Greene County Medical Center was recently selected as one of the Des Moines Register’s “Top 150 Iowa Workplaces.” The top 150 Iowa workplaces are divided into three categories, small, mid-sized and large employers. The medical center was ranked #33 out of 50 in the mid-sized company category.
The announcement was made at a special Top Workplaces awards luncheon in Des Moines and then followed up with a special section in the Sept. 13 Des Moines Sunday Register. “Being selected as one of the Top 150 Iowa Workplaces is an honor” said CEO Carl Behne. “We want to be here for our patients and that means we need to be a good place to work for our employees, too.”
The selection is based on an employee survey conducted in late spring and overseen by WorkplaceDynamics. Medical center employees rated the medical center based on workplace practices and job satisfaction questions on a scale ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.”
Survey comments from employees included those about the work environment such as, “There is growth and opportunity available,” and “It is flexible for my family life. My coworkers are like family to me.”
But it wasn’t just about the work environment. Comments were also made about the difference their jobs make to the community. Comments such as “Making a positive difference in the community” and “We focus on excellence every day and strive to meet the expectations of our patients, residents and their families” were also made.
Chief nursing officer Katie Heldt noted that “Greene County Medical Center employees are the ultimate providers of safe, quality health care in our community.”
The Des Moines Register highlights all 150 worksplaces on its website. The site includes videos done for each of the 150 companies.
The Greene County Medical Center video includes testimony from three different employees, chief operating officer Christa Simons, lab reception clerk Joanna Sorber, RN Cassie Fowler, and EVS employee Nathan Parris. It also features footage of the new expansion with many employees working in various departments. The medical center’s website also has the video available for viewing at gcmchealth.com
According to the Des Moines Register’s website, Workplace Dynamics solicits employers to participate in the rating system. Employees at participating employers are surveyed using paper or online surveys. Responders are asked to rank a series of statements on a seven-point scale, with answers ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strong agree.”
A response rate of at least 35 percent of employees is required.
After surveys are compiled, the top 50 employers in each size group are recognized.
Also of interest to Greene County residents is that 21st Century Rehab PC, with which the medical center contracts to provide physical therapy services, ranked 26th among small companies. Prairie Lakes AEA, which serves the Greene County and Paton-Churdan school districts, was ranked 49th in the mid-size employers.
