Incentive - February 2008 - (Page 39)

further boost morale and motivate workers Seeking a solution, Zismann and the uct that’s offered by San Francisco–based to pick up an extra shift and make their leadership at Sun Health reached out to BidMcKesson Technology Solutions, has been workweek work for them. Shift Inc., the San Diego, Calif.–based comintroduced at hundreds of hospitals in recent Back in 2005, Nancy Zismann, the assispany that specializes in Internet-based schedyears. tant vice president of patient-care services at uling software for hospitals, aimed at solving Both programs allow hospitals to add preSun City, Ariz.–based Sun Health Boswell these types of logistical issues. mium dollar rates on top of a nurse’s usual Hospital, was concerned about how much regular or overtime pay, and nurses can then A H e a l t hy S o l u t i o n time was being spent getting the monthly take part in a sort of reverse eBay auction schedules together for the hospital’s nurses. BidShift’s programs allow managers to post with other staff members, in which the At the time, the nurse manager at each of schedules online, where employees can log employee who volunteers to take the lowest the hospital’s units (between the 501-bed Sun on from any browser, to request shifts or amount added to his or her regular pay gets Health Boswell Hospital and its 330-bed sisschedule changes. After a training session for the shift (hence the ‘Bid’ in ‘BidShift’). This ter hospital, Sun Health Del E. Webb, there all employees at the end of 2005, the system adds an extra element of market-based motiare about 50 units total) would post that went into effect. According to Zismann, vation to the process of taking on additional month’s schedule, and nurses shifts that helps hospitals keep within the unit could pick up costs down while maintaining a additional shifts or trade shifts sense of fairness for those bidwith other staffers. ding on the shifts. “The schedules were all done However, many hospitals through conversations or phone choose not to use this technology calls, where you had the forms because of the complications it filled out by hand, and the can add to payroll, and often changes would be taken to the conflicts with nurses unions’ staffing office,” says Zismann. policies. Clients also cite as a “It was all manual.” deterrent the effects on workThe trouble with this was, place culture they expect monenurse managers were spending tary-based bidding would have. as much as 15 hours filling the “The bidding created a big shifts for a single schedule. buzz, but in our experience, most Nurses had to come to the hosof our customers don’t want to pital to see their schedule and use bidding and most of them make changes, and the nurse have no intention of using bidmanagers were spending lots of ding,” says Bob Gleason, product Sun Health Boswell Hospital has found that using BidShift has led to a fairer, and much time calling nurses to ask them to fill manager for eShift. easier, system of scheduling for its nurses open shifts. The manager could try to “The issue is corporate culture in tap staff members from other units to fill installing this employee-driven program has hospitals. Managers say they don’t want to these, but since scheduling for each unit “paid for the system and for the maintepit nurses against each other in terms of bidwas done separately from the others, findnance many times over.” ding down and creating that type of atmosing a replacement with the right qualifica“We work with clients to identify their phere. They want to elevate the general tions was rarely a quick task. Finally, when ROI goals,” says Graham Barnes, CEO of atmosphere, and feel of it, to a professional a shift could not be filled by staffers, the BidShift. “We look at contract labor spendlevel, and don’t consider bidding a manager would reach out to nursing agening, nurses’ efficiency rates, staff satisfaction, professional thing.” cies for temporary workers. These agency and try to identify some specific goals for the Instead of biddable dollars, flat per diem nurses cost the hospital more per hour than hospital. It means managing a complex fit rates or, more recently, points are being staff nurses and would often require addibetween the variable needs of different staff used to reward employees for taking on tional training to familiarize them with Sun with varying skill levels.” extra shifts. BidShift’s ShiftRewards proHealth’s specific procedures. BidShift, as well as eShift, a similar prodgram encourages nurses to do the online incentivemag.com | February 2008 | Incentive | 39 http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - February 2008

Incentive Magazine - February 2008 Editor’s Note: Archie and the Boys In The News Cover Story: On The Ball Incentives Incentive Primer: How to Use Sporting Events Incentive Interview: Jim Avery on Doing the Right Thing Employee Empowerment Motivates and Pays Dividends Hospitals, Nurses Win With Flexible Scheduling Legal Ease: Safety Programs and Unions Case Study: The Weitz Company Retains Its Boomers Potentials: Here and Now Star Power in the Kitchen Awards: Gift Card Trends for the New Year Travel News The Manhattanization of Las Vegas Classics Renewed: Monaco and France Advertiser Index Off The Cuff: Tumi’s Mike Landry

Incentive - February 2008

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