TowerTalk Volume 15 Issue Nr. 11, February 1993

              AGEN
�
Dear Employees:
In September of last year, all
employees were asked to complete
the Quality of Worklife (QWL)
survey as a followup to the January
1991 survey. In December, survey
results and action plans were
reported in a series of meetings to
which all employees were invited.
Results from the recent QWL survey
show significant improvement in
the areas of group effectiveness,
trust, value of meetings, personal
involvement, leadership, motiva-
tion, communication, decision
making, goal setting, and personal
control. These improvements were
due primarily to the efforts of the
1991 QWL Task Force and all of
you. Without your teamwork and
cooperation, we would not have
been as successful in making Saint
Joseph Hospital a "great place to
work," which is a direct quote from
employees in the 1992 survey.
Even so, the survey tells us that
there is still room for improvement.
A QWL task force, with employees
and managers representing various
departments, was formed to develop
an action plan to address areas of
concern. The 1992 Task Force estab-
lished the following goals and
action plans, which are summa-
rized below:
Issue #1�Financial
Goal: To keep employees
apprised of Saint Joseph Hospital's
current and projected financial
condition and to gain employee
involvement in the Hospital's
strategic plan and financial
projects.
Action plan: By June 1,1993,
and annually thereafter, the
Hospital's strategic plan will be
shared with employees; the
Hospital's contract and relationship
with Kaiser will be explained at
Tower Talk Live; directors will
review the financial status of their
departments and the Hospital on a
monthly basis; department directors
will solicit annual input from
employees on departmental
budgetary items; and patient and
physician satisfaction will be
emphasized in the Hospital's guest
relations program.
Issue #2�Leadership
Goal: Managers will achieve
credibility with all constituents with
whom they interact.
Action plan: Vice Presidents will
be more visible by making "rounds"
of their departments and by
attending department meetings at
least quarterly; a management
training program will be offered,
which will include a course on
employee recognition and guest
relations; managers will request
input from employees regarding
departmental and interdepart-
mental issues and will provide
feedback regarding employee
suggestions; personnel policies and
procedures related to dismissal will
be explained at Tower Talk Live;
managers will hold regular PMIs
with all of their employees.
Issue #3�Communication
Goal: To facilitate the effective
dissemination of information
throughout the organization.
Action plan: Managers will
hold regular department/staff meet-
ings and invite employees to submit
agenda items; directors will share
minutes from their monthly meet-
ings with their staff; policy and
procedure manuals will be acces-
sible for all staff; sessions will be
offered for all managers on how to
improve/enhance communication
skills; Towertalk will include a
special column for "rumor" control;
each department/unit will have a
bulletin board with a reserved
section for Hospital information;
and employees are obligated to use
available resources to obtain infor-
mation about the Hospital.
Issue #4�Teamwork
Goal: All employees are
accountable to act in a professional,
courteous and enthusiastic manner
toward patients, families, physi-
cians, fellow employees, vendors
and regulatory agencies.
Action plan: Employees will
attend customer/guest relations
classes; President's Council will
identify departments where team-
work needs improvement; the SJH
SMART (employee performance
evaluation) program contains a
standard by which employee
patient/customer service is
measured.
Issue #5�Interdepartmental
Conflict
Goal: To promote under-
standing and improve
communication among depart-
ments.
Action plan: Managers will
address interdepartmental issues as
they occur and will develop and
I       9
implement action plans to resolve
the problems; to maintain commu-
nication and goodwill between
departments, selected employees
from the affected departments will
meet to problem solve and resolve
any issues; and the total quality
management (TQM) process will be
used to help resolve interdepart-
mental problems.
Issue #6�Equipment
Goal: To provide adequate, func-
tional, reliable equipment to enable
employees to function efficiently in
their jobs and to deliver safe quality
service. To provide an efficient and
effective computer system that
enhances Hospital operations.
Action plan: With input from
"users," managers will prioritize
inventory and needs list; managers
will communicate final decisions to
"users" in their departments; equip-
ment that is justifiable, usable, safe
or able to be made safe should be
repaired; all unusable, unsafe equip-
ment should be disposed of in
accordance with approved policy; a
task force will review the equipment
purchase/repair policy and will
make recommendations to
President7s Council; the Informa-
tional Services Network Plan will
continue to be implemented and
shared with employees at Tower
Talk Live;
Issue #7�Parking
Goal: To provide safe, adequate
parking for employees.
Action plan: By March 1,1993,
a parking task force will assess a
redesign of security coverage and
identify new designations of all shift
parking areas.
8
Issue #8�Physical Facilities
Goal: To provide adequate space
for employees to provide quality
care and to renovate and develop
areas to take care of new needs.
Action plan: Managers will
identify areas that require more or
less space; administration will
explore possibilities for off-site
expansion as well as a new ambu-
latory services building; the site
plan will be communicated to
employees.
Issue #9�SMART (Employee
Performance Evaluation
Program)
Goal: To communicate to
employees that the SMART
program will measure performance
accurately.
Action plan: Management
workshops will be conducted on
how to conduct a performance
appraisal; Human Resources will
communicate the mechanics of the
SMART program; and task forces to
review SMART standards will be
established.
Issue #10�Salaries
Goal: To bring entry wages to
comparable levels in the market
place.
Action plan: Human Resources
has instituted a bi-annual salary
survey to ensure the Hospital's
market position; and all entry level
rates were adjusted in December.
Implementing Action Plans
One member of the 1992 QWL
Task Force, along with a Vice
President, is assigned to an action
plan. The Task Force will meet quar-
terly to monitor progress and ensure
that actions are implemented. We
are excited about the prospect of
working with each of you to
enhance the quality of worklife at
Saint Joseph Hospital and make it
THE BEST PLACE TO WORK! Your
department also will develop an
action plan to address concerns
within your own area. Be sure to
attend those meetings so that your
ideas are heard and discussed If
you have any questions about the
issues, goals and/or action plans,
please talk with your manager or|
director.
Sincerely,
Beverly Schulman
Vice President
Planning and Marketing