For many years, Labor Management Project (LMP) consultants have been providing coaching support and training to employees of Maimonides Hospital. Recently, labor and management staff from Maimonides’ Ambulatory Care Department gathered to learn how to work together effectively as a team, with the goal of producing measurable results on staff satisfaction and engagement.
Part of Maimonides’ Self-Managed Work Teams project, the trainings were facilitated by LMP consultants Francois Philippe, Paul Padial and Scott Hubbard in collaboration with LMP’s Development department. “The trainings provided an opportunity for both labor and management to come together and feel comfortable in expressing their feelings and concerns,” said Padial.
The hospital’s staff was broken up into small groups for the trainings, to allow for more interaction. Exercises like “Baggage,” which focused on the personal issues everyone carries into the workplace and the importance of having empathy for one’s co-workers, provided participants with tools for building a cohesive team. The training also emphasized the important roles played by all members of a team, regardless of their positions.
According to Philippe, he and the other LMP consultants will continue to build on and expand their team-building training with the staff of Maimonides. “We look forward to offering more trainings but also educating them further about the LMP and the resources that we have available to assist their staff,” he said.