HR Pulse - Winter 2008 - (Page 66)

>> BACKUP CARE “Health care is a demanding profession, and our employees deserve to be able to come to work without worrying about care for their loved ones while they’re on the job.” among its employees; during the ﬁrst six months that backup care was offered, 25percent of the care was for adults/elders. Spotlight: Baylor College of Medicine Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) aspires to be one of the top ﬁve medical schools in the United States and one of the “100 Best” places to work. The college determined that a worklife focus would support this initiative and help BCM, an afﬁliate of the Texas Medical Center, attract top talent in Houston’s competitive employment market. Backup care emerged as part of BCM’s new work-life strategy, and the beneﬁt is viewed as a dual-purpose solution; the program helps employees balance work-life concerns, plus it reduces absenteeism and increases productivity. Previously the college offered emergency center-based childcare, but it was limited to healthy children under age 13 and only available during normal business hours. The college continued offering center-based care but also began offering a more robust backup care solution in July 2007. Thus far, the expanded program has helped BCM achieve several key objectives: • Emerge as employer of choice and boost recruitment efforts. “We have already had recruits say they were very interested in Baylor because we are offering backup care and other work-life programs,” said Barbara Naples, senior director of beneﬁts at Baylor College of Medicine. • Reduce absenteeism and boost productivity. Employees used 1,146 hours of backup care during the ﬁrst six months the program was available. “The backup care program helps employees manage the stresses of having to deal with family emergencies, plus it allows them to stay in the workplace so their productivity stays up and absenteeism stays down,” said Naples. • Address a broad range of caregiving concerns, beyond center-based childcare. Surprisingly, Naples needed to use backup care on the very ﬁrst day the program was available. “I never thought I would need to take advantage of the new backup care program; my parents have both passed away and my children are in college, but my 18-year-old daughter had an emergency tonsillectomy the day before the program rolled out,” says Naples. “I was nervous about leaving her alone, so I arranged to have care provided in my home during her recovery, and I was able to give six presentations at work that day to announce the new backup care beneﬁt. It relieved my stress level. I could go to work with peace of mind, and that was priceless.” has received great feedback from candidates during recruitment, from new hires during orientation and from existing employees. Backup Care at Other Health Systems More than a dozen other hospitals and health systems offer a similar backup care program, including Banner Health, Baylor College of Medicine, Beaumont Hospitals, Baptist Health South Florida, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Children’s National Medical Center, Dreyer Medical Clinic, Mayo Clinic and Methodist Healthcare System of San Antonio. Spotlight: Baptist Health South Florida Baptist Health South Florida, the area’s largest private employer, has been nationally recognized for years as a best employer by Working Mother and Fortune magazines. To maintain “employer of choice” status and avoid being negatively impacted by impending nursing shortage, Baptist offers company-wide beneﬁts and programs that lead to the recruitment, retention and advancement of its staff, 75 percent of which are female. A Baptist task force determined that employees relied heavily on the hospital’s four onsite childcare centers for ongoing care; however employees with short-term care needs for children and other loved ones didn’t have solutions to address their needs and help them get to work. Baptist began offering backup care in July 2007, and the program has helped the hospital achieve the following key objectives. • Enhance recruitment and retention. Baptist was listed among the Top 10 companies on the Working Mother 100 Best list for 2007 and cited for its family-friendly programs such as backup care. • Reduce absenteeism. The backup care beneﬁt has already saved Baptist substantial cost associated with unscheduled absenteeism. Employees used 1,285 hours of backup care during the ﬁrst six months the program was offered and nearly half of those using backup care services were direct patient-care providers. • Address eldercare concerns. By offering a solution for the full age spectrum, the hospital is addressing an emerging eldercare need 66 HR Pulse Winter 2008

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

HR Pulse - Winter 2008 Contents Pulse Points Executive Director’s Letter President’s Message HR Leader Profile: Karmen Reid Advocacy is for Everyone A Case Study in Raising Voices Diversity Management Measuring What Matters Bullying as Gender Harassment Combat Workforce Changes Hardwiring Accountability Immigration Frustration HR and Education Making Exit Interviews Count Management Styles that Enhance Intrinsic Motivation Backup Care Fact or Fiction 10 Ways to Lose Your Best People Advertisers’ Index

HR Pulse - Winter 2008

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