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Atlantic Health System

Winning year: 2007, 2006
Industry: Hospitals/Healthcare
Location: Florham Park, NJ
URL: www.atlantichealth.org

Highlights of 2007 Winning Strategies

Atlantic Health retirees can return to work as a result of the "1000 Hour Club" which allows them to work on a limited basis with flexible scheduling (no more than 999 hours per calendar year) with no impact on retirement benefits. In addition, the hospital offers a free workshop on Medicare to employees, their spouses, parents, and grandparents.

Additional Policies and Practices:

• Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities: Atlantic Health offers many learning and development programs to its full- and part-time employees, such as tuition reimbursement, in-house classroom training, on-line training, and certification classes. Employees must work at least 19 hrs/week to be eligible for the tuition reimbursement program. In the past 12 months, 100% of Atlantic Health employees participated in at least one of the training opportunities offered with an average of 28 hours spent in training. Senior leadership, directors, and managers attend a Leadership Development Institute annually. Feedback from focus groups led to Atlantic Health enhancing employee benefits, including increased eldercare benefits such as eldercare workshops, Medicare workshops, ask-the-concierge service, addition of orthodontic coverage, domestic partner dental coverage, on site nurse practitioner, in-house prescription refills, and a catastrophic employee trust fund. They offer training opportunities that include the Patient Care Tech program and The MMH Cardiovascular School of Technology, as well as advanced training in medical surgical nursing for nurses. Atlantic Health also has a Transitional Duty Program for employees who are initially unable to return to their positions after injury or illness.
• Benefits/Health: Full- and part-time employees (working 22+ hrs/week) receive individual and family medical coverage, individual and family prescription drug coverage, and individual and family vision insurance. Those working 36+ hours per week receive individual and family dental insurance, as well as long-term disability. Full- and part-time employees are eligible for short-term disability with no minimum amount of hours required per week to receive this benefit. Health benefits for retirees pre-65 and 65+ include individual and spouse medical and drug coverage and individual life insurance or other death benefit coverage. Retirees pre-65 receive individual and spouse vision insurance. New hires are not eligible for the above benefits upon retirement. Atlantic Health offers an FSA account and free hospital/facility coverage including free lab and radiology services.
• Benefits/Financial: Atlantic Health offers a 403(b) retirement savings plan and a cash balance or other hybrid plan to its full- and part-time employees. Employees 50+ can make catch-up contributions to the 403(b) plan. The hospital has "Focus on Your Financial Future" workshops to assist with retirement and offers short-term time off without pay and long-term leave of absences without pay to allow for caregiving. The following wellness programs are offered to full- and part-time employees: flu shots, health screenings, health risk appraisals, smoking cessation programs, health club discounts, physical activity/exercise programs, weight loss programs, stress management training, and a sick-call clinic. Fifty percent of the employees have utilized at least one of the above wellness benefits in the past 12 months. The Wellness Rewards Plan gives employees American Express gift certificates if they have met their health and fitness goals. On site childcare, back-up care for childcare, and referral services to assist with childcare and eldercare are offered to full- and part-time employees.
• Benefits/Alternative Work Arrangements: Atlantic Health offers these alternative work arrangements to full- and part-time employees: flex time, compressed work schedules, job sharing, and telecommuting. Full-time employees can also take advantage of a formal phased retirement program and are eligible to move to part-time work on a permanent and temporary basis…
• Opportunities for Retirees: The hospital currently has 1,673 retirees and has an individual with direct responsibility for retiree relations. The hospital stays connected with its retirees by inviting them to organization events/celebrations and formally acknowledging retirees when they retire. The hospital offers retirees various work arrangements, such as temporary work assignments, consulting/contract work, telecommuting, and full- and part-time work.
• Age of Workforce: Thirty-one percent of Atlantic Health employees are 50+. The average tenure of employees age 50+ is 14.9 years.

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Winning Strategies 2006

Atlantic Health System offers its employees age 50+ a training program specifically designed to assist with preparing for a financially secure future. Thirty-one percent of the hospital’s employees are 50+.

Other Benefits:

• Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities: The hospital offers the following learning and development programs to its full and part-time employees: tuition reimbursement (9% used in past 12 months), in-house classroom training (75% used in past 12 months), on-line training (100% used in past 12 months), and certification classes (70% used in past 12 months). Part-time employees must work 19 hrs/week to be eligible for the tuition reimbursement program. Long-service anniversaries are celebrated with announcements, parties, awards and gifts.
• Benefits/Health: Full and part-time employees (working at least 22 hrs/week) receive individual and family medical coverage, individual and family prescription drug coverage, and individual and family vision insurance and short-term disability (no hourly requirement for short term disability). Full-time employees also receive individual and family dental insurance as well as long-term disability. 27% of employees are enrolled in the individual medical and prescription drug coverage plan, and vision plan with 21% in the individual dental insurance program. 38% of employees are enrolled in employee and family medical insurance, employee and family prescription drug coverage, and employee and family vision insurance plans. 31% are enrolled in the employee and family dental insurance program. 100% of employees are enrolled in the short term disability program while only 23% are enrolled in long term disability. Health benefits for retiree’s pre-65 include individual as well as spouse medical and drug coverage, and vision insurance as well as individual life insurance or other death benefit. Retirees 65+ receive individual as well as spouse medical and drug coverage as well as individual life insurance or other death benefit coverage. The hospital offers a health flexible spending account.
• Benefits/Financial: The hospital offers a 401(k) plan, as well as a cash balance or other hybrid plan to its full and part-time employees. Employees age 50+ can make ‘catch-up’contributions. The hospital offers on-site child care (used by 3% of employees in past 12 months), referral services to assist with child care (used by 1% of employees in past 12 months), and referral services to assist with elder care (used by 1% of employees in past 12 months). The on-site child care service and the child care referral service are offered to employees to use for their grandchildren. The hospital offers free workshops for employees to help them deal with the responsibility of taking care of older relatives. The following wellness programs are offered to full and part-time employees: flu shots, health screenings, health risk appraisals, smoking cessation programs, heath club discounts, exercise programs, weight loss programs, and stress management training programs.
• Benefits/Alternative Work Arrangements: The hospital offers the following alternative work arrangements to its full-time employees: flex time (80% participation), compressed work schedules (80% participation), job sharing (5% participation), telecommuting (5% participation), and a formal phased retirement program (5% participation). Full-time employees are eligible to move to part-time work on a permanent and temporary basis. The hospital’s phased retirement program allows the employee to change from full-time to part-time to temporary status before they retire.
• Opportunities for Retirees: The hospital currently has 1,487 retirees. There is an individual who has a direct responsibility for retiree relations. The hospital stays connected with its retirees by inviting retirees to organization events/celebrations, and formally acknowledging retirees on the occasion of their retirement. Retirees are offered the following work arrangements: temporary work assignments consulting/ contract work, telecommuting, and part-time work.
• Age of Workforce: Thirty-one percent of the hospital’s employees are 50+. Fourteen percent of the hospital’s past twelve month new hires are 50+. The average tenure of employees age 50+ is 12.9 years.