Every two years, John Knox Village conducts an engagement survey to guage the level of satisfaction and commitment of our associates. Because our associate communication philosophy centers around transparency, we make a point of sharing the Village-wide results with all associates. Associates will attend additional meetings where they will hear the results specific to their departments, but we believe it's important for them to see the big picture before they delve into the details.

• I sent this e-mail to all associates to kick off the engagement survey results presentations. The survey promotion theme was “Speak Up!” in an orange circle. I modified the theme for the follow-up stages to “You Spoke, We Listened.”

Before communications went out to the entire associate base, a presentation was made to the Leadership team and we sent a packet of talking points to each Village Leader, to ensure that a consistent message was delivered across the organization. I wrote the following pieces (except for the cover e-mail) of that communication packet:

• Leadership Talking Points cover e-mail
• Leadership Talking Points
• Follow-Up Expectations and Timeline
• Responding Positively to Suggestions

Onboarding: Employment Branding

One of our focuses this year has been on ensuring that we convey consistent messages and a consistent impression of the employment culture at John Knox Village, from their first impressions through our recruitment materials through the orientation process and then becoming an associate at John Knox Village.

This brochure is used by our recruiters at job fairs and other events.

Attracting New Applicants through Facebook

The average Facebook user is a woman somewhere between age 35 and 55 - just the audience we'd like to attract to work in the Village Care Center. Women (or men, but usually women) who've worked in a hospital setting and see the value in building longer-term relationships with their patients and family members. People who wish they could see the outcomes of their treatments. And people who like the idea of a regular and predictable work schedule so they can actually PLAN their lives outside of work. It's also a forum that allows us to have a little fun with our job postings!

Keeping Our Associates Informed and Engaged

In an organization made up of multiple business units and with offices scattered on and off of a 400+ acre campus, it's not easy to help everyone stay grounded and understand where they fit in to the big picture. Our weekly e-newsletter helps supervisors keep their team informed, engaged in the work they do, and committed to the older adults we serve every day.
e-Connections 09-21-12