Our tagline is “This is Real Recovery.” To make that possible, it’s vital to making BHG a place where people want to work and stay for a long time. It’s energizing to see a commitment to this by our leadership and colleagues across the country. I am especially proud of the Middle Tennessee team for making a dramatic shift in staff turnover over the last year by more than half — from 70% in 2019 to 28% at the end 2020. This remarkable progress is a team effort and would not be possible without the dedication and strong work ethic of our Program Directors Sdigehya Carter (Nashville) and Denice Woodie (Columbia). How did we do it? Here are five best practices that everyone can implement.
- Empower Program Directors. Do this first and all else will follow. It is corporate leaderships’ responsibility to provide tools for our team’s success, but it’s the influence of the PDs and their staff to take those tools “by the horns” and run with them to create and nurture a healthy culture. There is no one-size-fits-all approach because every center is different. It’s important for PDs to understand the unique personalities and strengths of their teams and build from there.
- Set clear expectations that connect to our mission. Make sure everyone knows their role and what is expected on a day-to-day basis and how that connects to the rewarding work we are doing to tackle the largest public health crisis in the country.
- Celebrate small wins. Recognize the positive actions that are contributing to morale and making your center a calm and welcoming space for staff and patients.
- Foster connection. How we engage with new hires during the onboarding process and what we do to make them feel like they belong to our BHG family during their first year is critical. Carrying that through to current staff by encouraging them to get to know one another and have some fun is essential to our own mental health. For example, our PDs play games via email by listing facts about staff and guessing who they are. Our Columbia team made matching T-shirts to wear on casual Fridays.
- Maintain realistic counselor-to-patient ratios. Be cognizant of caseload always. Keep an eye out for prospective new hires so that you can quickly fill gaps. Encourage staff to share workload concerns. Keeping this balance is challenging but our patients’ recovery depends on our quality care and the health and well-being of our staff depends on the workplace environment we cultivate.
Do you have best practices to share? Let us know by reaching out to me at Joshua Wright.
By Joshua Wright
Regional Director