Asante updates its employee Behavioral Standards

Times have changed in recent years, and so have Asante employees, our patients and our communities.

To reflect these changes, Asante recently updated its employee Behavioral Standards — a document that guides everything from employee interactions to performance evaluations.

The revised standards contain many of the same elements as earlier versions, which were last updated 15 years ago. But like our broader culture, they place a renewed emphasis on the value of belonging, diversity, equity, inclusion and employee wellbeing.

“Our world has changed and so must our behavioral expectations,” said Sarah Elkinton, a senior consultant with Asante Organizational and Leadership Development, who helped shepherd the project along with a large, systemwide team.

The standards are based on Asante’s Values of excellence, respect, honest, service and teamwork — and how employees are expected to live by these Values in today’s culture.

The behaviors for respect, for example, now include, “Listens to diverse ideas, feelings and concerns, and responds with empathy and compassion.” Under the Value of service: “Advocates for inclusion and equity of our patients, providers and peers.”

Significantly, concepts of employee wellbeing are woven into the expectations. These include “Sets healthy boundaries and acts within capacity to deliver promised outcomes.” And “Seeks help when needed. Is self-aware and uses self-care to stay balanced to care for self and others.”

Asante aims to avoid common work/life pressures that lead to job dissatisfaction and potential burnout.

Work to revise the standards began in January and included representatives from Human Resources, the Asante Wellbeing Program, ABIDE (Asante Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity), Talent Acquisition, the employee retention group, and clinical and nonclinical staff.

To learn more about the Behavioral Standards, employees will be assigned an Elements training module in July (due at the end of the year). You’ll also find them in Asante’s Code of Conduct.

As in past years, the standards will continue to be the basis for annual employee performance appraisals.

“Our core Values and Behavioral Standards are critical to our organization because they define how we do our work,” said Alicia Lorenz, acting vice president of HR. “Our Values communicate who and what we are to our community.”