All my life I have heard the story of the boiled frog. If you put a frog in boiling hot water he will jump right out. But if you put a frog in cool water and slowly heat it up he will become complacent and lethargic, staying in the warm water as it heats. Then… he is too relaxed and hot to get out and everyone has frog legs for dinner. But the reality is that is not true. A frog will jump out of hot water AND cool water – not because he doesn’t like water but because he doesn’t like the pot and some weird human picking him up. He tries to get away no matter what. So – if you are into cooking frogs – get a lid!
Many companies believe in the frog theory when it comes to indoctrinating new employees into a culture. A little dose here – a little dose there. Tease the Mission at the point of interview and then train all of the OJT stuff first….get around to culture later after they are all warmed up. They won’t know what hit ’em!
But at Phoenix we think our culture is so enticing and attractive that we don’t need to warm up our employees OR get a lid. We want to shout our differentiation from the mountaintop and weed out those who feel like jumping out from the beginning. Let them go! Likewise, we want to invite those who believe in New Beginnings to “come on in – the water’s fine!”
So – my blogging question for the day is: What do you think is the most important thing to tell new hires about our Taking Flight Culture – – – right from the start? Tell us what you think…..
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That anyone can “take flight” and reach high altitudes, from the newest new hire to the owner of the company. We all have the same capabilities and opportunities to fly.
It’s a culture designed with the new employee in mind & one that is like no other. I was teaching orientation several days ago and had 2 different caregivers state that they had never been employed with a company that stated nor made sure they put the employee first & that they were completely shocked. I think that stressing that we take pride in knowing our caregivers/clinicians are well taken care of and are priority is definitely one key piece of our culture that should be presented first!….. Mal
When you “Take Flight” with Phoenix Home Care, the sky is the limit. There are endless opportunities, and it is up to you to grow with our fast growing company.
When i think of culture…i think of blue sky…the big picture…endless possibilities and people that will believe in you, even when you don’t believe in yourself…in fact it can be so powerful that before you know it…you indeed are believing in yourself and you will find yourself performing at a level you didn’t think was possible.
I also think of “heart” because we are a people business and when you think of what is at the heart of this business and put it into action you will SOAR. So don’t be afraid…take a chance on you and get ready to experience a culture none like any other…. it’s time to focus on you!
I successfully used the Phoenix Six to Fix! A client called today very frustrated. I did not call him to let him know that his caregiver was not going to be out today. That was 100% my fault, and I apologized to him. He told me that he was on a 3 strikes process with us, and this was strike 3 so we were fired. I apologized to him again, taking full responsibility for my non-action and explained that we don’t operate that way and I was sorry I had failed him. I asked him what I could do to fix it with him. He expressed frustration that he was losing hours and would be in trouble with the state. I explained that I would be very honest with the state, should they call, and explain that it was Phoenix’s fault and not his. I also figured up that we were 5.25 hours behind for him already for the month and told him I would look for a caregiver for this weekend, and I would also have his caregiver stay some additional time to make up the missing time. He seemed satisfied with this. I thanked him for the opportunity to fix this and I told him I would call him back by 3pm to let him know about the weekend. I left him a VM at 2:55pm letting him know his caregiver was coming 930-1130am on Saturday to begin to make up the time she has missed, and requested a call back if he has any further questions or concerns.
The steps worked like a charm and made it so much easier to deal with the angry customer! I knew what the next step was. I felt empowered because I knew where I was headed and what I could do.
That is wonderful, thanks for sharing!
Wow!! Val that is great!! Thank you for sharing what you learned in class!
I think we need to remind them they are here because they have the X-Factor. Each person is chosen because we saw something special and they were worth the wait. We all know healthcare is desperately in need of workers but at Phoenix we are in need of people who have heart, the desire to serve with the Christ-like qualities of patience, compassion and kindness and people who want to soar and stand out. If we convey to our people how much we believe in them and what we see in them, they will start to see it in themselves and in the PHC people who are surrounding them in the day to day. When people see and believe that they will rise and take flight!