The pandemic has made everyone’s jobs harder, and employees are now more stressed, depressed and anxious than ever. They’re also leaving their jobs in record numbers. In this episode of All Things Work, host Tony Lee speaks with Lindsey Garito, SHRM-SCP, Westmed Medical Group’s director of human capital management and total rewards, about how to support employees and take steps to boost satisfaction and retention.
The pandemic has made everyone’s jobs harder, and employees are now more stressed, depressed and anxious than ever. They’re also leaving their jobs in record numbers. In this episode of All Things Work, host Tony Lee speaks with Lindsey Garito, SHRM-SCP, Westmed Medical Group’s director of human capital management and total rewards, about how to support employees and take steps to boost satisfaction and retention.
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This episode of All Things Work is sponsored by PNC Organizational Financial Wellness.
Music courtesy of bensound.
Speaker 1:
All Things Work is sponsored by PNC Organizational Financial Wellness, organizational financial wellness organized for you. Learn more at pnc.com/wellness. PNC and PNC Bank are registered marks of the PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. PNC.
Tony Lee:
Welcome to All Things Work, a podcast from the Society for Human Resource Management. I'm your host, Tony Lee, Head of Content here at SHRM, thank you for joining us. All Things Work is an audio adventure where we talk with thought leaders and tastemakers to bring you an insider's perspective on All Things Work. Maya Angelou famously said, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." And a place where this rings especially true is a world of work. The pandemic has made everyone's jobs harder, and the increased difficulties of working during a health crisis means that employees everywhere are now more stressed, depressed, and anxious than ever. In other words, many employees don't feel great, they're also leaving their jobs in record numbers, which is very understandable because no one wants to stay somewhere where they don't feel great.
As a result, we're seeing a renewed emphasis among employers on the importance of the employee experience, which raises the question: what can employers do to create better experiences for their employees so that they're both happier and less likely to leave?
Joining me today to talk more about enhancing the employee experience is Lindsey Garito. Lindsey is the Director of Human Capital Management and Total Rewards at West Med Medical Group, a multi-specialty outplacement medical group with nearly 400 providers and 1500 employees in New York's Westchester County. Lindsey is also a SHRM Senior Certified Professional.
Now we know Covid has had such a devastating impact on healthcare workers, so as an HR leader at an organization with employees whose experience at work has become so much harder, she's the perfect guest to speak on what employers can do when they see that their employees are in need of a better experience in their jobs. Lindsey, welcome to All Things Work.
Lindsey Garito:
Thank you so much, Tony. Thank you for having me.
Tony Lee:
Yeah. No, it's our pleasure. So there's some new research out from SHRM that shows that 52% of employees are anxious at work and 48% are mentally and physically exhausted at the end of their work days. Does that surprise you?
Lindsey Garito:
Definitely not.
Tony Lee:
So how come?
Lindsey Garito:
Well, I think now more than ever, there's a lot more stress going on and that's coming from work, it's coming from home and everything is sort of amplifying more and more health concerns so employees are really dealing with a lot. They're dealing with changes in their workplace, whether that's being on the front lines and having a much, much more stressful environment to work in, or maybe suddenly being sort of uprooted from what your normal workplace environment was to going fully remote, family issues, whether that's maybe health matters, maybe your spouse or partner has lost their job or is having employment issues, needing to reanalyze benefits. So there's really a lot going on.
And then you have those other components such as financial, what are the financial circumstances an employee may be dealing with personally, and then the mental health aspect, right? So all of these things kind of culminate and put a lot of pressure on an employee that affects them throughout their day and even when they're at work. So they really have a lot that they're balancing.
Tony Lee:
And it's interesting, I think a lot of us learned more about the healthcare profession during the pandemic because we assumed healthcare professionals were on top of everything, they're the ones taking care of us, and we have learned that while that's true, what we've also found is that they themselves have issues as employees dealing with stress and anxiety, right?
Lindsey Garito:
Of course. Yeah. And I think the big question is, they're always taking care of everyone else, but who is taking care of them?
Tony Lee:
Mm-hmm. So let's talk about how you're taking care of your employees. That's a good transition there.
Lindsey Garito:
Yeah.
