Maintaining an Exceptional Workplace

We have long recognized that above-average workplace satisfaction leads to above-average consumer experience, loyalty and financial performance. That's why Texas Health nurtures a work environment that motivates our employees, engages them and supports their ability to deliver quality care.

In our dynamic labor market, finding the right employees for the right role is more critical than ever. Conversely, we must meet their expectations for employment. We conducted extensive research with our employees to better understand their needs and priorities. We learned they want to make a difference. Be heard. Collaborate with their teams. Build a meaningful career of serving others.

In response, we are moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach to hiring, developing and engaging our care teams. We are working to chart individual paths of success, instill coaching skills in our leaders and provide clear direction on how our workforce can deliver our Vision and Mission. We are relentlessly pursuing excellence in what we do for each other, as well as for consumers.

How Our Culture Drove Swift, Decisive, Compassionate Action

At Texas Health, our culture and strategy go hand in hand. Our top priorities are making sure all employees can reach their highest potential and continuing our business success. Our Texas Health Promise®: Individuals Caring For Individuals, Together® is how we live our business strategies and how we face the pandemic.

Long before COVID-19 dominated our lives, our leaders had instilled a workplace culture that emphasized Respect, Integrity, Compassion and Excellence. These values form a foundation of trust and empower our teams to take decisive action.

When the pandemic arrived, we put employees first and made sure they felt supported, valued, and safe to manage their uncertainties and fears and focus on caring for others.

Our CEO, Barclay Berdan, set this tone from day one.

"We recognized early on the scale and scope of what we were facing," he said. "I knew that PPE [personal protective equipment] was going to be a challenge. I sat all my folks down right at the start and said, 'I am not going to operate a system where people don't feel safe because they don't have the right PPE. I don't care where you go, what you do or what you spend. You make sure that we have enough PPE, that it's here when we need it, that our people feel comfortable and that they feel we're protecting them and their patients."

"We delegated a lot of decision-making, and we didn't spend a lot of time questioning whether we were making the right decision. We picked a couple of people who had the best knowledge and said, 'Here's the problem. Go solve it.'"

Carla Dawson had been our chief people officer for just a few weeks when the pandemic began to emerge.

"Her leadership and response during this time were phenomenal and just what was needed," said Kelly Martin, vice president, Human Resources. "She knew we would have to ask thousands of employees to do things they didn't normally do. But she gave us the support and guidance we needed. In turn, our employees gave our patients what they needed. We wouldn't have reacted as well as we all did without the reinforcement of our Core Values, leadership's commitment to excellence and our mutual support of each other. I'm so proud of how we have responded."