ADAPTING EDUCATION ASSISTANCE TO MEET BUSINESS NEEDS

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1 ADAPTING EDUCATION ASSISTANCE TO MEET BUSINESS NEEDS LESSONS FROM BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE How do you retain employees when they can walk across the street and get another job? For Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), the question is real. The Houston medical school and healthcare provider has a substantial challenge when it comes to talent; it shares its home the 50-million-square-foot Texas Medical Center with 54 other medical institutions, all vying for the same workforce. We re in a very competitive market, says BCM s Executive Director of Benefits, Barbara Naples. Rising above the competition requires BCM to meet three primary challenges: Offering what employees want Maintaining compelling benefits in a competitive market Streamlining regulatory compliance Doing so has led the college to continually assess its benefits portfolio to ensure that its total rewards programs are at or above the industry standards, valued by employees, and furthering talent goals. With education high up on both employees and BCM s wish lists, the tuition program has been a focal point for innovation.

2 GOAL: ENGAGE FRONT-LINE WORKERS With large numbers of highly degreed employees, BCM wanted to ensure its education program could equitably help its entire workforce advance their careers. To fully expand the program s reach, they needed to creatively rethink structure beyond just four-year degrees. EXPAND REIMBURSEMENT BEYOND DEGREES We make sure that our departments know that certificates are also very useful ways for employees to advance their career and to help the college in the long run BCM worked with Bright Horizons to step outside the degree-only boundaries and rework its offerings to include certificates and other nondegree programs. This addition not only enabled employees at every level to achieve individual goals, it also helped the organization build critical skills at a faster rate and lower expense. 2

3 By adding the certification process to our program with Bright Horizons, we re now able to track reports and make sure that we are complying with regulations and ensuring that our medical assistants are certified. GOAL: IMPROVE VISIBILITY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT Cataloging and reporting on earned skills is an important metric for any education program that wants to show value. And it s exceptionally important in a clinical setting where certifications are required for certain procedures. CONSOLIDATE EDUCATION BENEFITS INTO ONE PROGRAM When Baylor College of Medicine opted to include certifications in their education assistance policy, the Benefits team recognized an opportunity to centralize program administration for degree and non-degree learning. Doing so enabled BCM to easily report on external learnings across the business helping ensure consistent participation across teams as well as quickly uncovering trends in program selection. 3

4 GOAL: ENABLE AN INCREASINGLY GLOBAL WORKFORCE BCM s world-class facilities have attracted top physicians and researchers from around the globe. Enabling their full contributions would require support for every aspect of their performance, including language and medical skills. EXPAND THE DEFINITION OF WORK RELATED COURSES Language classes didn t fit BCM s original definition of reimbursable skills. However, once employees and their managers made the case that English proficiency was critical to a clinician s ability to successfully treat patients and communicate with colleagues, BCM s leadership acted. Reimbursing for language training not only addressed this specific issue, it also supported one of their Benefits department s central missions: to offer programs that have immediate value for employees. We re continually listening to employees to see what they value, what they need, what the department needs. And we ve changed with time. 4

5 If we have an accountant who s been with the college for a while, understands our culture and the way our systems work and wants to obtain a nursing degree, we approve it. It would be easier to replace an accountant than it would be to find a qualified nurse. GOAL: RECRUIT IN-DEMAND SKILLS The construction of BCM s new hospital will substantially increase the need for critical and notoriously hard-to-find clinical specialists, such as nurses. The organization needs to get creative to attract the qualified people it needs. SUPPORT EMPLOYEES WHO WANT TO MAKE CAREER CHANGES Education benefits were typically earmarked for employees who wanted to advance in their fields. But there was a growing trend of employees who wanted to make lateral moves from accounting to nursing. By supporting those aspirations, BCM not only staffed hard-to-fill roles; they also filled those roles with people who already knew the organization and fit its culture. 5

6 CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT: A KEY TO BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE S SUCCESS Baylor College of Medicine s strategy is instructive for all employers facing a competitive talent market. The organization has embraced the fact that education benefits are not a one-and-done proposition, and need to continually evolve to attract, develop, and secure talent. As we know, what was good ten years ago may not be good ten years from now, concludes Barbara. It s important in any organization, especially a research and teaching university, to change with the times. That approach seems to be paying off, as indicated by Baylor College of Medicine s sterling retention rates. More than 55% of their workforce has been with BCM for at least 5 years, and more than a third has been part of the team for more than 10 years. This outstanding tenure helps the company retain the knowledge and experience that keeps them at the forefront of medical innovation year in and year out. Quotes were provided by Barbara Naples, Executive Director of Benefits Bright Horizons EdAssist Solutions have transformed education programs for roughly 200 of the world s most renowned employers, turning passive employee benefits into active organizational performance strategies. By supporting employees career aspirations and addressing obstacles, our tuition assistance and student loan repayment programs are helping these organizations engage millions of employees, keep them longer, and develop the skills they need to fill today s emerging and critical roles. Contact us to learn more clientservices@brighthorizons.com brighthorizons.com/at-work Follow 2018 Bright Horizons Family Solutions LLC. All Rights Reserved