There are many ways employees are rewarded for their outstanding contributions to the Baptist. There are opportunities for professional development, pride and affiliation and challenging work as well direct financial rewards such as compensation and benefits. Our goal is to attract the best and brightest, retain our valuable staff and motivate employees through our compensation and benefit program. The guiding principles of our compensation program are listed below.
Competitive
We use information from other area healthcare institutions and the Boston job market to determine competitive pay ranges. We also consider the impact the position has on the care we deliver, the critical need for individuals to fill that position, the availability of qualified candidates and the financial needs of NEBH.
Fair
We strive to keep compensation equitable between similar positions. We also reward the previous experience someone brings to his or her job.
Job Descriptions
An effective compensation program begins with an accurate job description. A job description provides a clear overview of the position responsibilities, minimum qualifications, essential job duties and physical activity requirements.
Compensation Review
Each year we review our compensation program including the pay ranges for all positions to ensure that we maintain a competitive compensation program. We review:
- Market Competitiveness: NEBH analyzes information from numerous salary surveys and other sources to determine what the market pays for similar positions.
- Internal Equity: In adition to market competitiveness, NEBH analyzes salary information internally to ensure equity within similar jobs and experience levels.
Performance Management
NEBH thrives on the dedicated performance of each employee. It is a continuous process. You and your supervisor share the responsibly for improving your job performance and setting goals and objectives for your future development. The key to this process in ongoing communication between you and your supervisor
BravoGram Program
During the Employee Perspective Survey we heard loud and clear from staff they wanted more opportunities for individual recognition. Interestingly, staff felt they already knew Senior Management and their immediate managers appreciated their contributions, but they wanted more positive recognition from Patients and each other. Thus the BravoGram program was reborn and rejuvenated to provide Legendary Recognition opportunities for our staff. This reward and recognition program is designed to recognize employees who demonstrate a commitment to Legendary Service. The program is tailored to ensure that rewards and recognition are meaningful to the individual employees. Recognition can come from a patient, physician, visitor, a co-worker or a vendor or community member.
Employees receive specific, timely, public feedback submitted by telephone or email. Since January 2006, we have received over 17,000 BravoGrams. Staff receive this feedback via a certificate that is signed by their Vice President, Director and Manager and presented to them publicly at their Daily Dose so other staff can see what people value as Legendary Service. Staff receive a medallion with each BravoGram which they can store in their Passports and keep to reflect on how much their efforts have been valued.
Staff receive a T-shirt after receiving their first BravoGram to further show the world the outstanding work that they do.
Birthdays and Anniversaries- The Daily Dose
To further enhance our sense of community, all employees (or any member of our extended community) have the opportunity to have their birthday or service anniversary recognized in each day's Daily Dose. Employees have the opportunity to "opt out" of either selection based on information they provide us on their Employee Preference Form. Over 80% of our staff has chosen to have their birthday's recognized. You should see the smile on someone's face when you remember it is their birthday and say something when you pass them in the hall. It truly does bring us together as a community.
Walk a Mile in My Shoes
This is a job shadow program designed to foster greater understanding of each other's roles in the Hospital. The program, called "Walk a Mile in My Shoes," allows employees the opportunity to shadow another NEBH employee from a different department. The goal is to enhance teamwork, improve patient care and highlight different careers.
Annual Service Awards
Each year, NEBH holds the Annual Service Award presentation to honor employees for their continuous and dedicated service.
Hospital Week
At NEBH we celebrate each and every profession with special activities such as seminars, opportunities to meet and learn from one another whether it be having your department featured in a poster at the employee entrance, a new brochure to introduce staff and their achievements for patients, a speaker to talk about the latest advancements and issues in your field. That being said, we also work hard to ensure every employee receives equitable recognition. We encourage departments to celebrate their individual days/weeks but we all celebrate Hospital Week together with gifts and rewards to ensure equity. Hospital Week celebrations this year included massage therapists visiting every department providing much needed relaxation to staff, ice cream sundaes served by the Hospital Operations Team and recognition gifts for each employee.
Employee Holiday Party
It takes over a year to plan, but always exceeds our expectations. At the Baptist, we love a great party. Our annual Holiday party is actually held in January after the stress of the Holidays has passed so that we can all get together and celebrate the new year.
Boston Celtics Events
As the official Hospital of the Boston Celtics, our staff has the opportunity to interact and participate in team events whether it be tickets to a game or commemorative photos with the players.
The Team Awards are designed to recognize the many improvements, innovations, and outstanding collaboration NEBH staff are making to ensure that NEBH is the best place for patients to receive care, and the best place for employees to work. The Award Categories are:
Excellence in Patient Care
This award will recognize a team that has made significant strides in providing unsurpassed patient-centered care, by designing and delivering care based on what patients need most.
Building a Better Workplace
This award will recognize a team that has created a great place for employees and physicians to work-either within a single department or across NEBH. Team projects may focus on any aspect of work life- professional development, communication, diversity, etc.
Innovation
This award will be awarded to a team that has found and implemented a better way to deliver care or services. The emphasis is on projects that represent a "break with the past" and may demonstrate risk taking, out of the box thinking, or effective use of ideas adapted from other departments or organizations.
