OO13

OO13 The policies and procedures that address the organization's workplace advocacy initiatives for staff, including the following issues:

➢ Caregiver stress

➢ Diversity

➢ Rights

➢ Confidentiality

Caregiver stress

Baptist Health South Florida (BHSF) and Homestead Hospital consider employees as its most valuable asset. They invest in programs and services that promote health and minimize the effects of caregiver stress to staff. The hospital’s theoretical framework is Comfort theory developed by Katharine Kolcaba, RN. The theory’s underpinnings apply not only to patients’ but employees’ comfort as well. For example, a lactation lounge was opened in November 2011 during Kolcaba’s visit, to provide a private, comfortable and stress-free environment for breastfeeding employees to pump or breastfeed their infants. More recently, in June 2014, the vision of Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President Gail Gordon, RN, was realized with the ribbon cutting of the Comfort Room. It is a dedicated space provided for employees to relax, reflect, recharge and escape stress. It is open 24/7 to all employees with a badge-swipe access. It is decorated in muted tones with dim lighting to mimic a Zen-like environment and equipped with comfortable seating areas and 2 industrial-grade massage chairs. Employees were very enthused about the space and provided a lot of positive feedbacks. (OO13 01 Comfort Room Quick Survey) Only 5 months after its opening, the Comfort room has generated 3,393 visits from hospital staff.

Exhibit OO13a: Comfort Room

The following policies describe structures and processes in place that assist employees in managing caregiver stress.

*Policy Title*	*Location*	*Purpose*
LifeWorks	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Describes resources offered to employees through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to resolve personal or family problems (OO13 02 BHSF-HR 5700 Employee Assistance Program)
Critical Stress Incident Management Process	Homestead Hospital Intranet	Defines critical stress incidents and outlines process for accessing services by employees and medical staff (OO13 03 Critical Stress Incident Management WINK)
Services Offered at Employee Fitness Centers	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Establishes guidelines for personal training, fitness assessments, and equipment orientations offered to employees at the fitness center (OO13 04 BHSF-656.07 Services Offered at Employee Fitness Centers)
Wellness Advantage brochure	BHSF Wellness Advantage page Intranet	Provides a list of health and wellness services offered to employees at minimal or no cost (OO13 05 Wellness Advantage Brochure)
Family and Medical Leave of Absence (FMLA)	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Sets guidelines to provide eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 and the Miami-Dade County ordinance ( OO13 06 BHSF-3400 Family and Medical Leave of Absence)
Medical Leave of Absence Non-FMLA	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Explains the conditions under which an employee may request non-FMLA medical leave of absence (OO13 07 BHSF-HR 3410 Medical Leave of Absence Non-FMLA)
Personal Leave of Absence	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Describes conditions under which an employee may request a personal leave of absence (OO13 08 BHSF-3425 Personal Leave of Absence)
Paid Bereavement Benefit	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Establishes conditions for paid days off upon the death of an immediate family member for funeral, memorial or personal bereavement observance. (OO13 09 BHSF-HR 3550 Paid Bereavement Benefit)
Sunshine Fund Policy	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Outlines the implementation procedures and operation of the employee emergency assistance fund (OO13 10 BHSF-503 Sunshine Fund Policy)
Uninterrupted Meal Breaks	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Provides guidelines for non-exempt employees to notify their immediate supervisor and appropriately attest when he/she does not receive a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break so that the employee can be compensated for all time worked (OO13 11 BHSF-2295 Uninterrupted Meal Breaks)
Ergonomics Program Guidelines	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Elucidates the Ergonomics program and services that support a safe work environment (OO13 12 BHSF-3360 Ergonomics Program Guidelines)
Scope of Service for Pastoral Care	Homestead Hospital Intranet	Details the services provided by Homestead Hospital Pastoral Care department which encompass serving the spiritual, emotional and social needs of employees. (OO13 13 HH-100-7940-1305 Scope of Service for Pastoral Care)

Diversity

The staff mix of BHSF and Homestead Hospital mirrors the diversity of the South Florida community. Embracing diversity is part of the organizational culture which made BHSF one of Fortune magazine’s Best Place for Diversity. To put into day-to-day practice the culture of inclusion, Baptist Health formed a Corporate Diversity Council. The council sets the strategic direction of corporate diversity initiatives. It comprised of leaders and staff from all hospitals and led by Corporate Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer Ricardo Forbes. (OO13 14 Diversity brochure) Some of the programs spearheaded by the council included:

Standardization of diversity tools. (OO13 15 Culture tool ; OO13 16 Visual Impairment tool)
Diversity Dining in the employee cafeteria. (OO13 17 Diversity Dining Day Poster)
World Day celebrations. (Exhibit OO13b) during which staff celebrated dishes and culture from various countries and

Exhibit OO13b: Homestead Hospital RNs dressed in their native costumes represented the Philippines during the 2013 Annual World Day celebration.

