Optimizing Employee Engagement during the Pandemic

Huntsville Hospital recognized the need to boost employee engagement and morale during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Many hospital staff struggled with the onset of this disease, coping with learning to care for their patients while keeping themselves and their loved ones safe. As employee morale plummeted during the first wave, the leadership team quickly took notice. Senior leaders created an engagement workgroup which included; human resources, patient experience, hospital foundation, and the employee assistance program to develop engagement strategies for our organization. Pat Jackson, director of patient experience and advocacy, is charged with creating and leading engagement activities for the hospital staff while the employee assistance department launched tactics that would help to improve the employee’s mental wellness. Though we have always focused on engagement, Pat said it was evident we needed to turn things up a notch.

Pat recognizes the importance of employee buy-in and feedback for initiatives to have credibility with front-line staff and other employees. Pat and her team believe in helping staff understand their importance to the organization. Pat states, “we have to take excellent care of our staff so that they can take excellent care of our patients.” During the pandemic, they have increased their efforts to help staff deal with the pressures of their new normal. The patient experience team started by creating a meditation room for staff to visit during quieter times. They decorated a classroom by removing all tables and chairs, creating an ambiance for staff to relax, and hired a masseuse to provide massages— all unit directors were scheduled an appointment initially. The objective was to take care of our leaders so that they could better lead the staff. 

Later, they allowed their staff to schedule time for a massage. To increase participation, they could add their names to a drawing to win prizes; as one can imagine, this initiative was a big hit.

Throughout the pandemic, the patient experience team maintained a positive attitude and worked tirelessly to ensure all employees felt appreciated. They continuously focus on boosting staff morale and improving employee engagement by coordinating fun activities such as pizza deliveries to units/departments, providing free lunch with “Food Truck Fridays,” and hosting break room takeovers, filling the room with decorations, games, and snacks. Additional emphasis is placed on leaders using their recognition and recovery kits, a resource the patient experience team provides to each unit/department with appreciation items for staff and families. Objects such as pins, badge lanyards, and cards to celebrate a specific occasion, i.e., birthdays, job-well-done, workaversaries, thank you, etc., are also included in the kit. The team also supports the hospital’s diversity and inclusion efforts and plans holiday celebration activities to support Christmas, Hannakuk, and Kwanzaa. The goal is for everyone who works for Huntsville Hospital to feel included, valued and appreciated. They celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with their mascot, Piper the Pickle, held a Mardi Gras parade, and created an Instagram page for Piper to support their everyday heroes. During hospital week in May, they celebrated by hosting food trucks throughout the entire week and also providing prizes and games. Elevating the mood with these events in the units and maintaining a cheerful outlook has gone a long way in keeping staff satisfaction high, which helps keep patient satisfaction high. The hospitals engagement scores have seen growth, which is attributed to the excellent leadership team and the commitment of the employees. Pat stated that while we may not know when things will get back to the way they used to be, one thing that we have learned is that keeping our staff connected and engaged is more important than it has ever been.