support women and mothers in the workplace. • Paid maternity/paternity leave. Margot Harris, whose children are now ages four and two, says she appreciates Mercy’s commitment to making life easier for working mothers and families. “The corporate policy on lactation is very supportive—it shows that management is respectful of that need,” she says. “And the $100 annual credit for a health club is very symbolic, too. It’s not a lot of money, but the message is ‘take care of yourself and seek a balance in life.’ In health care we focus on taking care of others, and this is a reminder we also need to take care of ourselves.” Harris also says she’s a regular user of the concierge service. “I take full advantage of it to bypass a lot of things that take up valuable time. It helps me make sure that work time is for work and home time is for home.” Emphasis on Flexibility From his vantage point, Bea believes that ﬂexibility will be the key to attracting and retaining highly qualiﬁed and motivated staff. “While our staff looks forward to coming to work at Mercy, they also have their personal lives that they are trying to balance with work. Whether it’s a working mother or a grandfather or a Generation Y employee, they all have different needs and expectations as to how to make that balance work for them,” he explains. “The health care industry needs to move away from the traditional model of set boundaries and processes and look toward creative ways of partnering with their employees to meet the needs of our patients and communities.” Anne Coulter is a freelance writer who lives in Evanston, Ill. Learn more about her at www.bigleap.com. 32 HR Pulse Summer 2008 Mercy Health System’s Recent Awards Mercy has received recognition on many fronts and from many organizations over the years. Here are some of the recent awards that reﬂect its strategy of being a best place to work: • Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient (2007) • AARP 50 Best Employers for Workers Over 50 list (No. 2 in 2007; No. 1 in 2006; No. 11 in 2005) • Working Mother Magazine’s 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers (2007, 2006) • Wellness Council of America Gold Well Workplace— highest honor for ﬁrsttime applicant (2007) • Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces (2007) • Outstanding Achievement Certiﬁcate for Excellence in Safety from the Wisconsin Council of Safety and the Department of Workforce Development (2007 and 2006) • Employee Services Management Association’s Innovative Program Award (2007: Work-Life Beneﬁt Program; 2006: Children’s Holiday Party) http://www.bigleap.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Pulse - Summer 2008

HR Pulse - Summer 2008 Contents Pulse Points Executive Director's Letter President's Message HR Leader Profile: Carol Bank, SPHR Special Report: Building a Thriving Workforce Creating A Best Place to Work Employee Morale Don't Set Up Your Managers to Fail From Tedious Task to Strategic Process Employer-Assisted Housing Changing the Paradigm of Nurse Recruitment Workforce Recognition: Simple Gestures Go a Long way Advertisers' Index

HR Pulse - Summer 2008

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