MBL Group designs human resources solutions targeted to meet your business goals. We work to understand your organization, objectives and values and produce outcomes that meet your needs and your budget. Regardless of size or scope, our focus is on adding value to your organization. We earn your trust by delivering results.
Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts with us as follow-up to the recent 2014 PHRMA HR Strategic Management Conference. Both Susan and I were pleased to be a part of the program and start the ‘buzz’ on ideas for employee engagement strategies. Here are some direct comments from attendees for your consideration.
1. New hire and stay interviews – we have structure built around check- ins with new hires at two and six weeks of tenure, as well as stay interviews. We conduct stay interviews for our highest turnover group of employees at about 11 months of tenure, since average tenure at termination is about 14 months. We also use the stay interview as a tool for any key performer we want to ensure we continue toe nap gage and retain.
2. President’s Roundtable – once a month, we bring together a cross functional selection of employees for lunch with me and the company President. He does a brief presentation about some of the key things going on across the company, and then opens the conversation up to the group to share what they’re focused on, what questions they have, etc. This builds connections across the various functional areas of the company and understanding of how each persons role connects to the big picture of the business.
3. Friday fun – one Friday per month fun event. Includes things like bean-bag toss tournament, chili cook off, trivia, scavenger hunts.
4. We conduct an annual employee engagement survey. We share the results with the employees and focus on areas for improvement throughout the year.
5. Keeping engagement authentic and not forced.
6. Huddles on a regular basis with associates to share ideas and news.
7. Tuition assistance for continuing education.
8. Spring Break for Employees – we give a Spring Break for employees two weeks after kid’s Spring Break to give them a break. We give everyone a movie ticket to use during the work week and a little candy to sneak in. We also have ping-pong tournament, chair massage, and catered breakfast.
9. Use of bonuses to encourage specialty certifications that are in high demand. In healthcare, as it is in other industries, we need to ensure our employees have the skills we need. As a result, we have used bonuses to engage them in furthering their competencies and skills for high demand specialty areas with great success.
10. Employees are often encouraged to participate in hiring panels to allow them a voice in the selection process of leaders and peers.
11. Encouragement of employee participation in practice councils within their departments. The councils have an opportunity to influence work processes, department policies and to increase staff and client engagement. Employees are engaged and they make a difference in the way we do business by driving initiatives, influencing peers and setting standards in the organization’s culture all through their active participation.
12. In-house curriculum for skills training and development.
13. Outside seminars and workshops.
14. Paying for college and continuing education.
15. CD/DVD, podcast and online learning.
16. Cross-training.
17. Having employees present workshops in their areas of expertise.
18. Bringing in outside experts to educate employees about subjects that affect their personal lives.
19. Clearly defined mentoring programs.
20. On-Boarding program that introduces everyone to the organization and what their roll is in delivering the mission. Executives attend the 2 day orientation/onboarding and have lunches/speak/and join in happy hour to share how they fit into the organization.
21. All employees are given access to Strength Finder upon hire and meet with someone in the Talent Management team to understand the results and what their potential career within the company could look like within 90 days of hire.
22. You Earned It Points: Each employee is given a defined amount of points each month and is awarded more monthly based on great work. Points can be cashed in for gift cards, time off, lunches, happy hour, or transferred to money that can be donated to a charity on their behalf monthly.
23. Ruby Receptionist – Wow Station: Employees are given access to Amazon.com to assure that any client is wowed when they need to. Fostering fun and client engagement are essential to a great place to work and client retention.
24. Customized bobble heads to celebrate when a new employee if fully vested in an ESOP company.
