Connections: March 2023 - 7

as remote workers at the beginning of the
pandemic. Blair says most of the jobs that can
be performed remotely are being performed
remotely and will stay that way. " Remote by
necessity " has become " remote by design. "
Blair acknowledges and appreciates the
differences between those positions that
require on-site attendance-particularly clinical
roles in direct patient care-and supporting
roles that may not require in-person
attendance. " Healthcare is primarily delivered
in-person, and has been that way for a long
time, " she says. " But as we look at a more
progressive approach to our work, we can
create opportunities that first and foremost
meet the needs of our patients but also allow
some flexibility for those roles that aren't
exclusively hands-on. In the end, we're working
to meet the needs of all of our employees in
an entirely new workforce environment. "
Because remote work on a large scale within
the Dartmouth Health system is a never-beforehappened
experience, there are few ways to
determine its efficacy. Are remote workers
productive? Do they feel engaged? Happy?
What metrics there are so far indicate that the
answer to all three questions is " yes. "
Take productivity. Blair, who works remotely,
notes her own experience: " Many employees
are more productive because they're able to
create their own schedule. I get up at 5 in the
morning. I can start work then or I can wait
until 8 when everyone shows up. I can go for
a walk in the middle of the day. Like many
people have found, it makes it so that I can do
my job more efficiently. "
And engagement? " Engagement isn't only
about being face-to-face. It's about aligning
goals, having open communication and making
sure people have the resources to do the job, "
she says. " I actually think a lot of people are
even more engaged. " In fact, the engagement
surveys taken since 2020, when we started
working remotely, continue to show that
remote workers score higher in engagement
than workers who are not remote.
The move to " remote by design " hasn't been
totally free of challenges. Some employees with
long careers in on-campus locations and in
team settings have expressed frustration with
the change, from technology hiccups to lack of
face-to-face interaction.
But Blair says that the successful transition
to " remote by design " has helped to make
Dartmouth Health an employer of choice
Director of External Affairs
Karen Borgstrom reports
that her office mate, Kooper,
doesn't spend much time on
the phone or the computer,
but is insistent about taking an
occasional break for a walk.
because so many people now want to work
remotely. She adds that offering that option not
only helps retain current employees, it expands
the pool of candidates to the whole country.
Dartmouth Health employees are now located in
30 states beyond New Hampshire and Vermont.
Moving into Phase II
" The needs of the workplace have changed,
but workplace facilities haven't yet changed
enough to support this new workstyle, " says
Fritz Pameijer, director of Operational Services,
Facilities. Pameijer is leading the effort to create a
comprehensive plan to provide that support.
" What we're doing now is looking at the
administrative space that was made available
by the shift to remote work, " he says. " And we're
working to redesign that space for commuter
space, facilitated space for conference meetings
and collaborative work. The design of a future
workplace that promotes remote work will allow
us to consolidate many underutilized offices and
buildings into fewer spaces shared by different
departments and staff. That consolidation will
significantly reduce our lease expenses. "
Employees, both full-time and part-time
remote, provided their input to the process
through a spring survey. There were also a
number of focus groups to gauge sentiment
about the plans. " The discussion was around
what they use when they come to the office,
what obstacles there are to collaboration, how
they would like to use the office space differently, "
Pameijer says.
The research and discovery phase of the
plan is finished, and recommendations are
forthcoming. " Now we have the ability to really
get the project going in full gear, to move forward
with it, " he says. " I would expect implementation
would start as early as the end of this fiscal year. "
Connections: March 2023

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