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Lee Memorial Health System

Winning years: 2007, 2006, 2005
Industry: Hospitals/Healthcare
Location: Fort Myers, FL
URL: www.leememorial.org

Highlights of 2007 Winning Strategies

Lee Memorial Health System offers employees the opportunity to leave work gradually by working flexible hours and requiring less responsibility. Many long-term employees transition to part-time positions, work-reduced hours, compressed workweeks, job share, and work-temporary schedules. The Seasonal Months Off program allows employees to work six months and be off for six months, yet maintain full benefits.

Additional Policies and Practices

• Recruiting: Lee Memorial uses senior placement agencies to target mature workers and retirees.
• Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities: To its full- and part-time employees, Lee Memorial offers the following learning and development programs: tuition reimbursement, in-house classroom training, on-line training, certification classes, and older adult sensitivity training. Employees must work at least 16 hrs/week to be eligible for the tuition reimbursement program. In the past 12 months, 90% of Lee Memorial's employees participated in at least one of the training opportunities with an average of 3.4 hours spent in training. In the past three years, Lee Memorial has made these improvements to employee benefits as a result of the employee opinion survey: enhanced retirement plan; free employee-health clinics; increased tuition reimbursement; raised funding for scholarships; new in-house, mail-order pharmacy; and expansion of the health advocacy program and transitional work program. Lee Memorial offers a nurse refresher program with a $1,000 reimbursement for tuition and books, and the Transitional Work Program offers special accommodations for those who are temporarily or permanently disabled.
• Benefits/Health: Full- and part-time employees (working 16+ hrs/week), receive individual and family medical coverage, individual and family prescription drug coverage, individual and family vision and dental insurance, individual and family long-term care insurance, and short- and long-term disability. Health benefits for retirees pre-65 and 65+ include individual medical and drug coverage, individual and spouse long-term care insurance, EAP services, and individual and spouse life insurance or other death benefit coverage. New hires are not eligible for all the above benefits upon retirement. Lee Memorial offers an FSA account. Employees, including retirees, are offered discounted rates to the on-campus fitness centers and access to on site free Employee Health centers.
• Benefits/Financial: Lee Memorial offers a 403(b) plan to its full- and part-time employees, and full-time employees receive a match to the 403(b) program. Lee Memorial also allows employees to invest in lifecycle funds and allows employees 50+ to make catch-up contributions. The company retains the full-time services of an on site, licensed, independent consultant to provide retirement planning and basic financial planning services. Educational seminars are also held throughout the year to assist in retirement planning. Lee Memorial offers paid time off specifically for caregiving and short-term time off without pay and long-term leave of absence without pay for caregiving. Depending on their years of service, long-term employees (10-20 years or 20+ years) also receive an extra 90 or 180-day extension beyond FMLA guidelines. Lee Memorial offers these wellness programs 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, and stress management training. The Share Club provides help in filing medical claims, exercise and yoga classes, and discount prescription drug and vision programs. Employees also have access to free on site Employee Health Centers. Lee Memorial offers on site childcare, back-up care for childcare, and referral services to assist with childcare and eldercare to its full- and part-time employees.
• Benefits/Alternative Work Arrangements: Lee Memorial offers full- and part-time employees flex-time, compressed work schedules, job sharing, telecommuting, and a formal phased retirement program. Full-time employees are eligible to move to part-time work on a permanent and temporary basis.
• Opportunities for Retirees: Lee Memorial currently has 736 retirees and an individual directly responsible for retiree relations. The company stays connected to its retirees by communicating regularly, inviting them to organization events/celebrations, providing ongoing access to retirement planning workshops/information, and formally acknowledging them when they retire. Lee Memorial offers retirees temporary work assignments, consulting/contract work, telecommuting, and full- and part-time work. Many retirees become members of Share Club, which provides senior health activities, resources, and education free to those ages 50+.
• Age of Workforce: Thirty-seven percent of Lee Memorial employees are 50+. The average tenure of employees age 50+ is 14 years.

