That leader is Lee Elliott, vice president
of human resources at Saint Francis
Medical Center in Grand Island,
where a program to create a more joyful
workplace has reduced turnover,
enhanced the organization’s Catholic
mission and, in the process, improved
the hospital’s bottom line.
Elliott, whose reputation as an
advocate for a positive work environment
extends beyond his hospital,
gave a talk at the conference. Afterwards,
we sat down to discuss what
his human resources department has
been doing in the last few years to create
an extraordinary work environment
in a workplace formerly plagued
by conflicts.
They call it “the happiness
program.”
Through long discussions about
the nature of work and the treatment
of workers, I found Elliott to possess a
highly developed morality and a genuine
concern for employee welfare.
However, as he informed me, the happiness
program was not just altruism.
From the very beginning, it was connected
to solving business concerns.
In 2000, Saint Francis Medical Center
was facing serious problems getting
enough staff to safely care for patients.
The medical center was in the unenviable
position of deciding each day
whether to accept more patients or
send them to other hospitals for care.