St. Luke’s Hospital teammates recently practiced some new skills that were guaranteed to provide stress relief through fun and laughter. First, there was the very competitive “corn hole washer toss,” followed by a challenging game of “catch the water balloons while moving further away.” Few were able to master the “toss the stuffed fish through spinning hoola hoops,” but everyone took their best shot to “Ring the Administrator.”

“I can easily say, we have a group of fun-loving competitors who work at St. Luke’s Hospital,” said Ken Shull, Chief Executive Officer. Enjoying the fun, Shull was first in the hot seat, looking cool under a funny and too small football hat with inflated goal posts while hospital staff tossed rings towards his head.

“Was it easy?” Shull asked. “Apparently not; not too many people made the goal. Was it fun? Absolutely.”

The fun and silly games took place in the hospital’s Courtyard as a way to include all hospital shifts. Teams of two competed for bragging rights and door prizes. Even more fun was that business partners in the community donated numerous gifts and certificates that were awarded throughout the two-week period in August as incentives and recognition for staff to complete the 2014 Teammate Engagement Survey.

The annual survey provides valuable feedback about the working environment, hospital leadership and benefits at St. Luke’s Hospital – all topics that will help in reaching our goal to make St. Luke’s Hospital THE best place to work and THE best place to seek medical care, said Amy Norville, vice president of Support Services at the Hospital.

“Each year, we have been able to make improvements that are important to our teammates,” Norville said. “Of course, we always consider benefits, but work-life balance is important to our staff. Through the survey, which is completely anonymous, they’ve let us know they want more opportunities for professional growth, that managers value their input and ideas, and that they are proud of the hospital’s quality care,” Norville explained.

“The survey is important in measuring our employees’ satisfaction, which we believe is vital in a culture of caring. While our patients are our first priority, we realize the importance of a positive work culture. And of course, we recognize that St. Luke’s Hospital is competing with other neighboring healthcare providers for qualified staff,” Norville added.

The annual survey and fun day were “kicked off” with a Tailgate Party complete with wings and chips, in a competitive effort to reach a high response rate throughout the hospital. Rousing cheers go to the following community partners for providing prizes to make this survey process even more enjoyable: BiLo of Columbus, Open Road Coffee House, Sidestreet Pizza, Tryon Mtn. Hardware, Larkin’s Grill/Columbus, St. Luke’s Hospital Human Resources, Southern Manners, Lavender Bistro, St. Luke’s Hospital Foundation, Brights Creek Golf, My Gym and Fitness, Brick Pizzeria, Green Creek Winery, Karma Hair Salon, Mt. View BBQ, Red Fox Country Club, Hare and Hound, Southside Smokehouse, Stone Soup, Carolina Chiropractic and St. Luke’s Hospital Center of Behavioral Medicine.

“The annual survey results reflect employees’ feelings about St. Luke’s Hospital,” Norville said. “At St. Luke’s, each person is important to the team. In a great environment where people work well together, our patients win.”