Sometimes a job is more than just a job, and salaries may not be the overriding attraction. At some organizations, employees feel they are compelled by a higher purpose as they serve the community or customers.
Using some key measures, the management of Presbyterian Homes, a group of nonprofit retirement communities in the Chicago area, has developed a successful formula for galvanizing its employees. Consider, for example, that 62 percent of new job referrals at Presbyterian Homes' largest and oldest campus in Evanston, Ill. come from current employees, and more than one in five workers maintains perfect attendance. It's the kind of place where employees bring their own cakes to celebrate their anniversaries.
Presbyterian Homes has been serving older adults from a variety of economic, social and spiritual backgrounds for nearly 100 years. In particular, their mission to provide health care, housing and other services for seniors with limited means is what attracts many employees. Even with that draw, management understands the importance of constantly rethinking and refreshing the programs that stoke employee commitment.
For years Presbyterian Homes has circulated its "Commitment to Excellence" credo among new employees. The document details the basic principles of expected behavior from friendliness to proper dress. One way the organization ensures that the commitment truly takes hold is through a variety of relatively low-cost recognition programs that are continually being tweaked, tinkered with, or overhauled. These programs range from a weeklong celebration with various themed parties and meals to special kudos for performance.
The purpose of these programs is to re-enforce the overriding business mission of delivering high-quality service by positively rewarding employees. "Recognition supports the existing culture," says Trudy Bunge, vice president of human resources. But programs can grow stale. "To keep the positive momentum going, you need to re-energize programs with new names and new formats," Bunge says.
At Presbyterian Homes, management encourages bottom-up ideas for new recognition programs and allows for wide or narrow reach. Programs may stretch across all three campuses, take root at one campus or apply only to a single department. Consider the year-long gestation for a new program at the Evanston campus called "Kindness Counts," designed to provide a fresh spark to customer service. Bonnie Lockhart, a nursing education coordinator, came up with the program name when she and her colleagues were trying to answer the question: "How can we heighten awareness of customer service and employee recognition among staff, families, residents and visitors?"
The simplicity of the program is part of the appeal. A 20-member Kindness Counts committee, predominately made up of line staff, encouraged employees to nominate peers who had performed a kind deed. Nominees' names were to be dropped in suggestion boxes located around campus. Committee members advertised the program through bulletin board postings, fliers and a sticker campaign. Within the first month, 50 employees had been nominated for kind acts such as returning a wallet with $80 to its owner and taking a visitor on a stroll through the campus greenhouse. Ten winners were selected from the pool of nominees and presented with $25 gift certificates.
All the nominees were recognized with a letter in their employee file. For Presbyterian Homes' residents, Kindness Counts sends a clear message that "we very much care how they are treated," Lockhart says. For the retirement community's employees the message is much the same: Recognition demonstrates that they are equally valued community members.
Company: Presbyterian Homes
Web site: www.presbyterianhomes.org
Industry: Nonprofit retirement and health care
Location: Evanston, Ill.
Number of employees: 950
Sales: N/A
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