Forbes America’s Best-in-State Employers ranks Tampa General No. 6 out of 100 companies in 25 industry sectors in Florida.
August 24, 2022 — Tampa General Hospital’s commitment to supporting its team members by encouraging personal and professional development has been recognized by Forbes Magazine, naming Tampa General a top-10 employer in the state of Florida. The Forbes America’s Best Employers by State list is based on an independent survey from a sample of 70,000 employees working for companies with at least 500 staff in their U.S. operations. Tampa General is ranked No. 6 out of 100 companies in 25 industry sectors in Florida in 2022.
“At Tampa General, we have a deep belief that caring for our team members is our top priority,” said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General. “Providing our team with the resources and support they need allows them to be the most effective team members and people they can be, which then enables them to provide the best care possible for our patients. At the end of the day, if you take care of your team members, they will take care of the rest. Being in the top 10 is a validation of our focus on creating and sustaining this culture.”
This is the second consecutive year that Tampa General has been in the top 10 of the Forbes America’s Best Employers by State list.
Forbes Magazine teamed up with market research company Statista to anonymously survey employees through several online panels. Survey participants were asked to provide direct and indirect recommendations. Direct evaluations are from Tampa General team members and indirect evaluations are from non-Tampa General staff. Those responding answered 52 questions about such work-related topics as working conditions, diversity, salary, potential for development and company image. In the direct recommendation category, Tampa General scored above the 90th percentile and the indirect score was above the 80th percentile.
“Given our commitment to the individual and collective needs of our team members, we concentrate on programs and initiatives that are important to their engagement and satisfaction, including providing professional and personal development,” said Qualenta Kivett, executive vice president and chief People and Talent officer, Tampa General. Valuing team member feedback and voice through open communication is one way Tampa General seeks to understand the needs and preferences of team members. Not only can team members submit questions directly to Couris, Tampa General’s president and CEO, through the internal portal, but can also email him or any leader within the organization.
“Team member questions and feedback are always heard and responded to, and many times are referenced for future planning and initiatives,” said Kivett. Regular surveys conducted by third-party professional surveyors measure and identify team member satisfaction. Questions cover such topics as onboarding and new hire experience, compensation, benefits, leadership, and resources from the organizational to the department or unit level.
“We are constantly exploring initiatives that help team members in both their professional and personal lives,” said Couris. “To that end, we have developed new programs as well as enhanced and maintained existing opportunities.”
Potential for Development
Tampa General offers an array of opportunities for educational, professional and personal development:
- Education Assistance — Tampa General provides scholarships, competitive tuition reimbursement and clinical and non-clinical ladders that support skills enhancements. More than $100,000 in nursing scholarships were awarded to Tampa General team members in 2022. Clinical and non-clinical ladders are offered and are structured systems to advance career development while the team member remains in a current position.
- Career Growth — Tampa General has developed its own education and professional development programs unique to the academic medical center such as:
- The People Development Institute (PDI) which offers classes through a partnership with the University of South Florida (USF) Muma College of Business at no charge. Classes on topics such as technical and emotional skills, finance and leadership competencies are available to all team members.
- Part of the PDI program, the AKTiVe Leadership initiative began in May 2022 and all leaders at TGH participate in the training as part of their leadership development. The AKTiVe Leadership Model embodies four qualities of leaders: Authenticity, Kindness, Transparency, and Vulnerability. When enacted through behaviors of leaders, these qualities create a positive working environment for leaders, team members, and patients.
- To provide a platform for emerging leaders at Tampa General Hospital to share ideas, overcome challenges and foster personal and professional development, the free LEAD (Leadership, Enrichment and Development) TGH program spans 12 months and creates career pathways and identifies future leaders.
- A Modern Advances in Leadership series facilitated through the University of Tampa’s Sykes College of Business is designed to provide transformative and interactive learning experiences to advance the skills of current and future leaders.
- Hub for Innovation/IdeaHQ — To create a culture of innovation and encourage creative solutions, Tampa General has developed IdeaHQ, an online platform designed for identifying and crowd-sourcing quality improvement ideas directly from all team members. All team members can rate and comment on ideas and a committee selects projects to move forward. Solutions selected for development are displayed on a digital board at the Hub in the hospital cafeteria, which also offers walk-up tech support for team members. IdeaHQ and the Hub are part of TGH Innoventures, which provides a coordinated mechanism for Tampa General to develop innovative solutions to improve quality and access to care.
Working Conditions
Tampa General’s view of working conditions moves beyond providing team members the equipment, training and facilities in which to achieve the best possible performance. “It means recognizing the whole person and creating an environment in which all team members can grow and develop in their careers and within their life goals and responsibilities,” said Kivett.
- Schedule and Remote Work Flexibility — Tampa General offers a competitive time-off policy as well as remote working options and flexibility for part-time positions, depending on the job description.
- Health, Wellness and Benefits — Tampa General provides team members access to the TGH Fitness Center which offers wellness activities and tracking through a free app, an on-site gym and online classes.
- Team Member Emergency Fund — To help team members with unexpected situations or emergencies, Tampa General offers the Team Member Emergency Fund, which provides limited financial assistance to eligible team members in need due to a personal emergency.
- Family Support — In 2020, 2021 and 2022, a $600 grant per eligible team member for back-to-school supplies has helped caregivers provide essentials such as clothes, backpacks, tablets and laptops for young students. An on-site day care center provides families with an education and development curriculum for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years.
- It’s Okay Not To Be Okay—Recognizing the need for emotional and spiritual support at times and to remove the stigma from seeking mental health care, Tampa General established It’s Okay Not to Be Okay, a collection of emotional and mental health resources ranging from wellness and resilience-building activities to professional counseling and crisis support. To focus directly on helping team members cope, the hospital’s Spiritual Health and Education Department started a Team Member Spiritual Support program in partnership with Tampa General’s Psychology services in 2021.
- Team Member Lounge — In addition to team member break rooms located throughout the hospital, a Team Member Lounge features a variety of spaces to rest and rejuvenate, including massage chairs.
- Service Awards — To celebrate milestones of service, TGH celebrates team member anniversaries starting at five years and then for every five-year increment after that.
- Monthly Birthday Breakfasts — Team members celebrate their birthday month with prizes such as smart watches, video game consoles, cameras, and gift cards.
Compensation
Based on its philosophy to do what is right, while remaining competitive, the academic medical center invested in base compensation by adding $19 million in 2022 and more than $14 million in 2021 directly into team member salaries. A market analysis conducted this year resulted in market adjustments and pay increases for more than half of team members and new pay grades were assigned to all roles.
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ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region’s only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 Best Hospitals, and is tied as the third highest-ranked hospital in Florida, with seven specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic medical center’s commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – first nationally in the 2022 America’s Best Employers for Women and sixth out of 100 Florida companies in the 2022 America’s Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2020, provided a net community benefit worth more than $182.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation’s busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital’s footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging powered by Tower outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track. As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.
