In a previous Discovery Paper “What Really Matters to Healthcare Employees?" (May 2007 Random Samples), HealthStream Research looked to our national database to identify factors critical to healthcare employee satisfaction.  We shared the top four items to be mostly highly predictive of Overall Satisfaction along with the underlying drivers of each predictor. 

HealthStream Research recently looked at one of the top four predictors—Employee Recognition—and interviewed four hospitals in our national employee database that scored high in the area of “How well administrators treat, appreciate and support employees”.  This is part two of a four part series highlighting the best practices of these four hospitals.

Creating a Culture of Employee Recognition
Willamette Valley Medical Center

Willamette Valley Medical Center is an award-winning facility located in McMinnville, Oregon, just 38 miles from Portland and 30 miles from Salem, Oregon.  The largest contributor to success in employee recognition at Willamette Valley is the culture.  Willamette Valley believes that the culture of the hospital is set by the CEO and the executive team.  Creating a culture of employee recognition starts at the top and works its way down.  CEO Rosemari Davis takes the initiative to notice and recognize the accomplishments of employees. She also makes an effort to empower other employees, making the hierarchy flat at the top.  According to Rosemari, this creates strong accountability and a sense of ownership among administrators and managers.  In addition, administrators and managers are called by their first names and make every effort to call their employees by their first names.  This contributes to a sense of equality and shared responsibility among all employees.

In addition to creating a culture of recognition, Willamette Valley believes that open communication is critical for employee appreciation.  Rosemari makes certain that her employees know they can discuss anything with administration.  Her e-mail is always open for questions or concerns.  In addition, Rosemari holds three town-hall meetings every other month.  This gives employees the opportunity to share complaints and concerns.  It also gives Rosemari the opportunity to deal with these concerns immediately and offer positive feedback.  This access to the CEO reinforces administration’s belief in open communication with their employees.

Open communication is important at Willamette Valley, but administration knows that they also need to act on this communication.  They know employees must not only be heard, but also listened to.  Managers and administrators have a high degree of responsiveness when issues arise.  Providing an immediate or timely response demonstrates that employees are listened to and helps build trust between administration and employees.

Events are also crucial for recognizing the employees at Willamette Valley.  One of the annual employee events is a holiday party.  Human Resources and administration go all out to make this holiday party extraordinary.  They believe this makes their employees feel appreciated and special. Willamette Valley also has a picnic where employees are encouraged to bring members of their families. This family atmosphere contributes to employee recognition.  In addition to planned events, the administration also encourages “Random Acts of Pizza”.  When a department goes above and beyond the call of duty, administration will provide a surprise pizza dinner to recognize those employees.

A key contributor to Willamette Valley’s success in employee recognition is their Apple Program. The Apple Program allows coworkers, physicians, or patients to recognize outstanding employee service or performance by submitting a note.  These notes are documented and tracked.  Apple pins are given to employees based on the number of notes they received.  Different colored apples indicate more notes.  Employees wear these pins on their name badges as an award.  These awards are often given out in front of other employees to ensure that superior work is recognized and applauded.  Employees have indicated that they not only like receiving the awards, but they like the opportunity to recognize fellow employees who are doing great work.

Finally, Willamette Valley recognizes the importance of community relations in employee recognition.  Willamette Valley has good rapport with their community and is involved in many community activities.  This rapport generates positive press with the media and through word of mouth.  When there is a positive image of the hospital in the community employees hear about it. This creates a great sense of pride among the employees of Willamette Valley.

When it comes to employee recognition, CEO Rosemari Davis knows the importance of establishing a positive culture.  By establishing formal employee recognition programs and open communication with the administration, Willamette Valley Hospital has established itself as one of the top performers in the area of employee recognition.  HealthStream Research congratulates Rosemari and the entire Willamette Valley team for their accomplishment!