Cover Story

Putting Employees First

Hal Rosenbluth, who started Take Care Clinics for Walgreens, wrote a book based on the premise that if you take care of your employees first, everything else will fall into place. We've taken that to heart by starting several programs for employees. Our Corporate Academy offers our employees everything from GED preparation classes to master's degree courses. We offer financial empowerment skills and computer skill courses to lifestyle classes relative to retirement planning or how to get your children into college and wellness instruction. Our Healing Arts program teaches things like scrapbooking, quilting and yoga. The membership of our Book Club in the Academy includes the full gamut of our workforce from board of trustees members to entry-level positions. It is a great venue for workforce integration.

Three years ago we started working with employees on home ownership in anticipation of foreclosure issues. We engaged Home Free USA to come in and start counseling employees on how to work with the bank and lenders to save their homes. With the help of US Bank we opened up a full branch bank on the premises. Many of our employees used cash stores to cash payroll checks. Some paid as much as $1,000 to $2,000 a year in fees. Now, everyone has direct deposit to a checking account.

The payoff for the hospital has been phenomenal. We've gone from a civil-service mentality to a customer-service mentality, and that has helped us significantly reduce turnover and recruit new talent, resulting in and developing a strong base of intellectual capital throughout the organization. We have solid job candidates for all open positions from the top to entry-level positions, and we have few if any vacancies in nursing.

As part of our commitment to wellness and health promotion we do not employ smokers. Each employee signs an affidavit attesting that they do not smoke. If it is later found that they do smoke, they are subject to discharge without recourse because of the affidavit.

We have also started a farmers market on the hospital grounds. Each Thursday in the summer, we sell 3,000 to 4,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables. The market will be enlarged next summer and open to the community at large. Blue Cross—Blue Shield is committed to participating with us and we hope to have a more far-reaching activity next summer.

This article 1st appeared in the December 2009 issue of HHN Magazine.

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