Client: Ann & Robert Lurie Children's Hospital
Challenge: Ann & Robert Lurie Children's Hospital faced significant challenges with turnover, short-staffing and burnout among its nursing and allied health professionals, in addition to the stress of a significant cyber-crime. With a high-acuity environment and complex cases, maintaining staff well-being and sustaining a positive culture became imperative.
Outcome: Implementing tailored strategies to foster resilience, combat burnout, and cultivate a supportive organizational culture.
In the heart of Chicago, Ann & Robert Lurie Children's Hospital stands as a beacon of hope for families facing medical challenges. However, while staff commitment and dedication to their work and professional standards remain high, under unrelenting pressures, staff grapple with the strain of high-pressure environments and the toll of demanding workloads. Deirdre Guthrie, Director of Well-being and Joy in Practice, recognized that the layers of chronic and cumulative effects of distressing and disrupting events were taking a toll on staff wellbeing. In response, she created a campaign to prioritize the 4 "R"s: rest/recovery, regulation, reflection and relationship.
In a candid conversation, the director reflected on the pivotal moment two years prior when leaders embarked on a journey to reshape the hospital's culture. "When I came in two years ago, it was tough," she recalled. "Lots of turnover and burnout but also a strong organizational commitment from Nursing and Allied Health leaders to find a new way of sustaining frontline work and of supporting themselves and each other."
Recognizing the need for a tailored approach to address the unique challenges of healthcare professionals, the director sought out Hummingly, drawn by their reputation for understanding high-pressure environments and fostering resilience. Deirdre explained, "I was looking for someone who had the 'street cred' because frontline folks and our high-pressure workplaces really are different. These environments draw people who care deeply and are very gritty, but therein lies their vulnerabilities. Jolie's background and knowledge of performance under pressure was a perfect fit. We are a complex, multi-faceted organization and we needed somebody who understood that environment."
“The engagement with Hummingly provided critical scaffolding to support our commitment to a sustainable work culture that prioritizes wellbeing at work. Through the workshops-in-a-box and the innovative ‘Doing Well’ cards, the hospital's leadership was equipped with practical tools to support their teams. We used both the team and leadership 'workshops in a box' and people enjoyed using the cards as a tangible way to check-in before huddles and to build their well-being plan. There's something very tactile about them and always something that resonates. People took photos of their plans and sent them to accountability partners and it's been fun to see someone's plan next to their workstation or have people catching up with me and describing what they're doing relating to some of their goals with their plan," the director explained.
“Even in facilitating and trying to shift some of these deeply embedded habits, it was a huge relief for me personally to know Jolie got all of that. It was incredibly important just to have this really supportive person who could help me amplify what I was trying to do and to scale it up - because as one person there's only so much I can do.”
“The impact of our work together has boosted our engagement with managers, who play essential roles in modeling cultural norms and set the tone for how teams will relate to one another on the units." Despite yet another disruption (the cyber-attack), managers attended retreats and really appreciated the protected time to reflect, gain some perspective and prioritize what was most important," the director noted. "The workshops-in-a-box picked up on some important pieces - strategies for turbulent times, social connection, decision-making under pressure, physical wellbeing, handling high emotion - that were important to our demographic. And this was all made fun and lighthearted with great visuals and graphics to help us process the content amidst conditions that greatly strain our attention, focus and overall bandwidth."
Looking ahead, the hospital sees a future where staff well-being remains at the forefront, supported by ongoing initiatives to nurture resilience and foster a culture of joy in practice. While the field of healthcare remains a volatile space, the leadership curriculums now include wellbeing competencies and there are wellbeing stakeholders throughout the organization on every floor. As they continue their journey, the staff at Lurie remain grateful for the partnership with Hummingly, which has empowered them to thrive amidst adversity.
