HR Pulse - Winter 2007 - (Page 30) >> HOSPITAL EMPLOYEE: COST OR ASSET? Z one of Zone of 30 HR Pulse Winter 2007 Success Success 5. A well-designed lifestyle coaching program recognizes and addresses the unique stigma that medical profesProbability sionals feel when struggling to manage their lifestyle of Success issues. One innovative approach for staff that has diZone Z one of rect patient care responsibility is to frame “coaching” Failure F ailur e as a clinical skill (motivational interviewing/personal action planning) they learn by experiencing coaching first-hand (see, do, teach). Offering of CME/CNE and CEU credits can make the program more acceptable to 0% 50% 70% 100% these professionals. 6. Intelligent coaching emphasizes changing behavior, Confidence in Completing Action Plan Confidence in Completing A ction Plan not infusing knowledge. Healthcare workers don’t hopelessness and ultimately to droplack knowledge; they lack control of their excessive ping out. Helping participants select behaviors (eating, smoking, drinking), and they don’t modest, achievable goals creates get enough exercise or get enough sleep. The reality momentum for positive change, with is that most hospital employees who struggle with sustainable healthy lifestyle habits as lifestyle issues have tried to modify bad habits many the ultimate objective. times on their own but have failed, leaving them 10. Organizational leadership is a must frustrated, demoralized and embarrassed. They need for a successful lifestyle program. to improve self-direction, self-motivation and self-efSenior management must convey the ficacy. importance of and a commitment 7. Behavioral professionals make excellent lifestyle to converting the institution into a coaches because their empathy, listening and enhealthy workplace with an all-pergagement skills are ideally suited to help even the vasive culture of wellness for the “not-ready-to-change” employee who has little hope employees. or belief in his/her ability to change. Coaches should 11. A health risk assessment (HRA) should also possess skills such as motivational interviewing, be adopted at no cost to employees. cognitive skill building and behavior modification. Using incentives to entice employees 8. Brief personal action plans should be built around into the program increases the adophelping individuals take small, modest steps toward tion rate of lifestyle coaching. lifestyle change. It is critical that participants, not 12. Providing access to a robust Web site coaches, choose their goals. for those with only minor lifestyle 9. A sound lifestyle program utilizes a “confidence in succhallenges can help support an orgacess” self-rating (see chart above) ensuring that goals nization’s commitment to a culture of are not too ambitious or difficult. Over-reaching is the health. single greatest characteristic of unsuccessful behav13. The effectiveness of the program ioral change because it leads to early failure, resigned should be evaluated on a total population basis, with improvement in the HRA score for the entire workforce as the goal. The changes in overall HRA score can be translated into deferred healthcare costs, improved productivity and enhanced retention. Pre- and post-testing also allow for A NEW VISION IN EXECUTIVE SEARCH an elegantly simple measurement of the program’s impact and return on MORGAN HUNTER HEALTHSEARCH COMBINES THE BEST INTRINSIC VALUES investment. OF RETAINED AND CONTINGENT SEARCH INTO ONE PROCESS Hospital employees are simultaneously • Refundable retainer - we don’t perform, you don’t pay a hospital’s greatest asset and its greatest • No mandatory expenses liability. A quality lifestyle coaching pro• 55 years of healthcare recruiting experience gram can shift that balance decidedly to• One-year candidate guarantee wards the asset side. And isn’t engineering a shift in the direction of a greater investment in human capital the goal of every HR professional? n Morgan Hunter HealthSearch 800.917.6447 www.mhhealthsearch.com For Information Contact: Barry Jackson, Vice President bjackson@mhhealthsearch.com Dan McCarthy, Ph.D., is chief clinical officer at Magellan Health Services. He can be reached at dpmccarthy@magellanhealth.com. 313773_Morgan.indd 1 1/15/07 10:47:06 AM http://www.mhhealthsearch.com
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