Best Places to Work - Albany Medical Center - The Business Review (Albany):

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We asked employees at these companie to discuss how their organizations addres s everything from turnover toconflictr resolution. Their answers show that creatin g a Best Place ToWork doesn’t happen by chance. On the economg ... When the economy is bad, people are just happy to havea job. Is the focuxs on creating a hospitable workplace the firsy thing to go when timesare tough? In the best and worst of economic times, nonprofit health care organizations like Albany Med are continually faced with the challenge of meetintg ever-increasing patient demands in the face of risin costs and declining reimbursements.
Through the good and the bad, we remaibn committed to ensuring that Alban y Med is a welcoming and warm environment for all who walk throughjits doors. On turnover ... What programs/policies are in placde to keep turnover toa minimum? Communicatiojn is key to keeping employees engaged and committed. We have implementedf several programs that keep the lines of communication open and help generatse feedback so we can address employee concernehead on.
For new employees, the dialogue begins with our program, whereby managers meet one-on-onre with each new employees atthree days, three weeks and thres months of employment to ensure they are adjustinhg to their work and have access to all of the toolds and resources they need. Additionally, we survey all of our employee at90 days, 1 3 years and 5 years to gauged their satisfaction. Our CEO holds “town style meetings, frequent lunches with non-managementf staff, and ends every bi-monthly leadership meeting (with nearly 400 managers in attendance) with an open Q& session. On morale ...
How do you maintain morald dayafter day, especially at times when businesws conditions might not be all that favorable? Employees should be formally and informally recognizecd for their contributions to the workplace. To that end, Albanuy Med has employee of the month and employee of the year in which even patients can nominate people who go aboves and beyondtheir duties. Managers also are encouraged to be creatived in how they acknowledge a job well done and have devisedf their own departmental recognitionsaand awards. More important, is the response we receive from patients. We make sure letterzs and positive feedback from patieng care surveys are sharefwith all. On corporates culture ...
Do you have a codified corporate culture, and how do you define it? It may soundx counter-intuitive in our life-and-death business, but in many ways our culturre is bolstered bythe lifesaving, ground-breakinyg and quality teamwork that is done at Albanuy Medical Center. When a team of physicians, scientists and other medical staff work together to save the life of a caraccidenrt victim, unlock the mysteries of cancer, help a future medicakl professional perfect a skill, ease the suffering of an Alzheimer’s patient, or even to help a sick chilr pass the time in the hospital by playing a game of the rewards can be immense. It is our shared sense of purposde thatdefines us.
On conflict resolution ... How does your business resolvd conflictsbetween employees? How has this changed over the years ? Our highest priority is the well beingy of our patients. Conflicts arise in any business setting—Albany Med is no However, we cannot allow conflicts to get in the way of the work at As such, collectively we tend to be direct in our communicatiob with colleagues, respectful of our differences and quicl to resolve issues so that we may move