Tony Lee:
So it feels like there are a lot of things that employers are trying to do to keep their employees happier, more productive, less stressed, on board, keeping them from jumping ship. I mean, one of the things that you guys did was really take a close look at your benefits package and make some changes, right? Can you talk about that?
Lindsey Garito:
Sure. Yep. So, that was really important to us. Something that we wanted to do, actually, even before the pandemic really hit. We had these ideas off the bat that we wanted to open up all of our benefits, our carriers, our plans, and really make sure that we were offering the best benefits possible. And then, of course, the pandemic occurred and I feel that really fostered the importance of healthcare and other benefits and the role that they play in our employees' lives more so. So we did a full analysis of all of our benefits, we went to our current carriers, we explored new carriers, we did a whole sort of big RFP process, we looked at where we had gaps, where we were missing plans, missing options that we could add, where we could make enhancements to what we already had.
And we still have room to go, this is still a moving target, it's something that I think, ideally, an organization should always be looking at and always analyze, and it's not just something that should remain static. So as the world is constantly evolving and changing internally in our organization, we need to be constantly evolving and looking at what we're doing and making changes.
So we wanted to really make sure that we were offering the best plans possible, the best coverage possible. One of the big changes that we made, actually, and what we were seeing was, especially during the height of the pandemic, was having insurance coverage to begin with. And typically, when you leave a job, your current coverage might end on a certain day, and then you're starting with a new employer, and depending on that employer's policy, you might have a gap in coverage. And then for those candidates that we were looking to hire, they were coming with concern, they couldn't afford COBRA, they couldn't afford to continue their health insurance coverage, which was so important to them, especially during this time where people knew that they might need it, and then they couldn't afford per se to wait for benefits to become active.
So we were so excited to update our policy and we actually changed it where we offer benefits coverage day one. So the day that an employee starts with us, they are starting on our benefits. So that was a really important change that we made, and we really wanted employees coming on board to know like right off the bat, we're here for you and we're providing for you and your family.
Tony Lee:
That's great. Can you give some examples of other things? I mean, you're responsible for Total Rewards, I love that title by the way-
Lindsey Garito:
Yes.
Tony Lee:
... since Total Rewards encompasses a lot of things.
Lindsey Garito:
It does.
Tony Lee:
What else did you discover?
Lindsey Garito:
So number one, in terms of kind of creating that Total Rewards model and strategy, that really is about integrating a lot of different programs and components within the organization together and to create those synergies, and here that includes benefits, compensation, wellness, rewards, performance. So building Total Rewards really allowed us to create a more holistic approach that recognizes and supports how interconnected all of these highly important functions work together, while in turn fostering and enhancing education, communication, and opportunities for employees in these areas.
And so when you kind of have the Total Rewards model, you get to really highlight the total value of what you offer to your employees in terms of the full compensation and benefits package and how performance and their development is tied to rewards and different recognition opportunities. So it was really important for us as we evolved this model to make sure that we were giving employees insight into the total value of what we offer to them through our Total Rewards and really combining that full value of their personal compensation, benefits, time off, performance, development, all the things that really matter and I think really vastly contribute to an employee's experience.
We wanted to make sure that they had all the tools they need, the access that they need, really increased communication, we leveraged our HRIS system Workday to create a very comprehensive and robust Total Rewards dashboard, so it pulled together their personal Total Rewards, all of the information that they would need to best utilize their benefits. So it was really important to us to make sure they had access to planned documents, to flyers, and really understand all that they have available to them.
I think sometimes that, especially with benefits, it's not a constant conversation, maybe you're talking about it at new hire time or open enrollment, but that was one of my goals was to make it a constant conversation, making sure that employees were understanding their benefits all throughout the year, they weren't forgetting about plans that maybe they had enrolled in or didn't understand. And even if maybe they hadn't decided to enroll in something, they had a lot more opportunities to learn about that particular type of benefit and why maybe it might be of value to them the next time they do have the opportunity to enroll.
So previously, there would be a lot of gaps where employees just didn't even understand what benefits they truly had available to them. So I think that that's very important, especially now more than ever, because the talent market is just changing every day, and I think it has created an increased availability of job opportunities. So as employers, we're competing with so many more companies than we were originally used to just a couple of years ago.
