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Durham Regional Hospital

Winning year: 2007
Industry: Hospitals/Healthcare
Location: Durham, NC
URL: www.durhamregional.org

Highlights of 2007 Winning Strategies

Durham Regional Hospital (DRH) designed its "Return to Work Program" for the retiree nurse community but it is also applicable to other areas of the hospital. The program offers financial preparedness for the retiree, full retirement benefit continuation, flexible hours, competitive pay, ergonomically sensitive programs, mentoring opportunities, and continued professional contributions.

Additional Policies and Best Practices

• Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities: Durham Regional Hospital offers in-house classroom training and on-line training to its full- and part-time employees. Full-time employees working at least 30 hours per week with two or more years of continuous service are eligible for the tuition reimbursement program. Employees working at least 20 hours per week also qualify for certification classes. In the past 12 months, 100 percent of hospital's employees participated in at least one training opportunity with an average of 20 training hours. Employee requests have prompted many improvements in employee benefits, such as a new tuition reimbursement program providing $5,000 per year for job-related education, increased funding for employees to attend workshops and seminars, and an enhanced Nurse Clinical Ladder and a new Radiology Career Ladder. In addition, employee requests led DRH to start various recognition programs, and to develop the "Rewards and Recognition Tool Kit" manual. Employees gain new experiences within the hospital by participating in temporary assignments in other departments through float pools, team projects, and job rotations.
• Benefits/Health: Full- and part-time employees (working 20+ hrs/week) receive individual and family medical coverage, individual and family prescription drug coverage, individual and family vision and dental insurance, and individual and family long-term care insurance. Employees working at least 30 hours a week receive short- and long-term disability insurance. Health benefits for retirees pre-65 and 65+ include individual as well as spouse medical and drug coverage and dental insurance, as well as life insurance or other death benefit coverage. New hires are eligible for all of these benefits upon retirement. In addition, individual and spouse long-term care insurance is offered to retirees upon retirement. DRH's FSA plan assists employees with out-of-pocket health care costs.
• Benefits/Financial: Durham Regional Hospital offers a 403(b) retirement savings plan (with employer match) as well as a defined-benefit plan to its full- and part-time employees. Other than employer match, DRH encourages employees to participate in the 403(b) plan by offering employees the option to choose to invest in lifecycle funds, and employees 50+ can make catch-up contributions. Employees receive financial planning information from the financial services firm that administers their 403(b) plan. Speakers come to DRH's financial fitness week and retirement planning workshops, and can schedule one-on-one meetings. The organization offers employees long-term leaves of absence without pay to allow for caregiving.
  
  Full- and part-time employees can take advantage of the following wellness programs: flu shots, health screenings, health risk appraisals, smoking cessation programs, health club discounts, physical activity/exercise programs, weight loss programs, and stress management training. Teams compete in the "Hike to Health," an interdepartmental walking challenge. DRH also offers to its full- and part-time employees referral services to assist with childcare and eldercare. The Duke Family Support Program provides help with Alzheimer's disease, memory disorders, and eldercare decisions.
• Benefits/Alternative Work Arrangements: DRH offers varied alternative work arrangements to its full- and part-time employees: flextime, compressed work schedules, job sharing, telecommuting, and a formal phased retirement program. The phased retirement program offers various options, such as moving from full-time status to part-time status and still accruing benefits toward retirement, moving from full- or part-time status to retirement and still working 19 hours per week without forfeiting benefits, or changing status to 20 hours per week and still receiving employer contribution toward health benefits for any employee who has worked 20 years. Full-time employees are eligible to move to part-time work on a permanent or temporary basis.
• Opportunities for Retirees: DRH currently has 320 retirees. An individual has direct responsibility for retiree relations. The hospital stays in touch with its retirees by communicating regularly with them, including them in events, providing them with ongoing access to retirement information, and formally acknowledging them when they retire. DRH offers retirees temporary work assignments and consulting/contract work, as well as full- and part-time work.
• Age of Workforce: Thirty percent of DRH employees are 50+. The average tenure of employees age 50+ is 14 years.