Increase competitive edge — The Baton Rouge Clinic

Inspiring culture change and improving employee retention

Member: The Baton Rouge Clinic, AMC

After an inspiring visit to Mayo Clinic, The Baton Rouge Clinic, AMC, a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, developed a values-based program to connect its staff to the culture and history of the organization.

"We saw a lot — the simulation laboratory, clinical areas and various operations," says Shunn Phillips, C.P.A., the chief financial officer of The Baton Rouge Clinic in Louisiana. "We spent a good amount of time talking about staff training, patient flow and more."

Phillips and her colleagues were especially impressed by the training and development new Mayo Clinic staff receive.

"We heard about Mayo Clinic's RICH TIES values over and over," Phillips says. "The staff know Mayo Clinic's story and could recite the values. It was obvious that the culture and expectations flowed out from their understanding of Mayo Clinic's history and purpose. It shows in how the staff approach their work."

Phillips says her team started working with Mayo Clinic subject matter experts on a service excellence program for the entire organization and tailoring it to different roles and areas. The team felt it was important that the program fit each person, role and department.

"We knew we were headed down the right path, but it felt like we had a story to tell much like Mayo Clinic does," she says. "We wanted our people to understand our culture and expectations for every employee — how we're going to treat each other, how we're going to treat our patients — the kinds of things we expect no matter what a person's role is."

Ongoing support and input from Mayo Clinic were provided through virtual meetings and on-site meetings in Baton Rouge.

The Baton Rouge Clinic launched its L.E.G.A.C.Y. program, which stands for living with integrity, excellence, giving respect, acting with fairness and compassion for your community. All staff have completed the program, and new staff are trained when hired.

"We have held dozens of L.E.G.A.C.Y. sessions," Phillips says. "Staff are inspired and motivated by patient stories and how we as an organization impact patients. It's fun to revisit our rich history, talk about our first patient (a black Labrador retriever) and our first location (over the Pig and Whistle Restaurant). They feel good about work they are called to do and want to tell our story."

The clinic has already seen improvement in employee retention.

"When people feel good about the place they work, they stay and help us recruit others," Phillips says. "That's a big deal right now with every organization dealing with recruitment and talent retention.

"We couldn't have done this without Mayo Clinic," she adds. "They sparked the idea by being open and sharing when we visited. They emphasized the importance of investing in staff, generously shared documents and tools, and worked with us all along the way. Our access to their people is a core reason why we have the L.E.G.A.C.Y. program today."

To learn more about how your hospital or health system can become a Mayo Clinic Care Network member, contact us.