Today’s episode of Navigate’s People First Podcast welcomes Sarah Wheeler, Corporate Wellness Program Manager at Children's Nebraska, who discusses her organization's employee well-being strategy and its connection to patient care. This episode explores their people-first approach, as Children's Nebraska cultivates a wellness program extending beyond conventional health initiatives.

Sarah details Children's Nebraska's employee wellness program, whose design aligns with the ICARE values of Innovation, Collaboration, Accountability, Respect and Excellence, and features dedicated subject matter experts across emotional, social, financial, physical, and community well-being dimensions. Her informative and insightful conversation with Troy and Jeremy here today highlights "radical flexibility" in healthcare while integrating family and community values for support, and demonstrates how data drives program improvements, demonstrating ROI in employee retention and engagement.

Episode Highlights:

00:00 - Using Data and Values to Drive Employee Engagement
01:29 - Sarah Wheeler’s Journey Into Wellbeing Leadership
03:05 - Designing a Holistic Employee Wellness Program
04:35 - Building a Team of Wellbeing Experts
05:58 - Why Holistic Programs Boost Participation
09:10 - Integrating Family and Community Into Wellness Initiatives
11:50 - Champion Networks and Personalized Communication
13:46 - Volunteerism and Culture as Drivers of Success
15:26 - Proving ROI Through Retention and Engagement Results
16:59 - Supporting Women’s Health and Workplace Flexibility
19:33 - Leveraging Navigate Tools and Data for Better Outcomes
22:34 - Best Day Ever: Celebrating Joy and Purpose at Work

Key Takeaways:

"Healthcare workers care for others before themselves. Our job is to ensure they're cared for too."

"We started our wellness program from scratch, meeting people where they are."

"Holistic programs see better engagement. They meet immediate needs without huge barriers."

"Family is woven into our social well-being. We bring family into the hospital to see behind the scenes."

"Volunteer programs help us understand patient experiences and foster empathy."

"Programs with a giving back aspect are more successful. They bridge cultural and care aspects."

"We've seen a 35% turnover reduction and 26.7-point engagement increase since 2021."

"Radical flexibility helps retain people. We meet employees in their life phase."

"Navigate supports us by reaching people wherever they are, enhancing engagement."

Resources:

Who is Navigate? Learn more at navigatewell.com

Learn more about the ROI of employee wellbeing - https://info.navigatewell.com/roi-whitepaper

Sarah Wheeler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahwheelerfitness/