Strengthening Employee Relationships

Making employee appreciation a cultural norm

Reinforcing the right types of behaviors to impact an organization’s key engagement drivers

Situation

A publiclyfunded regional healthcare provider was experiencing several operational and leadership challenges, including an enterprise-wide decline in engagement. Annual employee engagement surveys revealed that recognition, trust, communication and well-being were areas for improvement with employees who did not feel appreciated or valued for their work. At the same time, the organization’s annual Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores were lagging in areas directly tied to patient satisfaction. Specifically, these consumer assessments revealed that “Communication with Nurses” was one of the organization’s lowest performance measures, which was concerning because it also had the highest degree of impact on patient satisfaction. And, since these scores are publicly reported and directly tied to future funding and reimbursement levels, it was essential for the organization to drive improvement by addressing them in a proactive manner.

The healthcare provider retained our team to design a recognition strategy that would be a catalyst for driving stronger engagement levels organization-wide.

The goal: To reinforce the types of behaviors that drive engagement, creating an environment in which appreciation becomes a cultural norm and is fully ingrained in the hearts, minds and actions of all employees and leaders. To accomplish this, we formed a project team including select members of the healthcare provider’s organization. This project team set out to understand perceptions of recognition effectiveness, as well as identify potential barriers and opportunities for improvement.

After conducting this assessment, it was acknowledged that the practice of recognition had not truly been harnessed to its fullest potential, and that many people within the organization lacked the critical skills and awareness which are essential to building an integrated and aligned recognition culture.

Solution

During the planning session, the project team developed consensus for how recognition should function. We identified the need for an encompassing, accessible solution where staff and nurse managers could give and receive meaningful recognition. Additionally, three key engagement drivers were identified: a sense of well-being, communication and trust. Employees across the organization would be encouraged to become awareof, engagedwithand aligned with the tools and the strategy—as well as empowered to recognize great work, every day. The team agreed that this approach would help build stronger relationships at all levels of the organization and ultimately impact the key engagement drivers. Program measures such as utilization, reach and engagement would become pivotal measures of success.

With these end goals in mind, a recognition solution was designed to drive awareness and impact at every touch point. It included a broad set of no-cost/low-cost tools, as well as awards of higher value:

  • eCards for employees and managers to drivepeer-to-peer recognition
  • Nominations for Health Heroes and Champions ofthe Quarter
  • Length-of-service awards to acknowledge loyalty
  • On-the-spot recognition for delivering patientsatisfaction
  • Recognition of participation in company-specificinitiatives, including:
    • Participating in wellness education andactivities
    • Contributing ideas or solutions leading toimprovements in HCAHPS survey scores
    • Thinking innovatively for processimprovement
    • Achieving knowledge, safety andattendance goals

Communication was integral to success of the program, and several training components were part of the overall solution:

First, the solution was shared with managers, including manager-specific training, approximately two weeks prior to launch. The training was designed: to reinforce the philosophy behind intentional and purpose-based recognition; to stressthe importance of their roles in driving improved trust and communication; to demonstrate the technology tools to help promote a stronger recognition culture.

Second, an email was sent to all employees announcing the launch. This email included details on how to give and receive recognition. It also directed employees to a technology platform, which was created and customized to reflect the organization’s brand. On the platform, employees were prompted to take a short values-based quiz upon initial login. This initial quiz would drive participation while reinforcing awareness and knowledge. Upon completion of the quiz, award points were deposited into the respective participant’s bank account to reinforce the participant experience.

Third, train-the-trainer sessions were conducted at each hospital location prior to launch to help designated champions understand the program intent, as well as showcase the tools that were now available.

The solution also included a broad selection of reward items, from digital downloads to gift cards and larger merchandise rewards, as a means of driving redemption activity. Most rewards were fulfilled within 24-48 hours of receipt and shipped to the recipient’s home address.

The technology platform played a critical role in the program’s success as a central communication hub for participants. It provided easy access to their account balances and redemption activity, as well as the program rules and guidelines. It also included a variety of report templates for administrators to use in tracking program activity, including: redemption reports; participant activity, transaction and login history; and usage reports for nomination and eCard activity.

In addition, program activity has been correlated to improvements in key organizational performance measures, evidenced by the following:

  • Positive ratings of the workplace by employeeshave increased by 23%
  • Participation in the employee engagementsurvey has increased by 22%
  • The Net Promoter Score indicating employees’willingness to recommend the organization as aplace to work has increased by 10%
  • The organization’s HCAHPS scores haveadvanced favorably since program launch, withnotable month-over-month improvement in the“Communication with Nurses” category

As a result of their customized recognition solution, the healthcare provider’s employees are more empowered, managers and leaders recognize with greater frequency, and program tools encourage engagement and participation.

Success

Since the program’s inception, program measures such as utilization, reach and engagement have far exceeded the goals of the client:

  • Participation in the program has increased yearover year, evidenced by 63% of employees whohave logged in to recognize or be recognizedmore than one time
  • 70% of employees have received recognitionthrough a point-based award
  • 35% of employees have redeemed points forrecognition they received

To learn more about how you canengage, inspire and reward your employees and customers, get in touch with us today. ct.marketing@proforma.com