Launching on Wednesday, May 30, the Brigham Experience: Culture, Diversity & Inclusion Survey will invite staff across BWH, BWFH and the Brigham and Women’s Physician Organization (BWPO) to provide honest, anonymous feedback about our organizational culture. The participation goal is ambitious, aiming to have 75 percent of all Brigham Health staff complete the survey by Friday, June 22.

In this Q&A with BWH Bulletin, Paula Squires, MBA, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, senior vice president of Human Resources for Brigham Health, shares more about this effort and the importance of widespread participation. 

Why are we conducting this survey?

PS: For many of us, the Brigham represents more than the place where we come to work – it’s a community. You don’t have to look far to find stories of how our staff support one another every day, professionally as well as personally. From an institutional perspective, we know how important this is. A supportive community and an exceptional employee experience make people excited to come to work each day and inspired to do their best. 

We want to continually improve our culture so that we can make the Brigham an even better place to work. The best way to do this is by hearing directly from our staff about their own experiences working here, as this will help us better understand what we’re doing well and where there are opportunities for improvement. The Brigham Experience: Culture, Diversity & Inclusion Survey is a critical tool that will help us build an exceptional employee and patient experience at Brigham Health. Your insights will help us make our community even stronger and ensure our environment is one where everyone feels empowered to succeed. 

What’s the difference between culture, diversity and inclusion?

PS: When we talk about culture, we’re referring to our organization’s shared values, assumptions, beliefs, behaviors, norms, rituals and so forth, as well as how those things show up in the work we do and decisions we make every day. Diversity refers to the unique backgrounds, experiences and identity groups to which we belong. Inclusion refers to bringing together our diverse perspectives and innovating better outcomes. All of these come together to shape patient and employee experiences.

Why is it so important that everyone participates?

PS: As tight-knit as our community is, the reality is that the Brigham is a big place. Across Brigham Health, we have more than 19,000 people who work here, and each one brings a valuable, unique perspective. To obtain the most accurate, comprehensive view of our existing culture – and to subsequently help us identify ways to make it even better – we need as many staff as possible to participate in this survey. 

There are several things we’re doing to help achieve this. The survey will be available in English, Brazilian Portuguese, Latin American Spanish and Haitian Creole. Additionally, staff who do not have regular access to a computer at work will have opportunities to take the survey at a location on the Lower Pike. More details about this will be communicated in the coming week. 

The survey takes approximately 20-25 minutes to complete. If you are unable to finish it in one sitting, the system will automatically save your responses and allow you to come back later to complete the survey. As a small gesture of our appreciation for participants’ time, each staff member who completes the survey will receive a voucher that can be exchanged for one of five designated “treats,” including coffee or ice cream.

How “anonymous” is anonymous? 

PS: The survey will be completely anonymous and administered by a third-party vendor to encourage candid feedback. Brigham Health will not have access to individual responses nor will we know who specifically has completed the survey. All data we receive will be aggregated, meaning we will be able to see summaries and trends. We will share a summary of these findings with the broader Brigham Health community in the coming months.

Our tagline for this campaign is “Let’s Hear It!” and we mean it! We truly want to hear staff’s honest opinions about our culture so that we can ensure the Brigham continues to be an exceptional place at which to work and receive care.