Tony Lee:
Yeah, and you hit on that point. Historically, companies have said, "Well, our compensation is well-rounded and it's based on competitive analysis and benchmarking," and these days employees come back and say, "Yeah, that's all good, but I want more money, more money."
Lindsey Garito:
Right.
Tony Lee:
So where does salary play into your strategy? I mean, have you increased your pay rates given what's going on in the market?
Lindsey Garito:
We actually, also, in addition to doing a really deep dive into our benefits, we did a full analysis and deep dive into our compensation, and we just completed it. We looked at every single position and role in our entire company and we benchmarked that against different data sets and market data to make sure that we were providing the best compensation possible and really remaining competitive in the market and addressing anywhere that we maybe had gaps or needed to move that needle a little bit.
Tony Lee:
Yeah. No, that makes perfect sense. So the other thing, I think we've all heard an awful lot lately, is, "The money is fine, the benefits are fine, but I need greater flexibility. I've got childcare issues, I've got elder care issues, I've got whatever it might be. Sometimes that means I need to work remotely, sometimes that means I need to work non-traditional hours." How does that work for you guys, especially in a healthcare setting?
Lindsey Garito:
Definitely in healthcare it's a little more challenging because predominantly most of the staff is seeing patients. Where we did start to see a shift though and have internally started to get more creative and flexible is seeing what roles can be remote. And especially with care for patients in nursing care, that doesn't always need to be on-site and in person, we have definitely started evolving and hiring more remote nurses that can triage patients, address any gaps in care, take care of follow-ups on a remote basis. And we've had a few employees that did need to leave the company for personal reasons, maybe they were relocating based on family needs, maybe they had a family situation that, unfortunately, they just could no longer work their schedule or come into the office, and there were a few opportunities where we were able to say, "Wait a minute, we have a role for this person, we can retain them and move them into a position that will be remote and still be able to utilize their important nursing skills and value."
Tony Lee:
Now has flexibility also meant giving people more time off, more personal days? We've talked a little bit about employee mental health and the stress-
Lindsey Garito:
Sure.
Tony Lee:
... but is that part of the picture?
Lindsey Garito:
It definitely is. And that's something that we are looking at. We have a pretty robust PTO program. So I think it's a little bit less about how much we're offering, and that is actually at a really good point. But I think what I notice is an employee being able to use it and an employee feeling comfortable to put in for the time. And I think that's where the biggest focus needs to be is that employees may have great time off, but they don't feel comfortable to use it. And maybe that's, personally, they just don't feel they can put in for the time or maybe they know that their department is short staffed or under stress and they don't want to be putting in for time off when they know everyone's working extra hard.
So I've kind of always encouraged that a manager needs to promote for their employees to take their time off. And if you see an employee struggling, sometimes you don't know but sometimes you do, and if you do see an employee is possibly burnt out, maybe they're just overly stressed, maybe you start to see that they're having a little bit more of a negative response to things, as a manager, we should encourage them to take their time off and say, "Hey, you haven't taken a day off in a while, why don't you consider taking Friday off?" And I think them knowing that, as a manager, you support it and you're encouraging it will help foster them to actually utilize their time off that they have available. So to me, that's actually the biggest piece of it.
Tony Lee:
Yeah. No, that's such a great point. And I've heard many HR professionals say that they're focused on training their line managers and getting them to understand what burnout looks like and steps to take. But the other interesting thing I've heard a lot lately is HR is burning out-
Lindsey Garito:
Yeah.
Tony Lee:
... recruiters can't handle all the open wrecks that they've got, and just everyone across HR. I mean, are you seeing that, and is there any ideas for a solution there?
Lindsey Garito:
Yeah, definitely it's taking a toll on everyone and everyone is kind of facing different challenges. And with HR, in particular, it's been hard to keep up, right? So there's all the changes that have gone on in terms of legislation, things related to vaccines and the workplace, and the CDC on top of everything else that normally occurs in the HR world, different regulation changes that we deal with day-to-day. So there's a lot that's had to kind of be balanced as you sort of struggle to update policies and push out communications.
