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 three of a four part series highlighting the best practices of these four hospitals, and this month the hospital of focus is Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital.  

Setting a Tone of Employee Recognition and Equality
Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, Somerset, KY

HealthStream Research applauds Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, a 260-bed hospital located in Somerset, KY, for outstanding performance in employee recognition.  After speaking with CEO Jeff Seraphine, it was easy to understand why Lake Cumberland excels in employee recognition.

One of the most important components of employee recognition for Lake Cumberland is the atmosphere presented by administration and management.  Management and administration talk about the importance of employee recognition regularly.  It is a priority at Lake Cumberland and employees know it.  Administration is directly involved in the employee recognition programs at Lake Cumberland.  They not only pay for the events, they celebrate with their employees.  And the administration is constantly looking for reasons to celebrate.  Departments are asked to share goals and administration helps celebrate the achievement of these goals.

Another important element of employee recognition at Lake Cumberland is the involvement of employees in making decisions.  Teams of employees throughout the hospital work on a variety of issues, including employee recognition.  These teams are designed to improve communication and create more equality between the hospital’s mission and what the hospital has been rewarding. Employees have such an impact at Lake Cumberland that they are no longer called employees. When administration asked employees what they wanted to be called, the employees decided on the term “Team Member.”  Team members have recently been included in Lake Cumberland’s advertising.  This accentuates the spirit of equality among all employees at Lake Cumberland and shows the community that employees are proud of their hospital.

In addition to the atmosphere of recognition and equality among team members, Lake Cumberland also utilizes programs and events to recognize its employees.  One such program involves instant recognition.  Note cards are placed all over the hospital so any individual can recognize an employee for a job well done.  When an employee receives a note card he or she is awarded “Pickle Points.” After collecting Pickle Points the employee can cash them in at the hospital for shirts, food, or other items.

The Pride Wall is a major contributor to employee recognition.  It is located in the main corridor of the hospital for all employees and patients to see.  It is divided into twelve sections, one for each month of the year.  Each section is filled with information about good things going on at the hospital; including information abut the employee of the month.  The Pride Wall essentially serves as a giant brag board to recognize Lake Cumberland’s accomplishments.

Lake Cumberland makes certain that other employee recognition events are fun and exciting.  The Team Member of the Month Program offers a celebration every month with door prizes to encourage attendance.  One hundred $1 bills are given to each team member of the month.  These individuals are also highlighted on the Pride Wall.  Other favorite events are the employee awards banquet and holiday parties.  Door prizes and food are always included.  Members of administration also hold a luncheon to thank employees who have received positive feedback.  This serves as both recognition and encouragement for good work.

The final major component in Lake Cumberland’s success is communication.  Every other month an employee newsletter is distributed to all team members.  The newsletter highlights team members of the month.  It also includes important information about what is going on in the hospital. Thank you notes are another important part of communication.  Members of administration e-mail thank you notes when they hear positive feedback from patients about a team member.  This also gives administration the opportunity to ask about the report and share the information with other team members.

Lake Cumberland also uses results from the HealthStream Research employee survey instruments to improve employee recognition.  They make a point to go over the employee satisfaction scores.  Any department that scores below the hospital mean must put together an action plan for improvement.  This indicates to employees a sense of commitment to quality and improvement in the area of employee satisfaction.

Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital is successful in employee recognition for many reasons.  The administration and management sets a tone of employee recognition and equality for team members.  They reward and recognize their team members with events and programs that are exciting.  Communication also contributes to the sense of employee recognition at Lake Cumberland.  The tone set by administration and management, the reward programs and events, and communication are all major contributors to their success. 

Congratulations to Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital for their achievement as a top performing large hospital in the area of employee recognition!