According to Forbes, “Baptist Health’s policies on diversity run parallel with policies issued by HR in hiring, promoting and terminating.” The following table contains a list of policies that promote sensitivity and awareness of diversity among the patient population and staff.

*Policy Title*	*Location*	*Purpose*
Equal Employment Opportunity	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Explains the prohibition of discrimination against applications for employment or employees on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, handicap/disability, marital status, familial status, genetic information, sexual orientation or any other classification protected by applicable federal, state or local law. (OO13 18 BHSF-HR 1020 Equal Employment Opportunity)
Policy Prohibiting Harassment and Discrimination (formerly Employee Dignity and Respect)	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Sets out expectation to ensure all employees are treated with dignity and respect (OO13 19 BHSF-HR 5075 Policy Prohibiting Harassment and Discrimination)
Accommodations for Applicants and Employees with Disabilities	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Describes reasonable accommodations that BHSF provides to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities (OO13 20 BHSF-HR 1500 Accommodations for Applicants and Employees with Disabilities)
Business-related Verbal and Written Communications	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Provides guidelines to employees that when performing work-related duties to communicate (verbally and in writing) in a way that promotes safety and facilitates full communication (OO13 21 BHSF-6250 Business-related Verbal and Written Communications)
New Employee Orientation	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Highlights cultural diversity as a component of the new employee orientation program (OO13 22 BHSF-1400 New Employee Orientation, highlighted)
Ethical Objections to Participation in Patient Care	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Establishes a mechanism through which staff can decline in participating an aspect of a patient’s care or treatment if it presents a conflict with the employee’s cultural values, sense of ethics, or religious beliefs. (OO13 23 BHSF-HR 5220 Ethical Objections to Participation in Patient Care)
BHSF 5360 Flexible Work Arrangements	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Describes organizational support to each employee’s unique personal situation and support of the need of each employee’s family congruent with BHSF and Homestead Hospital’s caring culture and shared values. (OO13 24 BHSF 5360 Flexible Work Arrangements)

Rights

Employee relations and advocacy are part of the services provided by corporate Human Resource (HR) department. Homestead Hospital has an onsite HR that upholds fair treatment of employees by providing day-to-day assistance to leaders and staff in resolving problems; promoting open communication; gathering employee input on important issues; and assisting with interpretation of policies and practices. The table below highlights policies that support employee rights.

*Policy Title*	*Location*	*Purpose*
Equal Employment Opportunity	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Explains the prohibition of discrimination against applications for employment or employees on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, handicap/disability, marital status, familial status, genetic information, sexual orientation or any other classification protected by applicable federal, state or local law. (OO13 18 BHSF-HR 1020 Equal Employment Opportunity)
Policy Prohibiting Harassment and Discrimination (formerly Employee Dignity and Respect)	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Sets out expectation to ensure all employees are treated with dignity and respect (OO13 19 BHSF-HR 5075 Policy Prohibiting Harassment and Discrimination)
Performance Evaluations	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Describes employee performance evaluation and corrective action processes. (OO13 25 BHSF-HR 5500 Performance Evaluations)
Resolution of Grievances	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Provides employees with a formal process for resolving job-related issues, complaints or conflicts. (OO13 26 BHSF-HR 5200 Resolution of Grievances ;OO13 27 Grievance form)
Patient Safety	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Supports employee’s right to speak up freely about patient safety and quality concerns using the chain of command. It also describes “blameworthy” (just) culture of patient safety. (OO13 28 BHSF-250 Patient Safety, highlighted)
Ethical Objections to Participation in Patient Care	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Establishes a mechanism through which staff can decline in participating an aspect of a patient’s care or treatment if it presents a conflict with the employee’s cultural values, sense of ethics, or religious beliefs. (OO13 23 BHSF-HR 5220 Ethical Objections to Participation in Patient Care)
Transfers and Promotions	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Describes that eligible qualified BHSF employees and external candidates who apply will be considered for the open posted position and that positions will be filled by the most qualified candidate. (OO13 29 BHSF-1250 Transfers and Promotions)
Employee Handbook	BHSF HR page Intranet	Summarizes BHSFphilosophy as a “Great Place to be Your Best,” employment practices, benefits and conduct. (OO13 30 Employee Handbook).

Confidentiality

Homestead Hospital strictly protects the privacy of employee information which is outlined in the policies below.

*Policy Title*	*Location*	*Purpose*
Unauthorized Release of Confidential Information	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Establishes policy to protect the privacy and confidentiality of employee and patient protected medical information. (OO13 31 BHSF-HR 5225 Unauthorized Release of Confidential Information)
Employment Records	BHSF Corporate Policies Intranet	Provides guidelines for maintenance, access and safekeeping of official and unofficial employee records. (OO13 32 BHSF-HR 2600 Employment Records)

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