 Maryland Hospitals Adopting Concierge
Services for Busy Employees
Traditionally, concierge services are provided by hotels to
assist their guests with running errands or making reservations and
recommendations.
But now workplaces, including some Maryland hospitals, are
attempting to improve employee satisfaction and retention by offering
concierge-type services to their employees—and many workers are happy to
save time on necessary but time-consuming errands such as car washing, ordering
flowers, or finding tickets to an event.
MedStar Health, which is comprised of four Maryland
hospitals and three Washington, D.C. hospitals, contracts with Baltimore-based
Business Health Services (BHS) for its concierge services. The company, which
calls itself an employee assistance program and “workplace wellness”
vendor, offers a program called “Convenience Care Services.”
Through this program, employees can request information on
anything from booking air fare to party planning to pet care.
Wendy Marshall, director of Corporate Benefits at MedStar
Health, said that offering convenience services to employees is beneficial to
everyone involved, since it simultaneously offers help to the workers and
increases productivity and satisfaction.
“It gives a clear message to the employee that MedStar
Health does care about them and does understand that they have a life outside
of work,” Marshall said.
In addition to everyday tasks such as arranging for a
baby-sitter, making restaurant reservations, or booking hotels, employees also
can ask for help with more unusual requests. Requests for information on
scholarships and financial aid for employees’ college-bound children are
very popular.
After receiving an employee request, BHS care coordinators
send a packet of at least three referrals or options to the employee within 12
hours by e-mail or snail mail. Then they work together to connect the employee
with the service and make sure he or she is completely satisfied.
MedStar pays a base fee to receive BHS services for its
employees and their household members, but then the employees must pick up the
charge for the actual service, such as the bill for concert tickets or payment
for a flight.
Other Maryland hospitals offer different types of concierge
services. At Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital, when employees or
patient family members need a car wash or dry cleaning services, they are
offered these services.
“Our employees really love that,” said Earnie
Standley, the director of plant operations for the 102-bed pediatric
rehabilitation hospital in Baltimore.
For example, every Thursday employees can get their cars
washed, waxed or detailed for prices ranging from $15 to $100 while they are
working.
Linda Zeitzoff, a nurse practitioner at the hospital, has
used this service and likes its convenience. “I work Monday through
Friday, and sometimes I get here as early as 8 a.m. and leave at 6 p.m. Most
car washes are closed after it gets dark and on weekends you have to sit in
line for over an hour,” Zeitzoff said.
Also, dry cleaning services are available to employees at
Mt. Washington. They can drop their clothes off on Mondays and they will be
sent out, cleaned, and returned on Thursday. The hospital also provides the
services of a notary public to employees. This comes in handy to the
patients’ families as well.
The hospital created on-site car washing and a dry cleaning
service mostly to benefit its staff members, so that they wouldn’t have to
rush away from their jobs to do errands during breaks, Standley said.
“It’s a lifestyle perk for our employees,”
Standley said. “One of the reasons we initiated all this is we want them
to be focused on good patient care.”
Also, Standley said that providing these services allows
employees to take their minds off errands and use their free time to do things
they enjoy, like spending time with their families.
Contact:
Earnie Standley
Mt. Washington
Pediatric Hospital
Director of Plant Operations
410-578-5213
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