UMass Memorial Caregiver Survey

On May 14, UMass Memorial launched its caregiver survey. You’ll see lots of emails about it, and SHARE wants you to chime in – please take the survey!

Things to Know:

·       It’s shorter this year, probably about 10 minutes needed.

·       You get work time to fill it out. If you are having trouble getting the time, talk to your manager. Contact SHARE if we can help.

·       It’s confidential. Press-Ganey (the patient experience company) runs this survey. You have to use your personal link or your employee identification number to make sure that only employees fill it out, and only once each. Press-Ganey gets the results. They only send group results back to UMass Memorial, and they don’t share any results for groups smaller than 5 caregivers. SHARE can confirm that we haven’t heard about confidentiality problems.

·       All managers are supposed to share the department’s survey results with the department. All teams are supposed to work on an “action plan” to improve caregivers’ experience based on the results in their department. The results should  be available this summer – we’ll let you know when, and you can let us know if you want help thinking about how to use yours.

Why does UMass Memorial want to you to fill out the survey?

UMass Memorial wants employees to be happy. They know that better caregiver experience leads to better patient experience. The hospital wants caregiver feedback on how they are doing, and what they should try to improve.

Why does SHARE want you to fill out the survey?

SHARE leaders see the survey results for SHARE members. We use them to work with the hospital on improvements that SHARE members care about. We also help members use the results in their department to try to improve things for SHARE members.

SHARE MEMBERS 2022 CONTRACT SURVEY RESULTS

SHARE members filled out over 4000 surveys to prepare for contract negotiations this year on a range of topics: retention and why staff stay or leave, benefits, career opportunities, our COVID experience, money, and our priorities for contract negotiations. SHARE members have been through a lot, and have a lot to say.

This final report puts it all together under the following headings:

1. Raises Are Our Top Priority

2. Keeping Staff: Pay and Staffing Levels Go Hand and Hand

3. COVID: What We’ve Been Through

4. High Priority: Hold onto Great Benefits

5. Career Opportunities for SHARE Members: So Much Potential

6. Respect and the Daily Experience

The SHARE negotiating team has used this information to help define our union’s priorities. The team presented the report in its entirety to management in negotiations as part of its opening statement.

SHARE Contract Negotiations & Survey Results Update

SHARE and UMass Memorial are getting set to begin our next contract negotiations. Our first session is currently scheduled for June 23rd, and we expect to meet on a weekly basis. The first pair of sessions will be held with a trainer, Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, who will work with both SHARE and Management about the ideas and skills involved in Interest Based Bargaining. (If you recognize that name, it’s because Joel has participated with us in negotiations before.)

Throughout these negotiations, SHARE will continue to have many one-on-one conversations and hold information meetings (see a preliminary list of sessions below.) We also continue to hone our priorities using the detailed feedback we got from the recent series of SHARE surveys (hit the red button below for a summary). And, of course, we’ll post regular updates to the SHARE website. More to come . . .

SHARE Negotiation Information Meetings

more dates and details to be announced as they become available

including sessions at Hahnemann, Century Drive, etc.

6/16 Virtual Meeting 11:30-1:00 (Zoom link TBA)

6/24 Tri-river Community Room + Webex 11:30-1:00 (link TBA)

6/29 Barre Conference Room + Zoom 11:30-1:00 (link TBA)

7/8 University Information Table 11:30-1:00 (location TBA)

7/15 Memorial Amphitheater 11:30-1:00 (TBA)

Please feel free to bring your lunch and your questions, and to invite your co-workers. At the virtual meetings, if you’ve got a camera, we’d love to see you live. We’ll continue to schedule Information Meetings through the entire negotiation process. If you’d like to set up a meeting at a time and place that works for you and your co-workers, call the SHARE office (508-929-4020, extension 10) and leave a message.

SHARE Surveys Winding Up! Plus, UMass Memorial Caregiver Survey on the Way

Last call for SHARE Survey responses! Your perspective is really important to help our union prepare for the upcoming contract negotiations. Also, UMass Memorial’s 2022 Caregiver Survey comes out Wednesday, and we want to encourage you to take that, too.

Each of the surveys is quick, and every survey response is anonymous. For our part, SHARE will use the group results for contract negotiations, and share the results with all SHARE members.

WHY DOES SHARE CARE ABOUT the HOSPITAL’S SURVEY?

SHARE encourages you to take the UMass Memorial survey for a few reasons. SHARE leaders will receive the results, and intends to work with hospital leadership to understand what they say about SHARE members' experiences at work. We will compare the results to those of our own surveys, and involve members to make sense of the data.

The more SHARE members fill out the survey, the more useful the results will be. The hospital has hired Press-Ganey, a nationwide firm, to administer the surveys and ensure confidentiality. Your manager should share results, working with your team to figure out what aspects of your experience that you’d most like to improve, and how you will do it.

