HR Pulse - Fall 2008 - (Page 23)

ing and part-time arrangements to more creative measures such as broadening the definition of “sick days” so employees can use them to care for any member of the family who is ill. Another example of flexibility Owens cites is “onramping”—helping moms who left their jobs to stay home with their children get back into the workforce. “Progressive companies get this and make it easier for moms to come back to work by recognizing that their careers stretch over the long term. They say to moms, ‘We want to know you for decades,’” explains Owens. “We’re also seeing a lot of benefits that are designed to be stress-busters,” she says. “I’m intrigued by efforts to give employees a break during the day, and we’re seeing more and more of that—from massages to tranquility rooms.” According to Working Mother, 88 percent of the 100 Best companies offer some type of stress-reduction program, compared to only 15 percent of companies nationwide. When asked about trends in the health care arena— where extra flexibility is needed because of long hours, not to mention retention issues—Owens says she and her colleagues are seeing more conciergetype services, emergency back-up care for children and elders, and education opportunities intended to help employees with lower skill levels grow. Being named one of the 100 Best is a significant achievement for any organization, and it is one that Baptist Health South Florida has received 15 times, earning it a spot in the 100 Best Hall of Fame this year. Just 20 companies have made the elite Hall of Fame, and Baptist Health is the only health care organization to receive the high distinction. “Getting into the Hall of Fame is very, very hard to accomplish because what we measure changes over the years,” says Owens. “Those companies have made a serious, long-term commitment to meeting the needs of working mothers and their families. As an organization, you have to be ever-evolving.” Baptist Health South Florida In addition to appearing on Working Mother’s 100 Best list 15 times, Baptist Health South Florida has been named to the Fortune “100 Best Companies to Work For” eight times. This conglomerate of hospitals and health care facilities is the largest not-for-profit health care organization in the region; it has more than 12,000 employees, and three-quarters of them are women. “We don’t create policies and benefits to get awards; we do what we do to create the right kind of culture and a healthy working environment,” says Kathryn Fisk, corporate vice president and CHRO. “We go to our employee advisory groups and ask questions, and they bring things to us. It’s all about communicating with the workforce and listening to what they want and need, and then doing our best to respond. “In health care today, it’s all about retention. We will bend over backwards as far as possible to meet employees’ needs to retain our workforce. Part of that means being responsive to working mothers and working fathers, too. Flexibility and a work/life balance are very, very important. As an employer, we have an open door and stay open-minded about shifts, schedules and returning to work,” explains Fisk. Last year some 47 percent of Baptist Health employees flexed their schedules, and 31 percent worked part-time or job-shared. When Claudia Arce, a clinical nurse at Baptist Health’s Homestead Hospital, was first offered a night shift position in 2003, she accepted the job but requested the first available day shift position to meet the needs of her three young children. HR accommodated her request within three months, allowing Arce to arrange for family members to care for her children, who at the time were too young for school. When she wanted to change to part time two years ago, HR made it happen, and she was able to retain her benefits, which at Baptist Health kick in at 20 hours. “The flexibility in terms of my hours and schedule has been so important to me so I could participate in my children’s school activities. It’s so great to see my kids’ faces when I tell them that I can go to a school event. I’m a professional, and I’m a mom. Here, both roles are really recognized and appreciated,” says Arce. She also points to the organization’s emphasis on employee health as another big benefit. “One of the things I appreciate the most is the ways the hospital helps me stay healthy, like the gym and the weight-loss program. I’ve lost 34 pounds. It makes a difference that I can come to work and work out here,” she says. The organization’s Wellness Advantage has won awards from the National Business Group on Health, the American Heart Association and the Wellness Councils of America. In addition to six on-site fitness centers across the system and the weightloss program, it also encompasses an innovative incentive program on exercise, fitness and stress management; 52 wellness fairs; health screenings; subsidized entry fees for organized runs; smoking cessation aides and reimbursement for stop smoking classes; and $3 Wellness Advantage meals that employees can eat on site or box up to take home. One of the innovative benefits cited by Working Mother is the Homebuyer’s Pineapple Perk, designed to provide financial assistance in the form of forgivable loans of up to $10,000 to eligible employees who want to buy their first house, condo or town home. (The pineapple is Baptist Health’s corporate symbol.) Since the benefit was introduced in 2006, $125,000 has been distributed to 25 employees to make their dream of home ownership a reality. “South Florida is a very, very expensive place to live, and housing costs are a significant concern in To view a list of other health care organizations recognized by Working Mother magazine, go to http://www. ashhra.org/ashhra/ publications/pulse_ supplement.html 23 HR Pulse Fall 2008 >> http://www.ashhra.org/ashhra/publications/pulse_supplement.html

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

HR Pulse - Fall 2008 Contents Pulse Points Executive Director’s Letter President’s Message HR Leader Profile: Irma Pye Sammy’s House: Making a Difference in Austin Working Mother Magazine’s 100 Best Companies Increasing CEO Engagement Pastoral Care Retaining Scarce, Critical Talent The Engagement Dilemma Diversity Considerations…More than AAP & EEO Quashing the Workplace Bullying Bug How to Become a Strong Human Resources Partner Citizen Lobbyists Descend Upon Capitol Hill Conference Highlights Schedule at a Glance Sponsors Exhibitors Advertisers’ Index

HR Pulse - Fall 2008

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