Scripps Health

Source: AARP.org |  | August 30, 2006

Winning years:  2007, 2006, 2005
Industry:  Hospitals/Healthcare
Location:  San Diego, CA
URL:  www.scrippshealth.org

Highlights of 2007 Winning Strategies

Scripps Health is especially committed to retaining experienced, mature employees. In 2004, the organization developed the Scripps Center for Learning, extending to all employees opportunities to develop, learn, and grow through training courses, tuition reimbursement, on-line training, certification, and other resources. The company's "Great Place to Work" employee survey encouraged management to implement an eldercare and professional care management program. In addition, Scripps enhanced health, vision, and dental plans, increased 401(a) retirement savings plan contribution, added retiree health insurance options, created a tax-free retiree health account, and added long- term care insurance, critical illness insurance, and universal life insurance.

Additional Policies and Practices:

• Recruiting: Scripps Health uses senior placement agencies to target mature workers and retirees. In 2006, the company created the Scripps Alumni Network to focus on mature workers. The program was designed to maintain an on-going relationship with former employees through frequent contact (direct mail and e-mail communication) and the relationship is the foundation of an effort to recruit alumni back to the organization.
• Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities: Scripps Health offers learning and development programs to its full- and part-time employees: tuition reimbursement, in-house classroom training, on-line training, certification classes, and department based on-the-job training. Employees must work 18+ hrs/week to be eligible for the tuition reimbursement program. In the past 12 months, 100 percent of Scripps employees participated in at least one of the training opportunities with an average of 20 training hours. The company's "Return to Work" program includes individualized managed care with an assigned on-site nurse case manager to help the employee stay engaged with the workplace and to insure the employee's job accommodation or disability recovery is successful.
• 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 as well as short- and long-term disability. Health benefits for retirees pre-65 and 65+ include individual as well as spouse medical and drug coverage, vision insurance, long-term care insurance, and EAP services as well as life insurance or other death benefit coverage. Retirees pre-65 also receive individual and spouse dental insurance. New hires are not eligible for all of these benefits upon retirement. Scripps offers an FSA account to its employees and a tax-free retiree health savings account as an amendment to the 401(a) retirement plan.
• Benefits/Financial: Scripps offers a 401(a) as well as a money-purchased defined contribution plan to its full- and part-time employees and provides a match to the 401(a) program. Other than employer match, it encourages employees to participate in the 401(a) plan by offering all new hires the opportunity to automatically enroll in the plan, employees may choose to invest in lifecycle funds, and employees 50+ can make catch-up contributions. The Benefits and Retirement department provides financial planning/training to Scripps' employees year-round. Employees also receive financial planning information from the financial services firm that administers their 401(a) and from external financial planning experts not associated with the 401(a). Scripps offers paid time off specifically designated for caregiving, short- term time off without pay as well as long-term leave of absences without pay to allow for caregiving. Long-term employees also receive an annual payout of unused paid short-term disability. 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, stress management training, and on-site massage therapy. The massage therapy program gives employees 6 complimentary 15-minute chair massages per year to alleviate stress and tension. Forty-six percent of Scripps' employees have utilized at least 1 wellness benefit in the past 12 months. Scripps 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: Scripps extends 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 or temporary basis. The Scripps Life Cycle employment concept reviews ways of providing flexible work options and benefits to employees approaching retirement. Older workers are able to make in-service withdrawals from their retirement savings plan while still working and phasing into retirement.
• Opportunities for Retirees: Scripps currently has 832 retirees. There is an individual with direct responsibility for retiree relations who communicates regularly with retirees, invites them to events, provides them ongoing access to retirement planning information, and formally acknowledges them when they retire. The company offers retirees temporary work assignments, consulting/contract work, telecommuting, as well as full- and part-time work. Many retirees join the Scripps Volunteer program.
• Age of Workforce: Thirty-one percent of Scripps employees are 50+. The average tenure of employees age 50+ is 13.2 years.

Winning Strategies 2006

Scripps Health Clinical Mentor Program’ offers nurses the opportunity to teach, coach, and connect with nurses in the early stages of their career.  The health system has a Wellness Manager on staff as well as a comprehensive Wellness Program which includes wellness strategies, programs, and incentives for employees and family members.
 
