NewYork-Presbyterian Creates a Culture of Respect Through Recognition

NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) is one of the nation’s most beloved academic healthcare systems. Founded nearly 250 years ago, New York-Presbyterian Hospital has a long legacy of medical breakthroughs and innovation and is ranked as the #1 hospital in New York and #5 in the nation on U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals” survey. They are continually improving the lives of not only the people they serve, but also the lives of their own employees.

As you enter the hallways of New York-Presbyterian, you are greeted by the words of their companywide credo: to create a culture of respect. Whether you are the CEO or the staff nurse, this credo rings true throughout the organization. Dr. Laura Forese is the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at NYP and knows that, though very rewarding, healthcare is tough business.

“Healthcare is a very rewarding business, but fundamentally it’s a tough business,” Dr. Forese says. “We can see tremendous amounts of burnout. One of the things that we know will really combat that is when people feel appreciated.”

To reinforce this respect credo, NYP needed a recognition vendor that understood their values and could help everyone, across the entire system, connect to those values every day.

A new way to recognize.

Before 2013, NYP had a recognition program that never truly mirrored the innovative and successful hospital that they are. It was static, not very fun, underutilized, and never fully represented the brand and values they’ve worked so hard to create. Not only that, but it was also not cost effective and felt more like a transaction than an experience.

Andrea Procaccino, Chief Learning Officer and the Vice President of Talent Development and Diversity, said that during their search for vendors, “none compared to the passion, the excitement, the fun, and the creativity of O.C. Tanner.”

NewYork-Presbyterian launched their service award program and later their recognition program with O.C. Tanner in 2015. By adding an easy-to-use and fun recognition program to their organization, they were ready to take their culture to the next level.

“Our platform is called Everyday Amazing,” Procaccino said, “because we at NYP say that this is where amazing things happen, and where amazing works, so we want to celebrate the everyday amazing things that happen here. We absolutely love working with O.C. Tanner. It has been a tremendous collaboration, with the key word there being collaboration.” 

Taking recognition on the go.

With 47,000 employees across their healthcare system, Kimberly Solop, Director of Recognition and Events, knew that recognition initiatives had to be accessible and easy to use. Through the mobile app, NYP employees all over the New York region can send eCards with points attached or nominate someone for a higher award level. They can also be rewarded through a number of communication plays throughout the year that tie points to things like blood drives and wellness fairs and referrals.

“[Our employees] really run the gamut of all sorts of different types of backgrounds,” Solop says, “but everybody has a smart phone nowadays. To be able to put it on your phone and give that recognition right then and there has been really great.”

The most successful way they have seen the program thrive is through Mobile Appreciation Stations. These stations travel around the hospitals across their different locations throughout the year. Employees and leaders can learn more about the power of a thank you through notecards, treats, and push reminders to log into the Every Day Amazing platform.

During one mobile appreciation station event, “a woman came downstairs at three in the morning,” shared Procaccino, “while we were wrapping up and she was holding this card with tears in her eyes and said, ’I've worked here for 25 years and no one has ever written such a heartfelt thank you to me. You don't understand how powerful this is.’”

When it comes to reinforcing that culture of respect, the team at NYP simultaneously reinforces a culture of appreciation through their program. They are constantly creating these moments for their employees so that they can in turn create those powerful moments for their patients and families.

“Our work with O.C. Tanner, the work we do about recognition, connects directly to that respect credo as a flow through of us really demonstrating that level of respect that our teams are asking for, which is acknowledgement for their great work every day.”
‍— Shaun Smith, Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer

The proof is in the data.

Since the launch of Everyday Amazing, NYP has seen incredible results year after year. They have reduced attrition in the hospital by three-digit percentage points, their recognition score on the Gallup Survey grew by statistically significant numbers each year, and their overall engagement in the organization has skyrocketed. Not only that, but their Great Places to Work survey data saw great results in areas such as leadership and feeling valued at work.

Since the program’s launch:

• Reduced attrition in the hospitals
• Gallup Survey recognition scores grew statistically each year
• Great Places to Work survey data showed great results in areas of leadership and feeling valued at work
  

Andrea believes that all of these results go hand-in-hand with their program which helps people feel respected, appreciated, and engaged in the culture: “When you drive engagement, that drives outcomes, it drives patient experience, it drives quality outcomes. So, to us, [appreciation and respect] is what makes us who we are, and it is what makes us one of the top hospitals in the country.”

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Outcomes are everything
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