If you have concerns in your work area about the way that this is discussed—or is not discussed—please let your SHARE organizer know.

REMINDER: We Want Your Feedback! SHARE Surveys Closing Soon

SHARE continues to collect responses in our series of surveys to prioritize and prepare for our upcoming contract negotiations with UMass Memorial. The “Money & Priorities” survey just opened earlier this week.

Each of the surveys is quick, and every survey response is anonymous. SHARE will use the group results for contract negotiations, and share the results with all SHARE members.

Thank you for helping keep our union strong. And, happy World Hand Hygiene Day!

Last One: Priorities Survey Available Now!

The final survey in SHARE’s series of short surveys to prepare for Contract Negotiations is available now. Help keep our union strong and prepare for negotiations by telling us your thoughts about money, your Covid experience, and SHARE’s priorities for the future.

To learn more, and to see the results of previous surveys as they become available, check out posts on the SHARE blog labeled #Surveys.

REMINDER! Take SHARE Negotiations Survey #3: BENEFITS

The SHARE Benefits Survey became available just this week. It is the third in a series of four surveys designed to prepare for our upcoming contract negotiations.

Thank you to everyone who has already helped to provide so much data and so many comments. This helps our negotiating team understand the range of SHARE member experiences as we prioritize. One more survey to go after this one!

To learn more, and to see the results of previous surveys as they become available, check out posts on the SHARE blog labeled #Surveys.

Take the New SHARE Benefits Survey

Benefits are an important part of what you get for working at UMass Memorial. As we get ready for contract negotiations, we want to think together about what SHARE members like about our benefits, and what could be better.

This survey is anonymous. SHARE will use the group results for contract negotiations, and share the results with all SHARE members.

The SHARE Benefits Survey is the third in a series of surveys to prepare for our upcoming contract negotiations. To learn more, and to see the results of previous surveys as they become available, check out posts on the SHARE blog labeled #Surveys.

Take the New “Career Opportunities” Survey! And, Learn More about What SHARE’s Working On . . .

Open Now: SHARE Career Opportunities Survey

Now is a great time for us to negotiate about creating career paths for SHARE members. What better way for the hospital way to retain staff than to give them opportunities to stay and grow? Tell us what you would like to learn, and how UMass Memorial can help open up opportunities for you.

The survey is anonymous and takes only ten minutes. You can do it on a computer or on your phone. The SHARE Negotiating Team wants to hear from you!

The Career Opportunities Survey is the second in SHARE’s series of surveys to prepare for Contract Negotiations. The results summary from the Retention Survey is now online. Learn what SHARE members say about why they stay or leave UMass Memorial here

What’s SHARE Been Working On?

In addition to preparing for negotiations, SHARE continues its day-to-day work with its unexpected challenges and exciting projects. Click the grid below to see an expanded view of some things SHARE is working on now . . .

The Results Are In: SHARE Retention Survey

SHARE’s contract agreement with UMass Memorial expires on October 1, 2022. We will likely begin negotiating with management in early Summer. To prepare, we’re having many conversations to establish our priorities. We’re also analyzing SHARE members’ interests through a series of surveys.

Thank you to the 1150 of you who responded to the first in the survey series: “Retention, Why People Stay or Leave.” We’ve prepared this report for you to see the results, and to read what your co-workers are saying:

More is on the way. Keep your eyes peeled for surveys about . . .

• Career development: How do SHARE members want to grow at UMass Memorial? – coming soon

• Benefits

• Money, and overall priorities

Your participation matters! Contract negotiations are a time to make our voices heard, fix problems, set a course for the future.

SHARE Survey about Staffing

What Makes Some SHARE Members Leave UMass Memorial?

Why Do Other SHARE Members Stay?

SHARE members are working short in lots of departments, and it's exhausting – especially after 2 years of COVID. SHARE members are the experts about why people leave and why people stay. We need management to understand what they should be doing to fix the staffing crisis and to keep good staff. 

In this survey, SHARE members can describe why they stay at UMass Memorial or why they are thinking of leaving. SHARE will summarize the results to give to management as part of our efforts to help the hospital get back up to full staff. 

The survey should take about 5-7 minutes. It’s anonymous. You can do it on your phone if you want. 

Thank you!

The SHARE Member Experience: COVID Survey Results

More than 1800 SHARE members answered the SHARE COVID Survey, giving a picture of all the different kinds of experiences SHARE members had in the Spring of 2020. It was an intense time: very scary for many people and a lot of hard work, mixed with some really positive experiences. Thank you as always for helping to keep our hospital and our union running strong through it all, and for describing your experience so that we can continue to learn and improve.

