How We Built a Positive Workplace Culture
It takes a total team effort to turn around a toxic environment.
W
hen our surgery center
staff grumbled more
than they grinned and
turmoil led to turnover, we exam-
ined our workplace culture. We
launched a program designed to
boost staff morale and stem the
tide of valuable staff members
looking for work elsewhere. Here
are the program's key elements
that made our staff realize they
had the power to make the changes they wanted to see happen.
Air the grievances
Creating a cultural identity can seem like an amorphous task that
is potentially boundless in scope. Where to begin? Establish a baseline
of your workplace culture by having every member of your staff com-
plete a brief survey designed to reveal their thoughts on different aspects
of their day-to-day experiences
(outpatientsurgery.net/resources/forms). For example, our survey
asked employees to let us know if they agreed with statements like
these:
• The work environment is pleasant, clean and organized.
• Nurses, physicians and other staff members work as a high-func-
tioning team.
• Leaders support professional development.
• There are an adequate number of experienced staff to care for
patients.
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2 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7
Staffing
Sherri Jones, MS, MBA, RDN, LDN, FAND
• ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT The perioperative crew at the
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center quickly realized a happy
staff translates into happy patients.
University
of
Pittsburg
(Pa.)
Medical
Center
