Last week, FORTUNE magazine released its annual list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. This year, 12 companies in the healthcare industry made the list and a few of them shared some insights with Healthcare Finance News on why employees enjoy working for them.
The Everett Clinic, located in Washington, made the list this year in the 58th position, up 29 places from their ranking last year at 87. This is the clinic’s third time making the list, and according to Rochelle Crollard, the Everett Clinic’s associate administrator of human resources, there are a number of reasons why she believes the clinic has continued to move up on the list each year.
“Our CEO calls it our secret sauce – it’s our own people that make the Everett Clinic successful,” she said. “We have made a commitment to becoming a best place to work and it’s the people that create this work environment – treating people with courtesy and respect with a team-oriented atmosphere and where patients are really cared for. A good work environment helps us do the best we can for our patients.”
Crollard added that the Everett Clinic has a referral bonus program that pays employees up to $10,000 for referring applicants who are hired at the clinic, as well as conducting their own workplace survey and a senior leadership-written blog for employees to read, interact with and ask questions.
Scripps Health in San Diego made the list for the sixth year in a row – this year at number 43. Chris Van Gorder, Scripps Health president and CEO, attributes making the list to their comprehensive wellness program for employees that provides wellness assessments, screenings, healthy living programs, on-site classes and health-related workshops. Scripps also has multiple educational opportunities for employees, including the Scripps Center for Learning & Innovation, which has courses to drive talent and leadership development, performance solutions, educational scholarships and loans, and tuition reimbursement.
“Scripps is at the forefront of changing how we deliver healthcare due to healthcare reform and the economy, and employees are fully engaged in this process by suggesting and implementing process improvements,” said Van Gorder. “In late 2010, I initiated a major strategic move: a proactive new co-management structure designed to prepare Scripps to meet these challenges head-on while continuing to provide superior quality care to patients and the community.”
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., has also been recognized on the list for the third consecutive year. This year, the hospital made the list at number 52.
According to a St. Jude’s press release, hospital employees consistently rank the strong connection to the St. Jude mission and the pride they have in working for the cause of finding cures and saving children as a top benefit.
“Our 50 years of progress has come from teamwork, and our employees know that regardless of which department they work in, they are valued and they understand their efforts contribute directly to achieving our mission,” said William E. Evans, St. Jude director and CEO, in a written statement. “They come to work each day knowing the institution is committed to making this a place where they can do their best work because our mission is enormously challenging.”
To choose the 100 Best Companies to Work For, FORTUNE partners with the Great Place to Work Institute. More than 277,000 employees at 259 firms participated in this year’s survey.