Community- making a difference
The Community award will be given to a team that has made the most significant contribution to improving the health and well being of the communities we are committed to serving.
Cost Savings Program
This award is to recognize a team that has identified and implemented a successful cost savings initiative or created a better process to ensure budgetary discipline.
Unsung Heroes
This award will recognize a team or department that consistently exceeds expectations without fanfare and/or is a quiet but reliable high performing presence at NEBH. By demonstrating a willingness to always help when needed, taking initiative to solve problems or make improvements, we would not be as successful with out this exceptional team working behind the scenes.
All teams that apply are recognized for their accomplishments in displays around the Hospital, emails, HillTopics the employee newsletter, etc. and are also recognized at the Awards Ceremony. Five winners are selected each year to receive special recognition. Each of the winning teams are honored with:
- Commemorative plaque presented at the annual awards ceremony .
- A profile of the team's accomplishments in HillTopics and the Rose Display outside the Cafeteria.
Unsung Heroes Award:
Environmental Services (EVS)
The EVS team is special because they are the invisible force that keeps the Hospital looking beautiful. This team frequently ranks in the 99th percentile for room cleanliness in our Press Ganey Survey. Many patients and families comment on the cleanliness of the Hospital. One needs only to visit any local hospital to appreciate the contrast in cleanliness. Our EVS team are stars!" says Maureen Broms, Senior Director of Health Care Quality, who nominated the Environmental Services team.
The EVS team works tirelessly to ensure that all areas of the Hospital receive the highest level of service on a consistent basis. The EVS team is honored that their colleagues notice and appreciate the hard work they put in each day.
Excellence in Patient Care Award:
MRSA Eradication Program
The Excellence in Patient Care Award is designed to recognize innovative clinical programs created to deliver unsurpassed patient care. One of this year's recipients is the MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) Eradication Program. This program's aim was to identify patients in the pre-screening process who have MRSA. If a patient tests positive, they are treated immediately. This important program was conceived by a 20 member interdisciplinary task force and implemented by over 235 employees in many departments including Surgical Day, Pre-Admission Screening Unit, Ambulatory Care Unit, Operating Room and OR Scheduling, Microbiology Laboratory, Patient Access, Central Sterile Processing Department, PACU, Nursing Units and Infection Control. Team members met weekly during the first year and were effective in implementing a program that has reduced MRSA infections by more than 50% and has been positively accepted by patients and surgeons.
Unsung Heroes Award:
Telecommunications
It is impressive to sit and watch the Operators work. The volume of calls is tremendous and the pressure can become intense. Despite this, the Operators deliver Legendary Service to each and every caller. They exemplify our Legendary Service philosophy. This is no easy task given that most calls relate to issues beyond the Operators' control. Nonetheless, each caller is treated with respect and dignity. To each caller, the Operators are the voice of NEBH. Their actions contribute to each caller's first impression. First impressions are lasting and it is evident through their contact with callers that the Operators take this responsibility very seriously. Although not highly visible, they are a reliable, high performing department. This is why the Telecommunications Department has received the Unsung Heroes Award.
Upon learning about the award, Joyce Horsely in Telecommunications said "Just when you need it the most you get proof that someone really does notice your hard work!" Tristina Kimball, Manager of Telecommunications, said it will "make the Operators' year" as it is so unexpected.
Excellence in Patient Care Award:
Medication Safety in the OR
In 2005, Joanne Cassiani, RN, Judy Devoid, RN, Marty Archibald, RN and Maryanne Cole, RN began a performance improvement project on Medication Safety in the OR to meet a National Patient Safety Goal for medication safety. In the OR, the practice is unique so the staff developed their own method of delivery, labeling and tracking. The purpose behind their work is always present, according to Maryanne Cole, RN. "Patient safety is always first and foremost in our practice and we are very serious about the way we go about it..No one on the inpatient units - families, not even the patients - tends to remember the OR staff, but we are the patients' eyes and ears and we keep the patient safe when they are most vulnerable."
This group designed, educated staff and monitored performance. Compliance with the new process increased from 60% to over 98-100% in two years. In addition, the Hospital has seen cost savings from the revised method for medication delivery.
NEBH OR staff have also received recognition as a best practice from AORN Chapter 1, a prestigious professional organization, and were asked to present their findings at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Unsung Heroes Award:
Central Sterile Processing Department (CSPD)
According to Gail Sebet, RN, Director, Surgical Services, "The CSPD team is special because they do their job consistently and always with a smile on their face. They have met with the OR to better understand how important their role is to the surgical team experience. Staff have listened to the OR's concerns and have collaborated in trying to find solutions. They have worked with individual surgeons with the goal of providing the right tools. This staff takes pride in their daily work. When the OR runs late, they work as a team to get the job done. Proper cleaning and sterilizing of equipment contributes to our low infection rate and positive patient outcomes."
Mark Duro, Manager of CSPD, is most appreciative for his team receiving the Unsung Heroes Award. "It feels good to be recognized. The CSPD is very much behind the scenes and not many people know we even exist or are aware of our field of work. It is great that an organization like NEBH takes the time to acknowledge not just us but all the different areas of the Hospital and all the efforts that are made to better our outcomes for our customers. I am not so new here anymore, but I have never worked for an organization that takes time to recognize the efforts of colleagues like NEBH."