HUP's HR staff includes (from left) Jackie McGinly, Lidia Corso, Len Umile, and Shannon Camps. Missing from photo are Matt Kelly and Andrea Mathis.
When COVID-19 struck, heroes stepped into action in all kinds of jobs… including Human Resources. “COVID broadened the scope of HR,” said Denise Mariotti, HUP’s chief HR officer. While normally only focused on employees in the work environment, when COVID-19 struck, “we had to flip our thinking to a more holistic approach,” one that considered employee needs at work, at home and that of their family. “We had to react and respond quickly to keep pace, going shoulder to shoulder to ensure that our employees were safe and had the resources they needed,” she said.
One major challenge during the pandemic was helping people stay gainfully employed even if their usual job functions were temporarily suspended. Mariotti said her staff “jumped through hoops” to find work for those employees who needed to supplement reduced work hours or pick up hours if they had a temporary lack of work. “We tried to explore every option to keep staff working,” said Leonard Umile, HR manager at HUP. For example, some staff were deployed to the front entrances to do thermal scanning. Others worked in Materials Management to help organize and distribute the donations and increased supply of PPE that HUP received daily. “People were ready and willing to work and help out anywhere,” Umile said.
To protect clinical staff with underlying health problems that prevented them from working around COVID patients, “we deployed them to areas where they needed nursing expertise but no direct patient care, such as behind the scenes in occupational medicine or doing telemedicine consults,” Umile said.
“On a million different levels, HUP’s HR team made sure employees had what they needed to get through the past few months,” Mariotti said. Members of the HUP HR team were always available in the Ground Gates location to support employees and managers. “Members of the HR team have been here every day on site,” she said. “They were spotted throughout the hospital doing everything to support their clients and make sure they had whatever resources they needed.”
A very important part of the job of any HR team is to provide support and consultation to those on the front lines of a crisis, Mariotti said, adding that even while dealing with their own COVID-related personal issues, HUP’s HR team “never let the ball drop. People were calling them 24/7. “
Mariotti thinks that, moving forward, many lessons learned during COVID will be part of HR. “We’re thinking about work and staff in a very different way than we used to,” she said. “We are examining all of the options for creative ways to support our employees in the ‘new normal.’
“We’re much more aware of how people’s lives are affected by factors outside of work and how it impacts their ability to be ‘present’ at work.” I am incredibly proud of the support and guidance that the HR team has delivered to our employees throughout this pandemic,” she continued. “However, as a team we are all in agreement that the employees of HUP are the true heroes. Hearing their stories, learning of their struggles while witnessing the incredible dedication to their work and to our patients has left an indelible mark on each of us.”