HR Pulse - Summer 2008 - (Page 36)

>> EMPLOYEE MORALE going, if they had what they needed to do their jobs, and if they had any questions. It also was made clear that unit and department managers should also spend more time out on the ﬂoor interacting with staff. Additional pieces of low-hanging fruit deemed ripe for the picking included supervisor follow-up, supervisor feedback, respect, and sufﬁcient communication. To accomplish improvement in these areas, Brian Anderson, who joined the hospital as director of Human Resources in October 2006, made professional development a priority. He organized seminars dedicated to team building, interpersonal communications, and diversity, just to name a few. Managers also were held accountable for adhering to the organization’s policies and procedures on progressive discipline. Early intervention with new employees was implemented to ensure a smooth start and head off any issues that may have impacted retention. As a standardized practice, at the 30-day mark, the manager meets with the new employee to discuss their progress and any challenges they are facing. At 60 days, the employee meets with human resources, and at 90 days they attend a luncheon with other new employees and their managers. Managers embraced a new atmosphere of approachability and made a concerted effort to ferret out problems before they became unmanageable and the employee unsalvageable. Over the course of the next 11 months, attitudes began to shift. Where as previously, employees would tend to look down as they walked the halls, they now not only looked up but actually greeted each other. Work ethics improved, teamwork increased and, in turn, patient satisfaction started to trend upward, adding credence to the belief that satisﬁed employees positively affect patient care. Next Steps While the survey results are impressive, the work is by no means over. This latest data will be shared and discussed with Suburban’s Strategic Communication Team and its managers. Together, these teams will analyze the results and conﬁrm what the administration assumes to be the reasons for improvement, as well as discuss other explanations for the dramatic positive change. Managers will then be challenged to incorporate what has been known to be successful in engaging the workforce, and they continue to build upon those best practices. To further reinforce the positive momentum, values-driven initiatives will be created to recognize outstanding employee service and behaviors. Finally, continuing to measure progress, reporting to the workforce and celebrating successes will be vital in not only maintaining the great strides the hospital has made, but continually improving them as well. Barbara Browning is the senior marketing associate at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in Williamsville, N.Y., BBrowning@kaleidahealth.org. 5/5/08 6:44:15 PM Reduce Vacancies Lower Turnover Eliminate Agency Costs Point Nurse Recruitment in a Different Direction RSI OnSite® services include: 36 HR Pulse Summer 2008 OnSite Nurse Recruitment Strategic Recruitment Optimization t rui ec R Since 1993 ent m The Pion eer in N urs e RSI www.rsirecruit.com 381879_Recruitment.indd 1 I 800-787-9669 http://www.rsirecruit.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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