Tune in now to the final Season 4 Moments Move Us episode with Rebecca Coren 🎧
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New Podcast Episode:
Creating Change Through Connection: Leadership Lessons from Season 4 with host Rebecca Coren
Ashley Eddings, MBA, SSGB
Alright – let’s just get this out of the way. I am a millennial. And a proud one at that. But if we’re honest, millennials tend to get a bad rap, especially as it pertains to the workplace. Many labels exist; however, organizations must think about how they can work to understand this generation and their impact, and once that understanding occurs, take steps to meet millennials where they are. In doing so, it can increase their engagement and likelihood of staying with an organization, which in turn impacts the organization’s bottom line. Small steps should be taken to tap into the mindset of millennials and create ways of appreciating them to ultimately achieve success.
In Gallup’s (2016) report on how millennials want to work, it details their findings of millennials as employees. It is increasingly important for organizations to work to better understand millennials as this generation has topped Baby Boomers as the largest population segment at 73 million (Crbkovich & Clarin, 2019). The percentage of millennials in the workforce will continue to grow over the years, thus organizations must act now to restructure their business models and workplace culture to appeal to this rising generation.
Furthermore, Gallup’s report indicates that 55% of millennials are not engaged at work. When employees are disengaged, there is ample opportunity for high turnover, low staff and patient satisfaction scores, poor morale, and deterioration of profitability and innovation. Moreover, “millennials’ lack of engagement costs the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars annually in lost productivity” (Gallup, 2016, p. 10).
If there is no movement to understanding millennials, the economy, the workplace, and even worse, the millennial generation, could suffer as a result.
What do we do with this information? It is vital to not only know the current landscape, but to also learn ways to navigate toward understanding millennials as employees and keeping them engaged. Many organizations and leaders make a valiant effort to seek to understand this generation and try to interpret what they are looking for, so the workplace thrives. To help in this endeavor, here are some highly prized workplace attributes that are valued by millennials (Gallup, 2016):
Recognizing who millennials are as people and employees, and avoiding stereotypes, is crucial. Knowing who they are as individuals helps increase understanding of how this incredible group wants to be regarded in the workplace, how they select organizations and roles, how they will perform, and how engaged they will be. Gallup (2016) attests to this by stating “When companies fail to understand and value the millennial mindset, they fail to create work environments that attract and retain this group” (p. 17).
As a leader, consider how you can better serve your millennial employees. Can you have more frequent, meaningful interactions with them? Can you recognize them more often for a job well done? Or maybe, can you help them develop their strengths and find a greater purpose in their role? Let me know how you intend to reach this rising, purpose-driven generation.Â
Crbkovich, P., & Clarin, D. (2019). How millennials are reshaping healthcare’s future. Retrieved from https://www.kaufmanhall.com/ideas-resources/ebook/how-millennials-are-reshaping-healthcares-future.
Gallup (2016). How millennials want to work and live. Retrieved from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/238073/millennials-work-live.aspx
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Dr. Bonnie Clipper, DNP, MA, MBA, RN, CENP, FACHE
Once again, the alarms have sounded regarding the impact that burnout is having on our clinicians. This is incredibly important to our health care system. There has been much agreement about how we define burnout, the effects of burnout and even recommendations on how to reduce burnout. It has been stated multiple times that burnout decreases a clinician’s quality of life, their performance, and even the likelihood that they will stay in their job. While burnout continues to be a top challenge among clinical professionals, there is a shortage of evidence regarding the tactics to change our cultures in order to make scalable and sustainable changes. In a study of more than 400 nurses across 11 hospitals in Jordan, the nurses showed evidence of burnout and the researchers worked to identify ways to mitigate its effects (Mudallal, Othman & Al Hassan, 2017).
While this study was not unique, it demonstrated that an increased level of trust by staff, of their leaders, and an increase in empowerment can improve satisfaction, quality of care, and positively impact the effects of burnout. As we know, when leaders use behaviors that are more likely to empower their team, it creates a positive work environment. The authors describe leadership empowering behaviors that are perceived positively by employees. While the study describes the impact of an organization in Jordan, there are lessons that can be applied universally. There are some great takeaways that can be introduced into the workplace that will make it more positive. These are easier said than done, however well worth a try.
(Mudallal, Othman & Al Hassan, 2017, para. 5)
Consider the impact on work environments when we, as leaders, find ways to make micro-changes to our own behaviors to allow our team to feel a more positive work environment as a result. Some of these changes are as simple as asking for more input or insight prior to making a decision, while some are more difficult behaviors to change. In order to reduce the unsustainable effects of burnout, we should determine which of these behaviors we are going to try first and begin testing the impact on us as leaders, on our work environments, and ultimately, in our organizational cultures. I too am a work in progress. As Mahatma Gandhi stated, let’s make the commitment to “Be the change that you wish to see…”.
Mudallal, R.H., Othman, W.M., & Al Hassan, N.F. (January 1, 2017). Nurses’ Burnout: The Influence of Leader Empowering Behaviors, Work Conditions, and Demographic Traits. Inquiry. 54. Accessed on November 22, 2019. Accessed at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5798741/.
[Philadelphia, PA] – December 05, 2019 – Wambi, LLC has been named the winner of a Silver Stevie® Award in the Fastest Growing Company of the Year category, and Wambi’s Co-founder, Alex Coren, has been named the winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the Young Female Entrepreneur of the Year category in the 16th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business.
The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor women executives, entrepreneurs, employees, and the companies they run– worldwide. The Stevie Awards have been hailed as the world’s premier business awards.
Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word for “crowned,” the awards were presented to winners during a dinner event attended by more than 550 people at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. The event was broadcast via Livestream.
More than 1,500 entries were submitted this year for consideration. “Wow!” exclaims Coren. “It’s been a wild ride from inventing this solution to building a company to winning awards like this. For the co-founder of a platform emphasizing the importance of recognition, the recognition of our hard work from the Stevies judges certainly carries enormous weight.”
Wambi CEO and Co-founder Rebecca Metter says, “Over the past few years at Wambi, we felt our growth rate alone spoke volumes in terms of the market for gratitude into which we tapped. Now, this third party acknowledgement adds another layer of credibility and further strengthens the Wambi story. Congratulations to all the Stevie Awards winners!”
Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 150 business professionals around the world, working on eight juries.
This year’s Stevie Awards for Women in Business was complemented by the Women|Future Conference, a two-day educational and networking event also at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on November 14-15.
Maggie Gallagher, president of the Stevie Awards, said, “In its 16th year, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business received an outstanding body of nominations from women in organizations of all types, in 25 nations. We are gratified by how meaningful it is to women to win a Stevie Award, and how impactful it can be on the futures of their careers and their organizations. We congratulate all of this year’s Grand, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners for their achievements.”
Details about the Stevie Awards for Women in Business and the list of Finalists in all categories are available here.
Wambi delivers an employee engagement and recognition platform informed by real-time patient and family feedback. Through its gamified digital platform, Wambi creates a real-time feedback loop between patients and healthcare workers. This arms individual employees with their own performance data, fueling meaningful recognition while promoting autonomy and inspiring behavioral change. With Wambi, hospitals and health systems have demonstrated improved employee engagement, decreased turnover and burnout, and elevated patient experience. Watch Wambi’s Story told by Inventor, Alex Coren here, and view our video of a day in the life of a nurse using Wambi here.
Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and the new Middle East Stevie Awards. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.
What if all organizations involved the voice of patients in the human experience and care delivery? What if patients felt empowered to play a pivotal role in the progression of an organization by sharing feedback and insights that are heard? Is it important or not so much? Consider this through the lens of consumer loyalty, employee engagement, and patient satisfaction to determine the answer to these questions.Â
When looking at consumer loyalty, it is incumbent on organizations to know what drives loyalty. In healthcare, the consumers are patients. As consumers, patients choose who will provide/direct their care and where to receive their care. As patients become more savvy consumers, it takes more than a prestigious name to earn their loyalty.
Consider Cheney’s (2018) thoughts around gaining consumer loyalty: “Give every patient a voice. Maximize the volume and timeliness of feedback…” (para. 8). Once patients have a voice, they feel empowered in their care and experience. Giving patients a voice to express their feedback, recognition, concerns, and the like, conveys to them that the organization and its employees simply care. This undoubtedly sets a part the organizations who listen from the ones who do not. Continually hearing from patients allows organizations to pivot in the right direction in hopes of gaining loyalty as a result of this feedback.
What is the impact of the patients’ voice being heard at the bedside? Don’t underestimate the power of patient feedback on the care providers. In the face of burnout, staggering turnover rates, heavy workloads, and demanding work environments, it is necessary that nurses, physicians and other members of the care team feel valued and recognized for their extraordinary efforts.
Payne (2017) found that when employee engagement scores increase, patient and physician satisfaction increases. The challenge is how to get employees engaged amid the known challenges. One way, which is often overlooked, is through meaningful, real-time recognition directly from patients. When patients can thoughtfully voice their gratitude for the care provided in the moment, it has a lasting impact on the care team. Reviewing recognition and feedback from patients about their care connects the care team back to what attracted them to a healthcare profession and reminds them of their motivation to continue to provide high-quality care and an exceptional experience. Payne (2017) affirms this by revealing that more than 80% of employees report a more positive employee experience when they receive recognition for doing good work and receive feedback on work performance. As soon as employees are engaged in their work, it translates into the care being delivered, ultimately leading to satisfied patients and a positive experience.
It is critical to note ways in which organizations can hear the voice of the patient. Kommers (2019) raises an important point when she states that organizations need to “Make it easier for patients to share narratives…” (para. 4). It is imperative for organizations to find various avenues where patients can share feedback in a timely and thoughtful manner. It should never be enough to wait for surveys to come in; there needs to be ongoing feedback being shared to open much-needed dialogue between the organization and its patients.
Furthermore, Kommers (2019) prompted us to “Remember that narratives are their own form of evidence, even if they are not driven by data” (para. 5). When a patient shares their input, stories, and experiences, while it might not be clear-cut numerical data, it is still real-life, personal accounts that are indicative of what is going well and where the areas of opportunities lie. We must be careful to take these stories and connect them with the data to get the true picture of what is going on in an organization.
So, is the patient’s voice and feedback necessary and value-added? If we consider the results of consumer loyalty, a rise in employee engagement, and an increase in patient satisfaction, there is too much to lose if we think otherwise. Thus, the answer is a resounding yes.
Cheney, C. (2018, December 28). Patient experience five times as likely to drive consumer loyalty as marketing. Retrieved from https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/clinical-care/patient-experience-five-times-likely-drive-consumer-loyalty-marketing.
Kommers, A. (2019, July 9). Viewpoint: Patient narratives should be part of medical education. Retrieved from https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/patient-engagement/viewpoint-patient-narratives-should-be-part-of-medical-education.html.
Payne, S. (2017, May 19). 10 tips for boosting retention and performance in healthcare. Retrieved from https://whc.workhuman.com/healthcare-performance-lp.html.