Introduction

People First says it all. The meaning of these two words, together, can mean so much to a person without even revealing the meaning of this initiative to our organization. In fact, if you gave it some thought, you might even come up with an answer or idea that means exactly how we want you to understand it. People First is an initiative that sets our organization apart from others in this industry, you will definitely want to read on and find out that we are on the same page!

Background

A generous grant from The John R. Oishei Foundation made it possible for The Niagara Lutheran Health System and its affiliates to develop and implement our "People First: Caring Heart & Soul" workforce development program. The NLHS and its affiliates understand the needs of the people we serve and the main objective of the People First initiative is addressing the root causes of the nursing and certified nursing assistant (CNA) staff shortage by focusing on reducing vacant positions and absenteeism, increasing staff retention, and emphasizing the importance of customer service excellence.

Driven by Jurgen Arndt, NLHS president and CEO, and with support from his executive team, People First is framed by his vision of becoming nationally renowned for a customer service focus in our provision of quality care. In order for us to reach this goal, we need to continually adhere to Niagara Lutheran Health System's mission: To provide for the physical, social, and spiritual needs of the individuals we serve, in a Christian environment. Recognizing that we are in the business of placing the needs of People First, we need to understand who the "individuals" are who are referred to in our mission statement. They are our customers - our residents, volunteers, community members, partnering organizations, and fellow employees.

People First is a life-long commitment of Niagara Lutheran Health System to provide customer service excellence. Every employee has an important role in making Niagara Lutheran a great place to work, a comforting home for our residents, a caring facility for our patients, and a welcoming place for families, friends and volunteers. People First is also an opportunity to recognize NLHS as being the provider of choice among similar organizations. We learn ways to ensure positive interactions with all of our customers and to live our mission and values on a daily basis.

Building a foundation is the first step, and to help us do that, all employees attend a People First mandatory class on customer service which covers many facets to understanding the importance of customer service and allows for discussion on ways to improve our everyday customer interactions.

We are on an exciting and rewarding path which will have a positive impact on both our work and personal lives as we embrace People First.

Customer Service Coordinator

We have designated a position, the Customer Service Coordinator, who is steward of People First. The coordinator teaches, coaches, encourages and supports customers within our organization to demonstrate our core Niagara Lutheran Health System values of responsibility, compassion, respect, integrity, and commitment and to fulfill our mission "to provide for the physical, social, and spiritual needs of the individuals we serve, in a Christian environment". In addition, this position is part of the Human Resources department allowing them to align the strategic initiatives and goals to support the recruitment, retention, and training of our employees. The workforce development methods include new or improved opportunities for individual and team coaching, leadership development training, customer service training, employee hiring, orientation, evaluation, retention process/performance improvements, and increased employee communication, recognition, and rewards.