Employee Engagement from the Patient’s Perspective

Anna Vordermark, MBA, CSMA, Marketing Manager

After working almost a year at Morehead, I have heard from dozens of clients and their frontline managers who share inspirational employee-engagement success stories. I've read the research and seen the data, and I'm a true believer that healthcare organizations are at their best when employees are empowered and involved in decisions that affect their work. This morning, in my bare feet and a drafty hospital gown, that intellectual knowledge was confirmed by a couple of highly-engaged Radiology Techs and an uncooperative MRI machine.

Thanks to a short-yet-exciting career as a high school athlete, I've had bad knees longer than I've had good knees. Today's early-morning MRI was nothing to fear, although I started to worry the third time my friendly MRI techs pulled me out of the tube for another round of curious looks and adjustments, coupled with smiles and confirmations that I wasn’t the problem.

At each lets-try-this-another-way intervention, these ladies were checking on my comfort, asking for my radio station preference, letting me know what they were trying to do, and otherwise practicing good patient-centered care. Knowing what I know about employee engagement, I found myself wondering how these techs would answer Morehead’s Workforce Commitment™ survey items: I get the tools and resources I need to provide the best care/service for our customers/patients and The amount of job stress I feel is reasonable.

While they never let me see them sweat, I found out later they were formulating a back-up plan while feverishly trying to contact the MRI manufacturer and service technician. The result of this behind-the-scenes work was that when it became evident that the fourth try was not the charm, the staff already had a Plan B ready for me. They had found a nearby sister facility who could fit me into their schedule and had already alerted the front desk to start cancelling the appointments following mine while the service tech was en route—all before 8 a.m.

My employee engagement mindset kicked in again, and I realized two more survey items that would probably score high in this department: Different work units work well together at my organization, and When appropriate, I can act on my own without asking for approval. At no time did my caregivers blame the MRI manufacturer, other staff-members, or in any way make me think they were powerless in the situation. They were the definition of grace under pressure.

Why was this experience such a big deal? They did their job, right? Here’s what you should know about me: I’m one of those people who Tweets and posts to Facebook about my customer experiences, even those involving my health. When I left the facility and got to my car to Tweet about “45 minutes in The Tube,” it was with a positive spin and genuine appreciation for the staff who helped me—not a tirade against the facility or the MRI manufacturer. Two highly engaged employees saved this patient’s experience today.

What is your organization’s service recovery policy? Are employees engaged and empowered to ensure positive patient experiences?

About the Author −As a member of Morehead’s Product Management group, Anna manages the marketing activities for Morehead’s Employee and Physician Engagement products. She has over 10 years of experience in healthcare marketing, patient education, and clinical operations. She is the vice president of Program Development for the Charlotte Chapter of the American Marketing Association and active with the American College of Healthcare Executives. Before joining Morehead, she managed North American marketing operations for a network of medical device manufacturers. Anna holds an MBA from UNC Charlotte and is a Certified Social Marketing Associate.