Other Benefits:

• Recruiting:   Scripps Health uses senior placement agencies, professional and clinical Association Conferences, Direct Mail and Search Firms to target mature workers and retirees.
• Workplace Culture/Continued Opportunities   The health system offers the following learning and development programs to its full- and part-time employees: tuition reimbursement (35% used past 12 months), in-house classroom training (75% used past 12 months), on-line training (30% used past 12 months), and certification classes (50% used past 12 months).   Employees must work at least 18 hours per week to be eligible for the tuition reimbursement program.   Long-service anniversaries are celebrated with announcements, parties, awards, and gifts are given to those with 30+ years of service.   Within the last three years, due to employee requests, the health system implemented an Attendance Incentive program which supports the long-term employees by providing them with an annual payout bonus of their unused paid short-term disability, enhanced the health, vision and dental plans, subsidized lower wage earners health premiums, implemented an on-line benefits enrollment system, added retiree health insurance options, increased the 401(a) company match based on years of service, created a RHA account, provided voluntary long-term care insurance, critical illness insurance, and universal life insurance, implemented employee and dependent clinical education loan scholarships, offered a life cycle benefit plan, and added an adoption reimbursement program.
• 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, individual and family long-term care insurance, as well as short- and long-term disability.   Thirty-two percent of employees are enrolled in the individual medical and prescription drug plan while 34% are enrolled in the employee and family medical and prescription drug plan.   Thirty-two percent of employees are enrolled in the individual vision plan, 34% in the employee and family vision plan, 33% in the individual dental plan, 40% in the employee and family dental plan, and 40% in the long-term disability plan.   Retirees age 65+ receive individual and spouse medical, drug, and vision insurance, individual and spouse long-term care insurance as well as life insurance or other death benefit coverage.   The health system offers a health flexible spending account.
• Benefits/Financial: The health system offers a 401(a) and a money-purchase defined contribution retirement savings plan to its full- and part-time employees.   Scripps matches dollar for dollar up to 3% of eligible compensation for each calendar year and matches employee contributions on a graduated basis based on years of service.   For employees with 20+ years of service, the company doubles the employee contribution up to 6%.   All new hires are automatically enrolled and the company gives a 1% match.   Employees age 50+ can make ‘ catch-up ’ contributions to their account and also invest in lifecycle funds.   Older workers are able to make in-service withdrawals from the 401(a).   The health system offers on-site child care (5 used in past 12 months), referral services to assist with child care (35 used in past 12 months) and elder care (15 used in past 12 months) and back-up care for child care.   All of the child-care benefits are offered to employees grandchildren.   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, stress management programs, and weight loss programs.   Thirty-four percent of employees have utilized at least one of the above wellness benefits in the past 12 months.
• Benefits/Alternative Work Arrangements: The health system offers the following alternative work arrangements to its full- and part-time employees:   flex time (20% participation), compressed work schedules (30% participation), job sharing (1% participation), telecommuting (5% participation), and a formal phased retirement program (1% participation).   Full-time employees are eligible to move to part-time work on a permanent and temporary basis.   The health system ’ s phased retirement program provides flexible scheduling and benefits to part-time employees.   Scripps offers paid time-off that is specifically designated for caregiving.
• Opportunities for Retirees: The health system currently has 454 retirees. There is an individual who has a direct responsibility for retiree relations.   The health system stays connected with its retirees by communicating on a regular basis with the retirees, inviting retirees to organization events or celebrations, providing retirees with ongoing access to retirement planning workshops/information, and formally acknowledging employees on the occasion of their retirement.   Retirees are offered the following work arrangements; temporary work assignments, consulting/contract work, telecommuting, and part- and full-time work.
• Age of Workforce: Thirty-one percent of the health system ’ s employees are 50+.   Thirteen percent of the health system ’ s past twelve month new hires are 50+.   The average tenure of employees age 50+ is 13.2 years.

Winning Strategies 2005

Scripps Health says its health care costs and premiums have risen drastically during the past several years. However, it has absorbed the cost increases instead of passing the financial burden on to employees. The health care system has provided the same level of health care coverage and actually reduced employees’ health care premiums in the past year.

The employment center assists displaced employees with a job search for another position at Scripps or an outplacement service. Options for work/life balance include expanding or changing careers. Scripps offers tuition assistance to full- and part-time employees. The health care system has instituted a system that supports experienced employees by allowing them to transfer unused paid short-term disability into their paid time off bank.

Benefits:

• Full-time employees pay 13 percent of the premium for family health insurance coverage and prescription drug benefit. Part-time employees (minimum 16 hours/week) pay 25 percent for the same coverage. The health care system covers short-term disability in full for both full- and part-time employees. Both full- and part-time employees pay 100 percent of their long-term disability premium.
• Scripps offers a 401(a) plan to all employees. The health care system matches dollar for dollar up to three percent of eligible compensation each calendar year. It matches employee contributions at various levels based on years of service, and for employees with 20 or more years of service, the health care system doubles the employee contribution up to six percent. Scripps has implemented a tax-free retiree health account 401(h).

Twenty-nine percent of Scripps Health’s employees are 50+. Ten percent of new hires over the past 12 months are 50+.