by RYAN MILEJCZAK
Sponsored by Central Florida Health Care
Expertise and experience may be cornerstones of a health care organization’s success, but the people are the true heart of it all. Recruiting and retaining those people is something Central Florida Health Care has excelled in time and again. In fact, CareerSource Polk recently named it one of the best companies to work for in Polk County.
“We’re super excited to have been recognized” says Phil Kenney, Chief HR Officer at Central Florida Health Care. “That really cemented for me what we’ve been striving for all along: to become the employer of choice in the local community.”
But how did it become one of the best places to work in Central Florida? It all rests on four pillars: trust, communication, teamwork, and respect.
“Every organization needs pillars to stand,” explains Kenney. “Everything we do is driven by those core values.”
But what do those pillars look like in action?
“It’s a few things,” explains Kenney. “Our base compensation programs are above market, but not only that, our total rewards package for things like PTO are top notch, too.”
With 41 years of HR experience in Central Florida, Kenney can confidently say Central Florida Health Care’s benefits program meets or beats any other benefits package in the area. There are a few standout details that cement that claim.
“Our PTO programs are very aggressive,” he explains. “We recognize nine separate holidays, plus a paid birthday holiday for employees. We also have a variety of different options for medical choice programs, with employee-only and employee-plus-family options. Our employee-only plan is completely free.”
On top of this, CFHC also offers the “Heart for Wellness” employee wellness program, which encourages healthy activities like competitive step programs, biometric screenings, blood drives, and even a yearly bowling competition.
And this is only a small part of what Central Florida Health Care offers its employees. Other offerings include a new leadership training program (“Leading with Heart”), yearly recognition of employee contributions, team-building events like Corporate Sports Fest, and a new program called the “Love and Hugs Tour,” which is designed to help medical providers avoid burnout with a day to relax with massages, wellness training, and more. But perhaps the crown jewel is the organization’s extensive onboarding program.
“It all starts with onboarding,” Kenney says. “If you do your onboarding right, you start people off on the right foot.”
To help ensure new employees are fully prepared for their new roles, they spend a minimum of two weeks (and up to a full month, depending on position) going through an extensive training program.
All of these efforts play a key role in the growth and success of Central Florida Health Care.
“I joined CFHC a decade ago, and at that time, we had 220 employees and nine clinics. Today, we have over 700 employees and 17 clinics,” recounts Kenney.
He is also quick to note that while making CFHC great has been a team effort, it couldn’t have been done without the help of CEO Ann Claussen.
“A successful company is not put together by one individual, but with that said, it’s essential to have someone at the helm with a vision to lead the organization, and that’s Ann.”
Interested in joining? CFHC is currently recruiting in a variety of positions, including:
- Medical providers
- Technical support roles
- LPNs
- CMAs
- Front desk check-in talent
- Navigators
- Lab staff
- X-ray staff
- Pharmacists and pharmacy techs
- Dentists
- Hygenists
- Dental assistants
- Admin and back office roles
When it comes to top qualities CFHC is looking for in its employees, Kenney explains it simply:
“Customer service, customer service, customer service.”