Renal Advantage Inc. (RAI) is in growth mode. The nation’s fourth largest provider of outpatient dialysis services, RAI operates centers in 10 states and is rapidly developing additional centers contiguous to and outside the company’s original footprint.
At the same time that RAI is growing, the company is committed to establishing more cooperative relationships with its clinics than the larger national competitors in the marketplace. For Vice President of Human Resources, Linda Meador, that means that RAI must be an employer of choice in a field where talent wars are often fierce.
Sustaining Growth and Growing Talent
To sustain workforce growth while maintaining excellent patient outcomes, Meador needed to know that she could continue to attract and retain the talent she needed. In 2006, she and the RAI leadership team turned to The Work Institute (TWI) for the hard data that would drive cost-effective human capital management decisions. Over a 10-month period, TWI researchers designed customized research tools for RAI and conducted extensive interviews with employees.
Through TWI’s unique HAVA system, RAI management had quick, desktop access to real-time survey data as it developed. Furthermore, Meador was able to slice the data in creative ways to determine exactly which metrics affected employee satisfaction in each RAI location.
A Plan of Action
The research was complete in January of 2007, and RAI responded quickly, targeting “fair” and “poor” ratings in specific areas such as supervision, scheduling and compensation. Regional Directors prepared action plans for addressing employee concerns, and by April 2007 those plans were being implemented.
The work continues. RAI’s 2006 survey was not a one-time effort, but the beginning of an ongoing, dynamic process designed to enhance employee satisfaction. TWI conducts “pulse” interviews monthly and larger samples at intervals. Already, perception of RAI as an employer is rising, along with morale.
Below is a sample page from the RAI action plan. It is a clear example of how data collected by TWI can be used to successfully reach carefully targeted demonstrable goals such as improving the quality of supervision, reducing turnover or increasing the company’s attractiveness as an employer.