A little over a year ago, the hospital performed an employee satisfaction survey because of the perceived morale problems. This survey, in my opinion, was very revealing but again marginalized when presented to the Board. As a board member, I questioned the consulting firm about some of the data and the way it was being presented. I felt the results were poor yet they were describing it with a very positive spin.
The results were presented to the staff and employees in a fairly positive light even though I felt it validated some of the known problems. Since most everyone agreed there were problems before the survey took place and hence the reason for the survey, spinning the data in the positive direction fails to properly acknowledge and thereby fix the problems. I personally reviewed the data from the survey and some of the key indicators that came out of the survey are as follows. I believe the data speaks for itself.
It is of note that according to the consultant,
any value more than 5% above or below the database is considered statistically significant. I summarized the data and sent it to my fellow board members at the time and voiced my concerns. These are some of the key indicators the survey highlighted and in my opinion reflect some serious problems at FMHHS.
11% of total employees feel the hospital is not headed in a positive direction and of these, 69.7% feel it is because of the quality of leadership.
More than 43% of employees feel they cannot initiate an action to change things that need changed.
5% below databaseMore than 32% of employees feel that there is not effective leadership.
7.5% below databaseMore than 32 % are uncomfortable expressing their thoughts.
5.5% below database. Of these, 87% feel it doesn’t do any good; managers do not want to hear it, fear it will be used against them or fear there will be repercussions.
More than 44% feel they are not involved in decision making.
5% below database.
More than 32% feel that management is not fair to all associates.
7.7% below database31% feel management does not make sure problems are solved in their department.
6.7% belowMore than 43% stated that management does not ask for their input.
16.4% belowMore than 43% stated that management does not use their input.
15.1% belowMore than 36% feel that communication has not improved in the past 3 years in their departments
More than 40% feel that communication has not improved from Executive leadership
More than 48% feel that trust has not improved in the Leadership, 44% feel fairness has not improved, and 46% feel consistency has not improved.
Of the more than 10% who feels that the Floyd Memorial Way does not move the organization in a positive direction, more than 53% believe it is because the Leadership does not practice the Floyd Memorial Way.
What is more worrisome, in my opinion, is the fact that the breakdown in the Management Work Environment Index shows significant problem areas. This is very reflective of middle-management's view of Senior Leadership and is one of the reasons why the overall employee survey shows the problems in these areas. Examples as follows:
I feel appreciated for what I do.
5.7% below databaseSenior Leadership tries to be sensitive to each director/ manager’s individual situation.
10.1% below databaseAt FMHHS we have a smooth efficient way of getting the job done.
11.5% below databaseI am comfortable expressing my thoughts and opinions at FMHHS.
17.6% below databaseThe management council meetings are good for positive communications.
9.4% below databaseNew ideas are welcome in my division. 3.9% below database
I feel there is a strong sense of teamwork within the Management Council. 4.2% below database
Generally speaking, I am satisfied with my job in management at this organization. 4.5% below the database
My statements to the other Board members were as follows:
If our goal as a board for FMHHS is to be just barely average in employee satisfaction, physician satisfaction, work environment, and Leadership then I think we are successful.
If our goal is to move FMHHS forward in the 21st century to become the Regional Health Care facility and the preferred choice as stated in our mission, then I do not feel we are not on the correct path in any of the above areas and we will not financially survive in the long-run.
The response to the survey was to hire another consultant to help fix the problem. We had the opportunity to hire the consultant that worked with us on the strategic planning and who already had a good understanding of the issues, but if you will remember, she was discredited when some of the problems pointed at the CEO.
If you recall she spent 3 overnight retreat days in Henryville with many staff, physicians, 2 board members and several in administration and had a very close working relationship. She also spent several other days working on the project and she probably had the most knowledge of any consultant. She was not hired and a separate consultant with no knowledge of this was contracted.
I believe the survey supports the leadership style as one that is less than healthy. Many decisions are made out of fear. I believe the responsibility for this environment begins and continues because of the administration's style of management. In my opinion, the work environment will not change until there is leadership change.
Not having a physician on the Board because of Chuck Freiberger and John Resiert’s decision on reappointment prevents employees from having an advocate that they see and talk with every day. Concerns, morale and problems will not be identified or addressed because there is no one readily available who isn't afraid to confront the issues. There were many physicians willing to serve on the Board. Commissioners Freiberger and Reisert as well as the administration made no efforts to seek out other qualified individuals and should be held accountable for such a poor decision.
The Board was informed in December that a followup survey completed this year showed some tentative improvement in a few areas. But no statistical data has been compiled or given to the Board and how it still compared to the database standards was not offered. How the data will be spun is also a question based on my prior experience.