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• Workforce Trends

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Rush-Copley Medical Center

Winning year: 2007
Industry: Hospitals/Healthcare
Location: Aurora, IL
URL: www.rushcopley.com

Highlights of 2007 Winning Strategies

Rush-Copley Medical Center employees can earn Wellness Points by participating in the Wellness Program incentive system. Points can be redeemed for credit toward the following year's benefits cost or for prizes. Rush-Copley partners with a local community college which runs a Nurse Refresher program for nurses who have been out of their field for over five years and would like to return to work.

Additional Policies and Practices:

• Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities: To its employees, Rush-Copley offers these learning and development programs: tuition reimbursement, in-house classroom training, on-line training, and certification classes. The tuition reimbursement program and certification classes are offered exclusively to full-time employees working 40+ hours a week. In the past 12 months, 100% of Rush-Copley employees participated in at least one of these training opportunities with an average of 10 hours spent in training. Based on feedback from the employee survey, the following enhancements were made to employee benefits: offered free membership to the Rush-Copley Healthplex sports facility, added emergency paid time-off donation between employees, decreased health insurance rates, added financial counseling, set drug cost co-pay limits, increased life insurance, increased paid time off, and added temporary work program for RN's. Employees gain new experiences by working on temporary assignments in other departments and on team projects. Job redesigns are made for employees with special needs.
• 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 short-term disability. Individual and family long-term care insurance is offered to all employees with no minimum hourly requirement per week while long-term disability is offered exclusively to those working at least 36 hours per week. Rush-Copley offers an FSA plan to assist employees with out-of-pocket health care costs, and employees receive an additional 35% benefit if using the hospital.
• Benefits/Financial: Rush-Copley offers a 401(k) retirement savings plan (with employer match) to its full- and part-time employees. Employees may invest in lifecycle funds and employees 50+ can make catch-up contributions. Employees receive financial planning information from the firm that administers their 401(k) and external experts not associated with the 401(k). Rush-Copley offers short-term time off without pay and long-term leaves of absence without pay for caregiving. Full- and part-time employees are offered these 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. Seventy-five percent of Rush-Copley employees have utilized at least one of these wellness benefits in the past 12 months. The following dependent care services are offered to full- and part-time employees: on site (grand)childcare, backup care for childcare/care for grandchildren/eldercare, and referral services to assist with childcare/care for grandchildren/eldercare. In addition, employees receive a discount at local childcare providers, and the Home Health Agency offers assistance with eldercare/childcare in the home at a 35% discount.
• Benefits/Alternative Work Arrangements: These alternative work arrangements are offered to full- and part-time employees: flex-time, compressed work schedules, and telecommuting. Older employees are able to phase into retirement by transitioning from a full-time to part-time schedule. Full-time employees are eligible to move to part-time work on a permanent and temporary basis.
• Opportunities for Retirees: Rush-Copley currently has 200 retirees and has an individual directly responsible for retiree relations. The medical center stays connected with its retirees by inviting them to organization events/celebrations and formally acknowledging them when they retire. In addition, many retirees serve as volunteers. Retirees are offered temporary work assignments, consulting/contract work, full-time work, and part-time work.
• Age of Workforce: Twenty-two percent of Rush-Copley employees are 50+. The average tenure of employees age 50+ is 15 years.