Courtesy of NWI.Life • Written by Becca Wireman
Methodist Hospitals values its employees, which is easy to see through its employee engagement and recruitment initiatives.
In a typical year, Methodist hosts an employee service awards banquet that recognizes its dedicated and loyal staff for their years of service. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 safety concerns, the 2021 banquet was canceled. However, Methodist does not let that stop it from recognizing its hard-working employees.
“The banquet is a way to recognize the loyalty of the staff and currently there are quite a few at the 40-to-45-year mark. It’s a way to recognize them for serving their communities for so long. It’s a way we show that we appreciate them and say thank you for all that they have done,” Vice President of Human Resources Kurt Meyer said.
To still show appreciation to its loyal employees, Methodist found a way to still celebrate each employee’s accomplishments.
“Everyone receives a gift based on their years of service so they can select something nice for themselves. The gift is delivered to their home, and they also get a certificate that shows their years of service,” Meyer said. “We also recognize them in front of their departments and their peers.”
According to Meyer, Methodist focuses on connecting with its employees and showing appreciation for each person. One way Methodist shows appreciation is by being transparent to its employees.
“We also keep our staff updated on the hospital system and what we are doing. Everybody wants to be a part of something special and serve the community and by keeping our employees updated on how well we are doing and other updates we are able to help them do that,” Meyer said.
Communication is a value Methodist upholds between each of its hospitals and its staff.
“We make sure we are communicating, having town hall meetings, and making sure our employees feel a part of the organization,” Meyer said.
“We also try out best to take care of them and their families. We offer salary increases and those keep coming. New benefits include a student loan forgiveness program to help many of our younger employees with significant loans. The new program helps to reduce their principal loan payment by half,” Meyer said.
Methodist makes sure to show appreciation to its employees because of how loyal, hard-working, and all-around amazing they are.
“I have never met a more friendly staff in my life. When you walk down the hallways of Methodist, everybody says hello to you, everybody is in a good mood, and they all really believe in the mission of our hospital,” Meyer said.
Methodist also shows its commitment to its employees throughout the hiring process. In addition to holding frequent virtual job fairs via Zoom, Methodist also hosts unique virtual career events.
“We also host special events for new college graduate nurses. We did one in the spring called Career Chats with Chocolates. I sent each attendee a box of chocolate truffles with our Methodist logo as well as face masks, notebooks, and other Methodist swag. We then invited them to a Zoom meeting at night to meet with our nursing leaders to talk about careers,” Meyer said. “We thought it was a good way to attract these younger nurses who are still in school and might appreciate a study break with some chocolates.”
To learn more about Methodist Hospitals, its team, and job opportunities, visit https://methodisthospitals.org/