We encourage you to explore this link to the summary of the results:

SHARE COVID Survey Results

SHARE Leaders continue to give feedback to UMass Memorial senior management, in discussions that now focus on preparing for a possible second COVID surge. If you would like to talk to your SHARE Organizer about the report, your experiences, or thinking ahead, please send a message to one of us SHARE organizers listed below. Thank you.

carol.hehir@theshareunion.org

bobbi-jo.lewis@theshareunion.org

deb.largesse@theshareunion.org

deb.engvall@theshareunion.org

elisabeth.szanto@theshareunion.org

jana.hol@theshareunion.org

janet.wilder@theshareunion.org

kirk.davis@theshareunion.org

melissa.markstrom@theshareunion.org

will.erickson@theshareunion.org

Last Chance! Take the SHARE COVID Survey Today or Tomorrow!

Hi SHARE members,

SHARE is setting up meetings now to talk to management about will happen if the numbers of COVID patients go up again. We need to hear your thoughts, to make sure we have a full picture of SHARE members’ experiences. We will close the survey at midnight, Wednesday, July 15th.

Click here to take the SHARE COVID Survey

Click here to take the survey in Spanish

Many thanks to the 1500+ SHARE members who already filled out the SHARE COVID Survey! We’ve gotten lots of great comments and feedback so far.

SHARE will write a report of SHARE members’ responses, and send it to all SHARE members. 

—Janet, for SHARE

SHARE Survey about Working During COVID -- Please Fill It Out!

This has been a very challenging time for many SHARE members. The Corona virus pandemic brought huge changes and really hard work for lots of people. Unfortunately, experts are predicting that COVID-19 isn’t going away any time soon, and we may face another surge in the future. 

As the SHARE union, we want to figure out what we can do to both improve working conditions for staff as well as improve care for our patients, when and if another surge comes. Please fill out the following survey so we can learn what went well and what needs to be improved in the future. If you have any questions about the survey, or would like to provide more feedback about your experience, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Note also that the SHARE website recently added:

• a clarification about the hospital’s temporary new Earned/Vacation/Care Time cap, and

• more SHARE’D Stories, spotlighting individual SHARE members, and the work that you do for our community

Thank you for everything you do!

SHARE Encourages You to Complete the Annual Caregiver Survey

3/18/2020 Update: As our system goes through the process of creating capacity for a surge of patients by cancelling unnecessary appointments and procedures due to COVID-!9, some of you may find yourselves with a few spare minutes.  We urge you to spend five minutes in the next few days taking the Caregiver Engagement Survey that Press Ganey is administering on behalf of UMass Memorial.  It is short, easy, completely confidential.

When all of the present challenges are past us we will be glad to have good data compiled from many (most?) SHARE members’ experience.  You can find the link in your email, along with a unique password – this password is not so the hospital can link your responses back to you, but so that Press Ganey can ensure that everyone just takes the survey once, and that their responses are assigned to the right department. 

***

Bart Metzger, UMass Memorial Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

On March 11, UMass Memorial will launch the new Annual Caregiver Survey. Why should you care about this?

You may have recently seen, in the Everyday Innovators blog, the response given by guest blogger Bart Metzger. The short version of his answer?

1. We want you to be happy at UMass Memorial. The quality of your work life is important to us.

2. Your voice matters. Without your feedback, we can’t improve. And continuous improvement is part of our culture.

3. Caregiver experience = patient experience. If you aren’t satisfied with your work, how can we expect you to take good care of our patients?

Why Does SHARE Care About the Survey?

We’d add that SHARE wants you to take this survey. SHARE leaders will receive the results, and intends to work with hospital leadership to understand what they say about SHARE members' experiences at work. We will compare the results to those of our own recent surveys, and involve members to make sense of the data.

SHARE uses the results to line up improvements that will benefit members in their workplace. For example, recent “pulse” surveys show consistent improvement across those areas with Unit Based Teams; we’re looking to expand and deepen those kinds of efforts, and continue to help you develop a workplace you’re proud of.

Using the Results in Your Own Department

The more SHARE members fill out the survey, the more useful the results will be. This round of surveys will show how SHARE members’ experiences are trending over time. Your manager should share results, working with your team to figure out what aspects of your experience that you’d most like to improve, and how you will do it. If you have concerns in your work area about the way that this is discussed—or is not discussed—please let your SHARE organizer know.

The Survey Is Confidential

The survey process is conducted by an outside agency, Press Ganey. You will soon receive an email from them with a link to the survey. The survey is confidential, and is designed and administered in ways that ensure participants remain anonymous. In the past, SHARE has heard worries from members about survey confidentiality, but SHARE members have not reported problems with any of the surveys administered over the years by Press Ganey.

It’s Quick, and You Can Take It at Work

The survey shouldn't take much more than ten minutes, and you are encouraged to do it on work time. There’s a Spanish version this year, too.

UMass Memorial Works Because You Do

After it launches, the survey will be live through March 25. Thank you for participating, and helping to create a more complete and accurate overview about the experience of employees at UMass Memorial.