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LRMC/TVRH

Winning year: 2007, 2006
Industry: Hospitals/Healthcare
Location: Leesburg, FL
URL: www.leesburgregional.org

Highlights of 2007 Winning Strategies

LRMC/TVRH has very flexible staffing options such as pool or PRN (work as needed), premium pool (work a more committed schedule), full- or part-time non-benefited, weekend flex, summers off, leave options, telecommuting, job sharing, and flex hours to attract and retain employees. The Caring & Sharing committee helps employees experiencing a financial setback.

Additional Policies and Practices:

• Recruiting: LRMC/TVRH uses senior placement agencies to target mature workers and retirees. Since The Villages Regional Hospital (TVRH) is in the heart of a retirement community, they can recruit retired/mature workers by attending events in town square and by providing part-time benefits and flexible scheduling options.
• Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities: LRMC/TVRH offers these learning and development programs to its full- and part-time employees: tuition reimbursement, in-house classroom training, on-line training, and certification classes. Employees must work at least 20 hrs/week to be eligible for the tuition reimbursement program. In the past 12 months, 100% of the employees participated in at least one of the training opportunities with an average of eight hours spent in training. Based on feedback from the employee opinion survey, LRMC/TVRH returned the Sick Childcare program and added multiple shift options for better scheduling and flexible work options. Senior leadership participates in job trading with team members from different departments. LRMC/TVRH offers accommodations/job redesigns such as modified work hours, job change, new equipment for hearing-impaired employees, and special parking privileges.
• 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, individual and family long-term care insurance, and short- and long-term disability. LRMC/TVRH also offers a health flexible spending account.
• Benefits/Financial: LRMC/TVRH offers a 401(k) plan to its full- and part-time employees and a match to the program. In addition, all new hires may automatically enroll in the plan, employees may 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 401(k) and from external experts not associated with the 401(k). In addition, financial information is offered via a 24-hour phone line, and computer access is available. "Team Member Perks" give discounts to local financial planners. Several leave options are available for time off as needed, and employees may take up to six months off with extensions beyond that with special circumstance and approval. Also available are flexible scheduling and telecommuting. Full- and part-time employees are offered numerous wellness programs, including flu shots, health screenings, health risk appraisals, smoking cessation programs, health club discounts, physical activity/exercise programs, weight loss programs, and stress management training. In the past twelve months, 94% of employees have utilized at least one of the above benefits. During hospital week, free lab work is offered to employees. The company also offers on site childcare, on site eldercare, back-up care for childcare, back-up care for eldercare, and referral services to assist with childcare and eldercare to full- and part-time employees.
• Benefits/Alternative Work Arrangements: These alternative work arrangements are offered to 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. The phased retirement program allows employees to adjust their schedules and work status, and the summers-off program lets them work part of the year and have summer months off.
• Opportunities for Retirees: The company currently has 792 retirees and has an individual directly responsible for retiree relations. The company stays connected with its retirees by inviting them to organization events/celebrations, providing ongoing access to retirement planning workshops/information, and formally acknowledging retirees when they retire. The company also offers retirees temporary work assignments, consulting/contract work, telecommuting, and full-time and part-time work.
• Age of Workforce: Thirty-eight percent of LRMC/TVRH employees are 50+. The average tenure of employees age 50+ is 10 years.

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Winning Strategies 2006

LRMC/TVRH offers numerous creative flexible work options to ensure their staffing needs are filled. These options include part-time, pool, weekend flex, summers off, telecommuting, job sharing, and flex hours. Senior leadership participate in ‘trading jobs’ with team members from different departments. This enables both the senior leader and the team member to shadow one another and learn from each other.

Other Benefits:

• Recruiting: The Villages Hospital (TVRH) is located in a retirement community and attracts the retired/mature workforce by providing part time benefits as well as flexible scheduling options.
• Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities: LRMC/TVRH offers tuition reimbursement (used by 10% of employees), in-house classroom training (used by 100% of employees), on-line training (used by 100% of employees), certification classes (25% of employees), home study modules, scholarship programs and loan forgiveness programs to full and part-time employees. Part-time employees must work at least 20 hrs/week to be eligible for the tuition reimbursement and certification classes. Long-service anniversaries are celebrated with announcements, parties, awards, and a choice of a gift or service award pin.
• Benefits/Health: Full and part-time employees (working at least 20 hrs/week) receive individual and family medical coverage, individual and family prescription drug coverage, individual and family vision insurance, individual and family dental insurance, as well as short and long term disability. Full-time employees also receive individual and family long-term care insurance. 20% of employees are enrolled in the individual medical and prescription drug coverage plan, as well as individual vision and dental insurance programs. 60% of employees are enrolled in the employee and family medical insurance, employee and family prescription drug coverage, as well as employee and family vision insurance programs. 55% of employees are enrolled in the employee and family dental insurance program and 50% of employees are enrolled in the short and long term disability programs. LRMC/TVRH offers a health flexible spending account.
• Benefits/Financial: The company offers a 401(k) plan to its full and part-time employees. Company match is 50% of contributions up to 6% total and company also provides a base contribution of 1.25% of all earnings annually regardless of employee participation. The company offers an on-site ‘Children and Learning Center’ for employee’s children and grandchildren with extended hours. Summer and holiday care is offered for older children and a ‘Sniffles and Snuggles’ program (on-site sick childcare) for employee’s children and grandchildren. The company also has a referral service to assist with elder care, utilized by 5% of employees within the past 12 months. On-site child care, referral services to assist with child care and back-up child care benefits were used by 10% of employees within the past 12 months. All child care benefits are additionally offered to employees to use for their grandchildren.
• Benefits/Alternative Work Arrangements: The company offers the following alternative work arrangements to its full and part-time employees: flex time (20% participation), compressed work schedules (40% participation), job sharing (5% participation), and telecommuting (5% participation). Full-time employees are eligible to move to part-time work on a permanent and temporary basis. The company’s flexible scheduling options enable employees to phase into retirement. The ‘Summers Off’ program allows the employee to work part of the year and have the summer months off while some employees work six month a year, and are off six months during the year. Some employees only work on the weekends, so they can ‘play golf during the week’.
• Opportunities for Retirees: The company currently has 787 retirees. There is an individual who has a direct responsibility for retiree relations. Retirees are formally acknowledged on the occasion of their retirement. Retirees are offered the following work arrangements: temporary work assignments (2 retirees participated in past 12 months) consulting/contract work (1 retiree participated in past 12 months), telecommuting, as well as part and full-time work.
• Age of Workforce: Thirty-nine percent of the company’s employees are 50+. Thirty three percent of the company’s past twelve month new hires are 50+. The average tenure of employees age 50+ is 10 years.