Good Shepherd Health Care System (GSHCS) was recently recognized as a U.S. Best-in-Class Employer after participating in Gallagher’s 2022 U.S. Benefits Strategy and Benchmarking Survey.
The health care system was awarded this designation for excelling in optimizing employee and organizational well-being.
Vice President of Human Resources Janeen Reding pointed to the organization’s commitment to staff wellness and work culture for earning the recognition.
“Providing meaningful benefits and support to our Good Shepherd team is a priority for us,” said Reding. “Our goal is simple, we take care of our employees so that they can take care of our patients.”
The Best-in-Class Employer designation is given to an organization that provides a comprehensive framework for strategically investing in benefits, compensation, and employee communication to support the health, financial security and career growth of its employees. Designations like Gallagher’s Best-in-Class Employer help current and potential employees understand and appreciate an organization’s workplace culture and people strategy, important differentiators as employers compete for talent in a tight labor market, especially in healthcare.
As a U.S. Best-in-Class Employer, GSHCS was assigned points based on its relative performance in:
- Planning horizons for the benefits and compensation strategies
- Extent of their well-being strategy
- Turnover rate for full-time equivalents (FTEs)
- Completion of a workforce engagement survey
- Use of an HR technology strategy and its level of sophistication
- Difference in health care costs over the prior year
- Use of a communication strategy
“Good Shepherd was recognized as a U.S. Best-in-Class Employer because of how they approach organizational priorities with a long-term outlook; provide high-quality, high-value benefits; and build and solidify a strong organizational culture through their communications,” said William F. Ziebell, CEO of Gallagher’s Benefits & HR Consulting Division. “In doing so, Good Shepherd invests in the whole employee by providing distinct and relevant well-being resources that will attract and retain talent.”
Acute Care Services Administrative Assistant Laura Sloan explained her appreciation for GSHCS benefits and timely support from Human Resources.
“In my career here, it has been an awesome feeling knowing that I have great health benefits for my family,” Sloan said. “We have had several instances where our health insurance and dental insurance was not a financial burden for our family, when it could have been. We have not had to stress about finances due to our low-deductible health plan and Flexible Spending Account (FSA). The Human Resources team have been a huge help when we’ve had life changes that impacted our benefits enrollment. It meant a great deal to my family to have the support when we needed it most.”
Benefits available to GSHCS employees are robust comparative to similar-sized hospitals. Typically, a 25-bed hospital would provide one to two dental plans, for example, when GSHCS offers three to choose from. Part of the GSHCS benefits package includes mortgage discounts, employer-paid life insurance, phone stipends, pharmacy discounts, and pet insurance. An employer-paid Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a highlighted benefit which provides free financial counseling, mental health counseling, crisis assistance, grief and loss support, legal counseling and more.
Payroll Specialist Victoria Sorensen described her regular utilization of the assistance program.
“EAP is such an easy process, they make it so convenient for therapy appointments over the phone and it’s allowed me to have consistent support without paying for the service completely out of pocket,” she said. “I really appreciate that Good Shepherd pays for the majority of our benefit premiums, too.”
Career advancement assistance is another perk the hospital provides.
“We want our employees to grow their careers with us,” said Reding. “Good Shepherd offers loan assistance for our staff that want to pursue medical education advancement. They can also apply for medical scholarships through our Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation.”
About the Best-in-Class Benchmarking Analysis
Gallagher’s U.S. Best-in-Class Benchmarking Analysis profiles statistically significant attributes of top-performing midsize (100-999 Full-Time Equivalents) and large employers (1,000 or more FTEs). Data from Gallagher’s 2022 U.S. Benefits Strategy & Benchmarking Survey was interpreted to identify participants that excel in optimizing employee and organizational well-being.
About Gallagher
Gallagher, a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Gallagher provides these services in approximately 130 countries around the world through its owned operations and a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.
For more information about Good Shepherd, visit www.gshealth.org. To explore current career opportunities at Good Shepherd, visit www.gshealth.org/careers.