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Winning Strategies 2006

Lee Memorial Health System offers a wide range of flexible work options, including part-time work, compressed work weeks, job sharing, temporary work schedules, and phased retirement. It has two programs that enable workers to take time off and still maintain their benefits. One of these programs is the 'seasonal months off' (SMO) program. The SMO program provides for up to six months off during the slow season (typically in the summer months). This program is available to full-time and part-time workers. During SMO, employees are able to continue their health, dental, vision, life and long-term care insurance at the same rate the employee was paying for these benefits before the SMO. Another unique program is the 'reduced schedule' program, which allows workers to reduce the number of hours they work up to six months. Employees in this program typically stay in the Southwest Florida area and are able to come to work, if needed (with at least a 24-hour notice). Employees in this program continue to receive their full benefits, as well as accrue paid-time-off (PTO) for hours worked.

Other Benefits:

• Recruiting: Lee Memorial uses Senior Placement agencies to target mature workers or retirees.
• Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities: Lee Memorial offers the following learning and development programs to its full and part-time employees (working at least 16 hrs/week); tuition reimbursement (8% used in past 12 months), in-house classroom training, on-line training, and certification classes. In 2005, Lee Memorial paid over $621,000 in educational assistance benefits. Long-service anniversaries are celebrated with announcements, parties, and awards. The following improvements have been made in the past three years due to results from employee opinion surveys: enhanced retirement plan, established free employee health clinics, increased tuition reimbursement, implemented market-pay adjustments, increased number of graduate nurse internships and supported nurse refresher program, and expanded the health advocacy program which is widely used by those age 50+.
• Benefits/Health: Full and part-time employees (working at least 16 hrs/week) receive individual and family medical coverage, individual and family prescription drug coverage, individual and family vision insurance, individual and family dental insurance, individual and family long-term care insurance as well as short and long-term disability. 87% of employees are enrolled in the individual medical and drug coverage plans while 63% of employees are enrolled in the employee and family medical and drug coverage plans. 24% of employees are enrolled in the individual vision plan, 17% in the employee and family vision plan, 30% in the individual dental plan, 21% in the employee and family dental plan, 53% in the individual long-term care plan, 9% in the employee and family long-term care plan, 84% in the short-term disability plan, and 78% in the long-term disability plan. Health benefits for retiree’s pre-65 and 65+ include individual medical and prescription drug coverage, individual as well as spouse long-term care insurance, EAP services, and individual and spouse life insurance or other death benefit coverage. Lee Memorial offers a health flexible spending account.
• Benefits/Financial: Lee Memorial offers a 403(b) retirement savings plan to its full and part-time employees. 403(b) match after one year of service is 5% if the employee is contributing 5%. If the employee is contributing 4%-5%, match is 80%, if – 3%-4%, match is 60% etc. Employees age 50+ can make ‘catch-up’ contributions and may choose to invest in lifecycle funds for their 403(b) account. Lee Memorial offers on-site child care services which are available to employee’s children as well as their grandchildren. 7% of employees have used the on-site child care center in the past 12 months. 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, exercise programs, weight loss programs, and stress management training. 67% of employees have utilized at least one of the above wellness benefits in the past 12 months.
• Benefits/Alternative Work Arrangements: Lee Memorial offers the following alternative work arrangements to its full and part-time employees: flex time, compressed work schedules, job sharing, telecommuting, and a formal phased retirement program. Full-time employees are eligible to move to part-time work on a permanent and temporary basis. Lee Memorial offers paid time off that is specifically designated for care giving.
• Opportunities for Retirees: Lee Memorial currently has 491 retirees. There is an individual who has a direct responsibility for retiree relations. Lee Memorial stays connected with its retirees by communicating on a regular basis with the retirees, inviting retirees to organization events/celebrations, providing retirees with ongoing access to retirement planning workshops, and formally acknowledging retirees on the occasion of their retirement.
• Age of Workforce: Thirty-five percent of Lee Memorial’s employees are 50+. Nineteen percent of Lee Memorial’s past twelve month new hires are 50+. The average tenure of employees age 50+ is 14 years.