Inside Duke Medicine

Let your voice be heard, take the Work Culture Survey

Cartoon by Josh Taylor

Cartoon by Josh Taylor

How do you rate the work culture at Duke University Health System?

From May 26 - June 5, Duke University Health System and Private Diagnostic Clinic employees can answer this question through the annual Work Culture Survey.

Read below for information to help you get ready to participate in this important team effort.

1. Participate in the 2009 Work Culture Survey

Watch for an email invitation with a link to the online survey. Employees will receive the email during the last week of May.

Ask your manager about alternatives methods for taking the survey if you don’t have access to email.
Choose your language. The survey is offered in English and Spanish.
Voice your opinion. The survey has approximately 55 questions and should take 20 minutes or less to complete.
Be assured that your responses are anonymous. To better understand how various groups of employees respond, the survey will ask for information on age, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, job category and years of service. All survey responses, including demographic data, will remain anonymous.

2. Let your voice be heard

How do you rate the work culture at Duke University Health System? From May 26 to June 5, you can answer this question through the annual Work Culture Survey.

“The Work Culture Survey is one of several tools we use to measure how well we are doing as a health system,” said Steve Smith, chief human resources officer for DUHS. He noted that other surveys, such as those on patient safety, patient satisfaction, and nursing also help monitor the vitality of the health system.

“The leadership of the Health System is committed to using the data we collect from these tools to analyze where we can be more effective, stay focused on our values, and hold each other accountable for those things we say are important,” Smith said.

The Work Culture Survey focuses on how employees view the workplace: Are there opportunities to grow and develop? Does your work contribute to high-quality care or service? Do you receive recognition for your efforts? Do the benefits meet your needs?

Last year, over 80 percent of DUHS employees participated in the survey, giving a remarkably complete picture of how staff view the health system.

To make taking the survey as convenient as possible, eligible DUHS and PDC employees will receive an invitation by email. (Faculty and staff of the schools of Medicine and Nursing do not participate in the DUHS Work Culture Survey.) The email will include a link to the online survey, available in English or Spanish. You can take the survey at work or at home, from any computer that has Internet access. Employees who do not have email access can find a direct link to the survey on the DUHS Intranet at http://staff.dukehealth.org

The survey is administered by Morehead Associates, a private vendor, to ensure anonymity of survey responses. Morehead Associates will tabulate all results and return only summary data to the health system, thus ensuring that no one can know how an individual answered the questions.

The leadership of DUHS will use the summary data to assess our progress since last year and identify areas for improvement at the health system level and within each entity.

3. Fact or Fiction?

Claim: My supervisor will know how I responded.

Fiction. The survey is anonymous. All data goes directly to Morehead Associates. Only summary data is returned to DUHS. Morehead Associates uses data collected on gender, ethnicity, years of service, etc only to help determine how large groups of employees are responding – not to determine the identity of an individual.

Claim: The survey results are only used for reporting.

Fiction: The work culture survey is a primary tool for DUHS leadership to determine what priorities to focus on. In past years, follow-up on data from the Work Culture Survey has led to a focus on manager development, changes in benefits and pay structure, clinical ladders, and other improvements. A high participation rate ensures that everyone’s voice is reflected in the summary data.

Claim: The questions are the same, year after year.

Fiction. While certain questions on the survey remain consistent each year to see how perceptions change over time, DUHS adds or deletes other questions each year. This year, many new questions are being added that will provide a point of comparison with other hospitals and health systems.

4. What’s Different? A brief history of work culture changes at DUHS
Below are some milestones of the work culture at DUHS. Many of these changes were initiated by data collected through the Work Culture Survey and other employee engagement. While every initiative may not have directly impacted every employee, collectively these efforts have helped create a better work environment for all employees.

2009

• Tuition Assistance Program expanded to $5,250 per calendar year for tuition related to an employee’s job and/or continued career growth at Duke when documented as part of the employee’s professional development plan.

• Memorial Day added as a designated holiday, which means that DUHS employees working on Memorial Day receive holiday pay.

• Durham Regional Hospital and Duke Raleigh Hospital join Duke Hospital in achieving Magnet™ designation for excellence in nursing. DUHS is the only hospital system in the Triangle with all hospitals receiving Magnet designation.

• LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke’s employee wellness program, extended to all three hospitals within DUHS.

2008

• Duke@Work, the self-service Web site for employees, was introduced to offer staff the ability to log in, view, and make changes to their personnel information.

• Duke introduced the Employee Kick-Off Celebration, which drew thousands of staff and family members to Duke’s first home football game.

• Health Care Reimbursement card introduced to offer a convenient way to pay for eligible health care expenses at the point of sale.

• Co-pay for insulin and some other diabetic supplies lowered from $35 to generic rate of $10, a savings of more than 70 percent.

• Recognition programs introduced across DUHS entities, including “Thanks,” Strength, Hope and Caring; Spirited Leader Award, and DHTS Stars.

• Training programs debut, including diversity and Just Culture.

2007

• New Employee Tuition Assistance Program offered that reimburses staff for up to $5,000 per calendar year for tuition related to an employee’s job and/or continued career growth at Duke when documented as part of the employee’s professional development plan.

• Nursing Tuition Assistance Program introduced to cover 90 percent of tuition for study toward a master’s degree or post-master’s degree certificate at the Duke University School of Nursing.

• DUHS and its entities named a “Best Place to Work” by several organizations, including ComputerWorld, AARP, The Scientist, N.C. Nurses Association, and Carolina Parent, among others.

• Nursing referral program increased to provide a $5,000 bonus to reward staff for referring nurses who are hired into one of the DUHS hospitals.

2006

• Professional Development Institute starts First Time Supervisor Program.

• Vision care plan introduced.

• Expanded smoking cessation options offered for employees and spouses/same sex partners.

2005

• Duke established new starting pay rate of $10 per hour.

• DUHS implemented final phase of the Pay & Performance initiative by introducing a new pay structure and policies to create consistency in how jobs are categorized and pay is administered across the Health System.

• Hurricane Katrina Vacation/PTO Donation Program allowed employees to donate accrued vacation or paid time off to those employees who volunteered for organized disaster relief efforts or who supported immediate family members affected by the hurricane.

2004

• Guidelines for planning and managing flexible work options introduced.

• Severe Weather Child Care program introduced to provide eligible staff employed by participating entities with quality and convenient child care when Duke’s severe weather policy is activated.

• Low-cost health plan, Duke Basic, introduced to expand health insurance options.

2003

• On-site child care expanded at Duke Children’s Campus to double center’s capacity.

• Personal Benefits Statements and financial planning tools made available online through the new Retirement Manager Web site.

• Financial Fitness Week introduced to help employees with financial planning.

• New Parental Leave benefit introduced to provide up to three weeks of paid leave to staff following birth or adoption.

• Temporary financial support extended to help employees and their families when called up for active military service.

2002

• Professional Development Institute created to enhance internal staff promotions.

• Private Diagnostic Clinic and Durham Regional Hospital implement Clinical Ladder for registered nurses.

2001

• Employee advisory groups created at three hospitals to provide feedback on Human Resources initiatives.

• Pay and Performance study initiated to design new approach for compensation that aligns goals and creates a stronger link between pay and individual performance.

• Duke University Hospital implements new Clinical Ladder for registered nurses.

2000

• Action teams created for Rewards & Recognition and Opportunities for Learning & Development to develop recommendations for improvements.

• Online enrollment for benefits introduced.

• Guide to Managing at DUHS introduced.

1999

• Duke University Health System established and first Work Culture Survey conducted.

More information about the Work Culture Survey is available on the DUHS intranet site at: http://staff.dukehealth.org