Inside Duke Medicine

Values to point the way throughout HR Life Cycle

DUHS managers are participating in values-focused training.

From the selection and orientation of new employees to training offered during one’s career through critical conversations between manager and employee concerning job performance, DUHS values will be woven into every stage of the professional experience.

Commonly referred to as the HR Life Cycle, this continuous process offers important touch points throughout each employee’s career where common values reinforce the importance of every individual to the success of the health system.

“Individual entities historically have had values in place, but what’s going to be different is the consolidation of these into a common set of values, and a concerted effort to make sure everyone across the health system understands how to live them through daily job duties,” said Steve Smith, chief human resources officer, DUHS. “These values will guide our actions and decision-making, and this will be continuously emphasized by HR processes and procedures.”

Rather than working with values adapted for each task or functional team, Smith said, values-based behaviors will be encouraged across the entire health system.

“We’ll be doing much more than talking about values,” Smith added. “The values will serve as a compass to guide our behaviors as they are incorporated into every phase of the employment experience.”

Smith emphasized that the values should be introduced and considered when evaluating any prospective candidate for a position and strongly reinforced through the orientation and on-boarding process for all new hires.

For all DUHS employees, the values will be replacing the current behavioral examples that comprise half of the performance review template. While the behaviors varied across entities and positions in the past, the new DUHS values will provide a common set of standards by which everyone will be evaluated.

The strong connection of values to the Human Resources function will encourage employees to be their best while ensuring that the core beliefs and essential identity of the health system are built upon the highest standards.

View the complete pdf of the  Sept. 2011 Inside Duke Medicine or click through the articles online.