Published: May 11, 2008 10:10 pm            

St. Joseph Hospital makes top 10 list

Hospital improves in best places to work.

St. Joseph Hospital cracked the top 10 on the list of Best Places to Work in Indiana by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

St. Joseph Hospital was ranked 13th in the state and moved up to 10th on the list in the large-sized company category consisting of 250 or more employees.

Darcy Burthay, president of St. Joseph, said Thursday the local hospital anticipated doing better after a 30-minute conference call with the company that evaluated the employee surveys to discuss the results.

“We were able to learn what the associates liked and where we needed to make improvement,” she said. “It showed us we’re heading in the right direction.”

Burthay said the associates liked the consistency in the leadership team and that the hospital intends to support the leadership through continuing education.

“The emphasis was on our staff last year,” she said. “This year we will invest in the leadership. With the survey cycle it fits in with our budget, so we will plan to support our leadership.”

Whether or not St. Joseph takes part in the 2009 survey will depend on the associates, Burthay said.

“At the dinner announcing the awards we were surrounded by people who have participated in all three years,” she said. “They indicated they learned something every year.”

The Best Companies Group has overseen similar programs in 18 other states. ModernThink LLC, a workplace excellence consulting firm, handled the selection process. The basis for this initiative is Fortune magazine's noted “100 Best Places to Work for” list.

All companies making the list, Kevin Brinegar, president of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, said understand how important it is for the success of a business to make employees feel valued.

“Each should be very proud of the positive environment they have created,” he said.

All companies that participated in the 2008 Best Places to Work program receive an in-depth evaluation identifying strengths and weaknesses according to their employees. In turn, this report can be used in developing or enhancing employee retention and recruitment programs.

        

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