Author: Alexis Carpello

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Ceridian: Optimas Gold Winner for Innovation

HR software company Ceridian takes pride in working for people and looking to them as assets and not costs.

Specializing in onboarding and transboarding (moving from one department to another), Ceridian’s innovative Dayforce Onboarding initiative increased employee engagement by giving new workers a detailed understanding of the organization on their first day and easily transferring employee information through HR processes that also led to accurate and effective time management.

The Minneapolis-based company hired 1,650 new employees in the past two years and wanted to immediately include employees into the company culture. As a result, employees get to work faster and more efficiently and can set realistic expectations. The program also limits potential first-year attrition.

Chief People Officer Lisa Sterling sought to modernize the onboarding experience. Technology, communication, collaboration and employee connectivity with personalized experiences were key parts to making the initiative successful.

“It is an honor to be recognized with an Optimas award in the category of Innovation,” Sterling said. “Dayforce technology is about culture and is a force for transformation. As many have come to realize, career success is no longer just about having all the right skills, but also the right behaviors. Dayforce Onboarding’s focus on the cultural integration aspects of starting a new job or new role is a prime example of how cultural fit is coming to the forefront of HCM technology.”

Enhancing employee engagement was a cultural aspect sewed into the program, which focuses on personal interaction, happiness in the workplace and having career advice ready from HR professionals.

“By engaging individuals faster, Ceridian improves retention, bolsters the employer brand and better enables employees to do their jobs,” according to the award application.

With the help of technological interaction to introduce teams through Dayforce TeamRelate by showing bios and pictures, co-workers immediately get to know their incoming colleagues and can get the ball rolling even before a new employee’s first day. This fast-moving direction has also garnered other awards for Ceridian’s program, which helps put them in good standing as an industry innovator.

For its efforts to use its robust training and onboarding program as a recruiting tool, Ceridian is the 2017 Optimas Award Gold winner for Innovation.

Read about the rest of our 2017 Optimas Winners Here. 

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AT&T Inc.: Optimas Gold Winner for Training

Back in 2011, telecommunications conglomerate AT&T realized its employees lacked the skills needed to run a growing software infrastructure. As tech talent is limited and competition is aggressive, AT&T determined it needed to retrain its 265,000 employees.

Fast-forward to 2016. CEO Randall Stephenson appointed the company’s first chief learning officer, John Palmer, and invested about $250 million and 20 million hours in training its employees. In addition, the company spent nearly $34 million in tuition aid and collaborated with the University of Notre Dame to begin an online master’s degree with a specialization in data science.

“We want our employees to evolve with our company; investing in training is nothing new for us and we continue to work to build a culture of continuous learning at AT&T,” Palmer said. “Engaging and reskilling our current employee base is the right thing to do for many reasons, not the least of which is providing those who have helped to build AT&T an opportunity to grow and succeed along with the company. We want them to be prepared for software-centric careers.”

The majority of training happens at AT&T University using its flagship training program Leading with Distinction. The company also works with external partners including Udacity, Coursera and universities to offer additional degrees or certifications in specialized fields.

Since April 2017, the company has seen major improvements in training. After completing the Transformation Learning coursework, some 57,000 employees earned about 174,000 badge certifications, more than 2.6 million web-based transformation courses were completed, 2,000 employees enrolled in nanodegree programs and more than 400 employees enrolled in the company-initiated Georgia Tech-Udacity program.

“To make the transformation succeed, we’ve focused on transparency and empowerment — creating tools and processes that help empower employees to take control of their own development and their careers,” Palmer said.

For its efforts in engaging and reskilling its employee base and inspiring a culture of continuous learning, AT&T is the 2017 Optimas Award Gold winner for Training.

Read about the rest of our 2017 Optimas Winners Here.

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WVU Medicine/University Health Associates: Optimas Gold Winner for Vision

The poor and elderly often find themselves unable to access quality health care, a huge problem considering they’re among America’s most vulnerable people. In West Virginia they lack access to care, transportation and health professionals. WVU Medicine/University Health Associates sought to ease the suffering of those without the proper resources. In August 2015 it began an initiative to recruit a minimum of 70 new physician positions with its Physician Recruitment & Retention Program. To expand recruitment they implemented virtual career fairs, built partnerships with medical schools and developed a system wide marketing effort.

The firm also began monthly and quarterly meetings to partner with 19 specialized departments and improved its onboarding process, among other things. Since the initiative began, the firm has seen its highest number of physicians hired as well as the highest number of physician specialties. Through that, it was able to create the Heart and Vascular service line program and Critical Care signature line, which will become a statewide Comprehensive Stroke Program. In 2015, 70 new physicians were hired. To date, 85 physicians have been hired in 2017.

Annette Belcher, senior physician recruiter and talent adviser at WVU Medicine, said the Optimas Award validates its initiative.

“WVU Medicine/University Health Associates is honored to be recognized by Workforce as the Gold winner for the Vision category of the Optimas Awards,” Belcher said. “It means a great deal to be recognized for our hard work and strategic efforts during an extraordinary time of growth for our organization. We continually strive to anticipate the needs of physician recruitment at WVU Medicine/University Health Associates and to create plans and programs to support this growth and drive business results. We appreciate the content and learning opportunities provided by Workforce.”

For its efforts in improving the health of West Virginians, WVU Medicine/University Health Associates is the Optimas Award Gold winner for Vision.

Read about the rest of our 2017 Optimas Winners Here.