Engaged Employees Contribute to the Methodist Health System Difference

By Steve Maffei
Organizational Effectiveness Director
Methodist Health System

Employee engagement has become a hot topic in health care. Why are hospitals so focused on this metric and how does it influence quality of care and the patient experience?

Methodist Health System identified employee engagement as a touchstone measurement a few years ago. Partnering with the Advisory Board Company, Methodist launched their first formal employee engagement survey in 2011 and surveyed employees once again in 2013. The Advisory Board is a health care think tank based in Washington, D.C. Approximately 94 percent of the U.S. News and World Report’s best hospitals are members of the Advisory Board, including more than 4,100 health care and higher-education organizations.

The survey includes questions designed to measure the level of employee engagement in an organization. Areas of focus include:

• Organizational loyalty: how likely employees are to recommend Methodist as an employer
• Organizational commitment: how likely employees are to remain with their employer
• Organizational support: how strongly employees feel that the organization inspires them to do their best
• Employee discretionary effort: how likely employees are willing to do more than their job requires to see that the organization succeeds.

The results of the 2013 survey revealed that Methodist has one of the most engaged workforces among all participating organizations across the country. With more than 80 percent of employees participating in the survey, 53 percent of Methodist employees were classified as engaged, placing us at the 88th percentile of the Advisory Board’s current participant database. This year’s results reflected both an increase in the percentage of engaged employees as well as a decrease in the percentage of disengaged employees from the 2011 survey. This is especially significant because nationally the Advisory Board’s national benchmark disengagement percentage is actually trending higher.

To what do we attribute our high level of employee engagement? We can point to several factors that are at the heart of our strategy:

• Teamwork
• Support for our employees’ professional growth
• Mission and values alignment
• Manager effectiveness
• Feedback and recognition
• Employee support
• Communication and employee input

Recent research has highlighted a demonstrated link between employee engagement and improved patient outcomes, patient safety, and patient satisfaction. In 2013, Methodist was one of just 20 health care organizations nationally to receive the Advisory Board’s recognition for excellence in employee engagement and the only Dallas—Fort Worth health care organization to be honored. We think our outstanding performance on the employee engagement survey provides a firm foundation for maintaining our standard of delivering high-quality, patient-focused care and an exceptional patient experience. Personally, it has inspired me to maintain my commitment to work for an organization that is continually recognized for high levels of employee engagement.

For potential new employees, Methodist’s strong engagement survey scores reflect an organization that:

• Does an exceptional job of communicating and keeping employees informed about how and what the organization is doing, where we are heading, and how effective we are in our efforts
• Effectively recognizes and celebrates our employees’ performance and accomplishments
• Is perceived as being highly mission-oriented and strongly focused on its employees’ well-being. Employees tell us they have a strong sense of pride in Methodist and want to remain a part of the culture.

If you’re ready to engage with an organization that values your time, talents, and achievements, then it’s time to choose Methodist Health System. Learn more by visiting Jobs.MethodistHealthSystem.org.

© Methodist Health System

EOE/MF/D/V