There was a period of time where we couldn't get it out fast enough and something was already changing, and that puts a lot of stress on the teams because they're just trying to ultimately manage everything and they want to make sure that they're staying on top of things and that they're getting back to people too. I think we kind of saw that a little bit. Sometimes we'd be all over the place and trying to juggle multiple things, but we always had in the back of our mind that we wanted to make sure that we were also responding and getting back to our employees because they were looking to us for support, and whatever their questions may be or their needs may be, we didn't want to sacrifice that just because we were overwhelmed and having a lot to do ourselves.
Tony Lee:
Mm-hmm. Now, I know you're not responsible for talent acquisition, but I'm sure you're aware of tactics that you guys are using. I mean, we're seeing signing bonuses of huge amounts, we're seeing rating of competitors. I mean, any thoughts on what's going on in the talent acquisition space, especially in healthcare, and what can be done about these incredible shortages?
Lindsey Garito:
It's definitely a challenge, and everyone's competing, ultimately, for the same small pool of candidates, right? And I think when it comes to healthcare, you do have less of an opportunity to explore and expand more nationally, your reach is not as large because you can't, ultimately, have so many people remote. Whereas if it was, let's say, a business position, we can consider someone that's maybe fully remote in another state. But when you need that nurse in that department, you, unfortunately, don't have that ability.
So it's definitely been tough and a struggle. And you do see all of the organizations struggling, you kind of know it's not just you. And I think that's where the employee experience really becomes important. And one of the things that we actually just did was expand our employee referral program. So for us, we want our employees to be our ambassadors and they're the ones that will really share with people in their network. If they're having a great experience here at our organization, they'll share that and they'll extend that to others, and hopefully, we can bring like-minded talent into our organization and hope that what sets us apart is that those candidates are hearing from someone that they value that we are a great place to work and why it's so great and maybe perhaps what might stand us out in comparison to some of the other employers that they may be looking at or considering.
Tony Lee:
Yeah. So can you share your employee referral program? I assume you're paying employees for referrals that work out?
Lindsey Garito:
Exactly. So we did have a program already in place, but we decided to, again, kind of look at the whole thing and see where we had opportunities. And we definitely noticed that we did so we increased most of our referral amounts, so we increased the bonus amount that an employee would receive. We actually changed and lowered the amount of time that it took for them to receive the bonus payout. So originally, it was 6 months and we lowered that down to 3 months.
And we also did a whole campaign and used our system, again, to create sort of an engagement opportunity. So in addition to just receiving your referral reward when someone is hired and passes that 90 days, we have what's called a Refer-A-Leader campaign. So in our Workday system, everyone earns points every time they make a referral. If the referral is considered for a job or ultimately gets hired, those earn points, and employees can go in at any time and kind of see who the leaders are on a leader board, how everyone is earning points, and then we decided to implement sort of an extra quarterly incentive where every quarter will choose the top three referrers and give them an extra incentive. We developed a referral champion, a bonus, a referral champion day off, and those are just extra ways that an employee can sort of feel rewarded for their referral activity that they're doing and for bringing great people to our organization. So we hoped that that would also just engage employees kind of throughout the year and give them another way to have a connection as well to the organization.
Tony Lee:
Wow. That's really great. You're turning everybody into a recruiter.
Lindsey Garito:
Exactly. Exactly. So exactly that's how we're helping talent acquisition because you do need help and it's tough and there's a lot of competition. So I think that that's something that you can't get anywhere else is employees sharing their experience and sharing with people they may know or people that they may interact with why where they work is so great. And then that message will translate and just attract more people.
Tony Lee:
That is great. Well, what a terrific program. Well, Lindsey, this has been a fascinating discussion, great insights. Thank you so much to Lindsey Garito for joining me to discuss creating a better employee experience as well as recruiting and building a compensation plan.
Before we get out of here, I want to encourage everyone to follow All Things Work wherever you listen to your podcast. And also, listener reviews have a real impact on a podcast's visibility so if you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you took a moment to leave feedback and help others find the show. And finally, you can find all of our episodes on our website at shrm.org/atwpodcast. Thanks for listening and we'll catch you next time on All Things Work.
Speaker 1:
All Things Work is sponsored by PNC Organizational Financial Wellness, organizing multiple customizable financial health solutions to help address your employees' specific needs all in one place. PNC Organizational Financial Wellness, it's organizational financial wellness organized for you. Learn more at pnc.com/wellness. PNC and PNC Bank are registered marks of the PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. PNC.