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Episode Overview

Illinois’ Springfield Clinic has achieved something remarkable: it was recently named to Newsweek’s list of “America’s 100 Most Loved Workplaces 2022.”

How did they do it, how does it affect employee recruitment and retention efforts, and what lessons are there for other healthcare organizations?

In this Nurse Recruitment Experts podcast, we’ll uncover the top 5 strategies Springfield Clinic uses to keep staff happy, ultimately catapulting the organization to the top tier of best employers in the USA.

We’ll be joined by Springfield Clinic’s Elizabeth McCoy, Director of Employee Relations and Business Support; and Jacob Schien, Talent Acquisition Consultant.

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5 Ways Healthcare Orgs Can Become a “Most Loved Workplace”

Healthcare organizations everywhere are seeking ways to both recruit and retain much-needed employees. We recently spoke with Elizabeth and Jacob from Springfield Clinic to find out how they secured their organization a spot on Newsweek’s list of “America’s 100 Most Loved Workplaces 2022.” Here are their top 5 strategies that they shared with us:

1. Internal Growth Opportunities

Springfield Clinic sees nurturing employee development as critical to supporting – and keeping – their valuable staff. The Clinical Support Assistance Program is just one of several programs designed to help employees with their education and training as they work. This program provides an opportunity for nurses with no real experience to get hands-on training across a range of clinical areas. At the end of one working year, that employee can then be certified as a Medical Assistant, Ophthalmologic Assistant or a Phlebotomy Tech. As Elizabeth states, Springfield had to find ‘creative’ ways of developing their own talent and in doing so, built a program that allowed their employees to flourish. Don’t just take Springfield’s word for it either; the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD) found that career development was amongst the most commonly cited factors for job satisfaction in the healthcare industry!

2. Serving Community

Speaking of programs, SC Gives was established to give back to the communities served by Springfield Clinic with quarterly donations and volunteer work. This involves initiatives such as park cleaning days, school supply drives and food drives, all of which provide an opportunity for employees to serve the organizations that are so integral to the local community. As such, Springfield Clinic is seen as so much more than just a healthcare organization, it is a part of the local culture.

3. Employee Engagement

The ethos of Springfield Clinic is evident in the way in which they show support for their employees. This is perhaps demonstrated best by their Employee Appreciation Week. Of all the events and activities that are planned, a personal favorite of Jacob’s is the sand volleyball tournament. In the digital domain, Engage SC allows employee birthdays and work anniversaries to be acknowledged, with staff groups organizing celebrations for reaching particular work goals. The support for the staff starts at the top. Employees at Springfield Clinic feel empowered and rewarded for their efforts. A quick peruse of a nursing forum will illustrate just how important this is.

4. Benefits and Compensation

As a pay for performance organization, Springfield Clinic rewards those who go the extra mile, with a compensation team who also perform yearly market reviews to ensure pay ranges are competitive. Sign-on and referral bonuses further help the Clinic to address those hard-to-fill positions, with excellent hiring and retention rates proving their success. Returning to the idea of culture, the Clinic decided to benchmark their benefits program and give a voice to their employees so that their needs and the needs of their families were better accommodated.

5. “SC Experience”

The SC Experience program focuses on improving and refining the patient experience. This has been achieved through additional customer service training as well as fine-tuning patient check ins and simplifying the bill-paying process. The intention is to make the Clinic not only a more well-oiled machine but a warmer and more inviting place for patients and their families to visit. Subsequent patient feedback has proven these measures to have been a remarkable success.

Final Thoughts on How Healthcare Orgs Can Become a “Most Loved Workplace”

What Springfield Clinic’s success demonstrates is that culture is the heart of a happy and motivated workforce. Behind all of the initiatives shared by Elizabeth and Jacob is the organization’s desire to give a voice to their employees and take measures to acknowledge, promote and reward their hard work. It is an inspiring example of the kind of role our healthcare organizations play in our communities.

You can hear more about each of these initiatives, and the passion behind them, by watching our full conversation with Elizabeth and Jacob at the top of this article.

And do you need help using job advertising to hire dozens more nurses? Book a demo with us to learn why ColumbiaDoctors said “We are honored to work with them in providing quality nurses a candidate-centric application experience.”

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