McLaren Health Plan was among the nation’s best places to work in healthcare in 2010, according to its employees and Modern Healthcare magazine. Modern Healthcare’s “Best Places to Work in Healthcare” recognizes outstanding employers in the healthcare industry on a national level. Engaged employees make their workplace better, and they deserve recognition, too. Each month McLaren Health Plan rewards employees admired by their peers for their efforts.

Employee of the Month

Anyone at MHP can nominate a colleague who has gone above and beyond to be employee of the month. The strongest candidates have shown at least one of MHP’s employee leadership traits. These include accountability, enthusiastic teamwork, stewardship, thinking outside the box, character, stamina and dedication.

Each month, a winner is selected from the submissions. The winner receives a gift bag, $100 added to his or her next paycheck, and a coupon for free logo wear. For a month the winner gets a premier parking spot. He or she can also choose the music that plays in the building. Winners’ names go on a plaque and in MHP’s monthly newsletter.

Catch a Star

The MHP Catch a Star program honors employees for compassion, integrity, stewardship and initiative. It is part of the larger, corporate McLaren Health Care Stars program designed to promote service excellence.

Employees submit nominations each month. Each nomination earns the nominee a point. Every quarter, those who’ve earned five points—one for each point on a star—get a $25 gift card for a retailer, like Meijer or Wal-Mart. They’re also entered in a drawing for a paid time-off day.

The rewards return

These programs are two of the many ways MHP fosters a positive culture that engages employees.

This approach paid off when MHP earned a Morehead Apex Workplace of Distinction Award for 2009. The yearly award goes to healthcare organizations that score in the top 10 percent for two years on Morehead’s surveys of employee engagement. The surveys ask employees about topics from their training to interactions with supervisors to their physical work environment. At MHP, 100 percent of employees completed their surveys last year. Scores from more than 350 organizations are used to determine the winners.

		Kathy Kendall is president and CEO of McLaren Health Plan.