At CoxHealth, the prevailing attitude is that in order to have any hope of attracting and retaining high-quality employees, it's important to listen to what they have to say.
In response to an employee survey last year, the health care provider made some changes to its health plan structure, simplifying co-pays and providing better coverage and access to preventative care and wellness programs, says John Hursh, vice president of human resources.
"We're not perfect, but we strive to be better," Hursh says.
CoxHealth pays 80 percent of the cost of health insurance premiums for its employees and offers a wellness program that includes an annual health risk assessment. Employees can accumulate points by achieving fitness, weight and nonsmoking goals, and those can pay off when turned in at the end of the year.
"They can earn up to $200 cash direct back to them in incentives," Hursh says.
New this year is the addition of a healthy partners coordinator, a role designed to help the relatively small number of health plan participants who have claims that are much higher than what claims would cost for the average individual.
Hursh says that employees in that higher-cost bracket who participate in the healthy partners program get assistance with controlling health issues such as asthma, diabetes, clinical depression and heart disease, plus they get help with their treatment protocols. Beyond its annual survey, CoxHealth uses other methods to keep the lines of communication open, says Cindy Hoover, who joined the health system 20 years ago as a registered nurse and is now director of recruitment and retention.
She points to the Red Ribbon Reunion, a program that helps identify and acclimate new employees. For the first 90 days, new employees wear a red ribbon on their name badges. The designation serves as a signal to other employees to say hello, help those new employees navigate hospital corridors and generally help them get comfortable in their new work environment.
At the end of that time, the employees are invited to a reception where they meet hospital administrators and leaders and are asked about their experiences - the good and the bad - Hoover says. The employees also are given a survey, which they can fill out anonymously, to ensure honest responses.
"That's a big thing for me," Hoover says.
Employees who work more than 1,000 hours a year are eligible to participate in CoxHealth's 403(b) plan, introduced this year when the health system's defined benefit plan was frozen. Employee contributions are matched dollar-for-dollar for the first 3 percent, and there's a 50 percent match on the next 4 percent contributed, Hursh says.
For Hoover, the variety of opportunities available in the health system was worth staying for, and the pride she has in her job keeps her there.
"That's why I became a nurse ... I want to accomplish something every day," she says.[[In-content Ad]]
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