Connections February 2024 - 5

>>Taking the LEAP
A way to support new employees
Cheshire Medical Center has a new mascot to welcome new employees-
a green frog.
When they arrive for their first day of work, a green frog sticker is placed
on their name badge to let others know they are new to Cheshire.
" The green frog is a visual reminder for everyone to connect
and check in with new employees, " says Lisa Sandstrum, vice
president of Human Resources. " The program aims to ensure
new employees feel welcomed and supported. As we all
know, working in healthcare is demanding. "
Current employees are encouraged to introduce themselves to the new
employees, tell them about their time at Cheshire, ask questions so they can
Lisa Sandstrum,
vice president
of Human
Resources
at Cheshire
Medical Center
get to know each other, and see if there is anything they need help with.
" Creating a sense of belonging is vital for all new employees at Cheshire, "
says Kathy Willbarger, Cheshire's COO. " An employee's first onboarding
experience and their first 90-day experience can make or break our ability to
retain solid and high-performing employees long-term. "
Why a frog?
It's because of LEAP. That's an acronym for Leading with Excellence and Purpose,
which is the new name of an ongoing effort to create excellence and purpose in
every aspect of the organization. " It allows our leaders to have a shared vision
and framework for leading at Cheshire, " Willbarger says. " It has had a tremendous
return as we are starting to see significant improvements in all of Cheshire's
strategic targets. "
To thank new employees for " taking the LEAP, " Lisa Sandstrum says there will be
a 90-day celebration. " It's an informal breakfast gathering for employees who have
just completed 90 days at Cheshire. They'll be joined by their leaders and members
of the Senior Operations team. It's a rite of passage signifying their accomplishment and
contribution to Cheshire. "
At the end of the gathering, Sandstrum says the new employees will remove the frogs
from their name badge and receive encouragement from the group to " take agency and
ownership as a Cheshire team member. "
Kathy Willbarger,
chief operating
officer at Cheshire
Medical Center
Introducing " Ask Joanne "
Dartmouth Health is a complex healthcare
organization with more than 15,000 employees
across our member hospitals, clinics, and home
health and hospice agency. Do you ever wonder
how all the moving parts come together or how
decisions are made? The " why " behind what we do?
Ask Joanne!
Joanne Conroy, MD, Dartmouth Health's CEO and
president, will be fielding your questions at her new
email address-AskJoanne@hitchcock.org. We'll
be compiling the most-asked questions and sharing
the answers in future communications and videos.
This short video will tell you more.
https://video.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/media/DEIB+-+From+Action+to+AwarenessA+Series+Introduction/1_bmsm3lvu https://channels.dartmouth-health.org/media/Ask+Joanne/1_3a4miwoc
Connections February 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Connections February 2024
