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In This Issue:
Brigham and Women’s Hospital wants your opinion on how it can become an even better place to work.
As part of ongoing efforts to improve the workplace environment, the hospital rolls out the 2010 BWH Employee Opinion Survey June 7 – 18, the first survey of its kind since 2004.
“The opinions and feedback from every one of our employees is important to us,” said BWH President Betsy Nabel, MD. “Your answers on this confidential survey will tell us what we are doing right and what we need to improve upon.”
Employees will have time during work hours to complete this survey either online or on paper. The online version of the survey is available in English and Spanish; paper surveys are in Spanish, English and Haitian Creole.
“Participation is voluntary, but everyone is encouraged to complete the survey,” said Myron McCoo, director of Human Resources. “Everyone’s answers are completely confidential, and we have some great prizes to award for participation.”
The Employee Opinion Survey is part of an ongoing organizational effort focused on employee engagement. “This effort, along with other human resource initiatives, supports our belief that BWH is an employer of choice,” said Lisa S. Ponton, JD, vice president of Human Resources.
Other efforts include implementing a hardship policy that helps employees handle unforeseen emergent situations, such as funeral costs for the death of a family member. Earlier this year, many members of BWH’s Haitian community received funds for earthquake-related needs.
Working with leaders across the organization, HR created an interdisciplinary Quality Work-Life Task Force to gain feedback from employees across different areas on ways the hospital can help them achieve the best work-life balance. “One thing people suggested was making available the purchase of insurance for their pets. We created an insurance plan that helps people cover expensive procedures for pets,” said McCoo.
Other initiatives include establishing a policy on adoption assistance, developing a leadership program for managers, redesigning job descriptions to help managers understand the competencies employees need to get to the next level in their careers and holding an ongoing leadership breakfast series for employees to meet with senior leadership.
“On the survey, we want employees to tell us what’s working well so that we ensure we have the resources to continue those programs, and what they feel could be improved upon,” said McCoo. “The collective results will be shared with the BWH community.”
Hospital leadership is working with Morehead Associates, Inc., an independent organization that specializes in this area. Employee ambassadors in each work unit have been identified and have completed training; these ambassadors will provide employees with information on how to complete the survey and can answer questions about the process. Staff can also connect with their HR consultant.
Watch for more information prior to the survey and visit BWHPikeNotes.org