I. Speaker – Shelia Klose, Director of HR for Prairie at St. John’s
A) Background
- Opened April 1997
- Growth from 75 to 320 employees
- HR Dept. handles education, employment safety, payroll, maintenance, administrative support, dietary needs, etc.
B) Healthcare field and HR
- Use of temps for staffing needs, e.g. RN’s
- Visits with Blue Cross Blue Shield for insurance reimbursement updates/changes
- High burnout/turnover rate (4-7yrs. in psych.)
C) Training
- 9 day new employee orientation
- 60 competency check-lists for new employees
- One-on-one training with a preceptor
- Annual education/benefits fair
- Once a month
    o All staff “Round-Up” meetings to inform employees on new happenings within the organization, e.g. financial status
    o Employee luncheons with a cultural diversity theme
    o Learning luncheons with speaker, e.g. “Who moved my cheese?
 D) Retention/Social Events
- No sign-on bonuses, instead awards recruitment bonuses to employees that refer new employees
- Holiday mixers
- Potlucks
- “Giving Tree” during Holiday season
- Birthday cards for employees signed by CEO and HR Director
- Newsletter – includes congratulations/recognitions and “positive vibes” comments from patients/customers
- Red Hawks tickets
- Employee recognition gifts on respective day/week, e.g. national secretary’s week
- Know all employees on first name basis
- ET donations from other employees (earned-time off)
- Joint commission – up to 3% back to employees if org. was under budget for the year.  This encourages employees to not to be efficient and not wasteful (lower costs).
- Open door policy with management.  Helps to reduce grievances and reach their goal of a family oriented organizational culture.
E) Compensation and Benefits
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Life, health, dental, and vision insurance
- Continuing Education and Tuition reimbursement
F) Tour of Prairie’s new clinic
II. Business
A) Elections - Congratulations to:
- Caroline Larson, new Treasurer
- Sarah Kalinoski, new Secretary
- Jenny Ulman, new MSUM PR representative
- Amber Keller, new NDSU PR representative
B) We are all set to Ring Bells for the Salvation Army on Dec. 4 from 5-8pm and Cashwise in Fargo and Sunmart in Moorhead.
C) Internships
- Prairie at St. John’s – unpaid
- Kelly Services – unpaid