Employee engagement isn’t just about keeping people in their roles—it’s about creating a workplace where staff feel supported, valued, and empowered. 

As health care workers face mounting pressures, from compassion fatigue to change fatigue, organizations are looking for ways to stay connected to employees, gather feedback, and act on it effectively. 

In a recent webinar, Jason Coffey, RN, MSN, Director of Employee Experience, Culture Strategies & Insights, and Conrad Kresge, MPH, Manager of Employee Experience & Insights, shared their multi-tactic approach to improving satisfaction and retention.

At Norton Healthcare, creating great human interactions is a key part of the company culture. Their standout culture has provided a foundation for the multi-year journey that has led to success in improving employee experiences. 

Here’s how Norton Healthcare is setting a new standard for employee experience.

Listening to Employees 

The key to an engaged workforce is actively listening to employees—not just once a year, but throughout their career journey. CipherHealth’s Staff Rounding platform enables leaders to document interactions, track real-time feedback, and follow up efficiently, fostering a culture of transparency and action.

“We realized that feedback can’t be an annual event. Healthcare moves fast—minute by minute—so we’ve built listening strategies that are closer to where the work happens,” Coffey said. 

“If folks feel heard and valued, they provide a higher level of patient care. They know that the organization is taking care of them, so they’re able to take care of our patients,” Kresge said. 

Norton Healthcare’s targeted approach includes:

• New hire employee surveys: Feedback is collected at 2 weeks, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months to assess onboarding experiences and identify areas for improvement
• Pulse and annual Surveys: Regular touchpoints ensure leadership can respond to evolving needs in real time
• Crowdsourcing tools: Frontline employees contribute actionable ideas on topics like safety and process improvements

This ongoing feedback loop allows them to address issues quickly and support employees at critical moments.

“We’ve also integrated the opposite side of recognition or appreciation. For instance, an employee brings up that they’re going through a divorce at home, or they’re expecting a new child. They have a lot of stressors that they’re carrying around, even though they may be doing great work. This allows us to connect them with resources faster and really help during those situations,” Coffey said.

Building a Culture of Trust Through Leader Rounding

Leader rounding—a structured program of regular check-ins with employees—is a cornerstone of the organization’s success. These personal interactions create trust and psychological safety, two key drivers of engagement.

“Leader rounding allows us to find what I call the ‘pebbles in the shoe’—those small but significant barriers that frustrate employees. By addressing them, we’re showing staff that their feedback leads to real changes,” Coffey said. 

Employees rounded on 10 or more times annually report significantly higher job satisfaction and retention rates. Crucially, Norton Healthcare ensures feedback from rounding doesn’t stop at collection. By consistently “closing the loop,” they demonstrate to employees that their voices matter.

“If we don’t close the loop—if we don’t follow up on feedback—employees stop trusting the process. Closing the loop builds trust and reinforces a culture of action,” Coffey said. 

Engagement Efforts Leveraging Data & AI

To streamline engagement efforts and make feedback actionable, the organization relies on CipherHealth’s digital tools and AI-powered insights to analyze thousands of interactions. 

Kresge explained, “We are able to pull down comments at an enterprise level, facility level, department level, and run them through AI. We ask, what are the themes? What are the actions we can take based on these themes?” 

Six months of data have allowed them to identify key areas like communication and consistency, support and information, teamwork and collaboration, and recognition and feedback.

Norton Healthcare ensures leaders focus on what matters most while simplifying workflows. This data-driven approach not only helps identify areas for improvement but also ensures feedback drives measurable change across the organization.

Results That Matter

Norton Healthcare’s efforts have delivered tangible results that benefit both staff and patients:

• 30,000 leader rounds conducted in one year, generating actionable insights for system-wide improvements
• 45% of employees recognized at least monthly report feeling more valued, directly boosting morale and retention
• A 42% reduction in burnout, achieved by combining leader rounding with frequent employee recognition
• A 30% improvement in patient safety scores, linking staff engagement to better outcomes

Actionable Takeaways 

Norton Healthcare’s success is rooted in actionable strategies that other organizations can implement to create a stronger connection between leadership and staff: 

• Act on feedback in the moment: “Closing the loop” shows employees their voices lead to meaningful change
• Make feedback continuous: Regular touchpoints—not just annual surveys—are essential to understanding employee needs in real time
• Prioritize recognition: Acknowledging staff contributions regularly reduces burnout and boosts morale
• Use integrated tools: Technology can streamline workflows, save time, and augment leadership’s ability to build trust through meaningful, high-impact interactions with their teams.

Coffey captured the essence of Norton Healthcare’s philosophy: “It’s not about checking a box—it’s about creating an environment where employees feel seen, heard, and supported every day.”

For more information, watch the full webinar.