Forbes Ranks University Hospitals in Top 10 Dream Employers

CLEVELAND – University Hospitals has been named by Forbes as one of the top 10 companies in the nation, ranking ninth in the U.S. in the magazine’s inaugural America’s Dream Employers listing. UH is also the only employer in Ohio among the Top 10. Only 500 employers across the country are ranked.

Forbes identifies America’s Dream Employers through independent surveys of a vast sample of U.S. college students who nominated their “Dream Employers,” as well as employees working for the nominated organizations. Surveys are conducted using several online access panels, providing a representative sample of the American workforce, as well as current American college students. Each survey is conducted based around companies from all industry sectors with more than 1,000 employees in the U.S.

Students participating in the survey are asked which firm or institution offers their “dream job” in an open-ended question. Employees are also asked to name their employer and rate their willingness to recommend their employer to family and friends. Overall willingness to recommend their employer is the key metric that differentiates employers reaching “Dream Employer” status from those that may not.

“It’s an honor for University Hospitals to be recognized as one of America’s Dream Employers by college students, our employees, who we call caregivers, as well as Forbes,” said Cliff A. Megerian, MD, FACS, UH Chief Executive Officer, and Jane and Henry Meyer Chief Executive Officer Distinguished Chair. “We have a shared responsibility to care for our community, which creates a joint mission for the more than 33,000 caregivers here. It is gratifying to see Forbes recognize the success of efforts, which are ongoing. We’ve always been an organization that solicits and values input from our entire workforce. Regardless of your title, your opinions count, whether you’re a doctor, a nurse, a technician, an administrative professional or food service worker. This helps drive outstanding patient care. We call that our speak up culture.”

As Northeast Ohio’s hometown healthcare team and the third-largest healthcare employer in the state, UH works to engage local students early on about career opportunities. Youth programs and training camps start as early as 8th grade, so students can learn about the variety of career options in the medical field. In addition, UH hires healthcare students early in college to help contribute to their schooling. Annually, more than 60 hires come from these types of positions, such as radiology techs, respiratory therapists, and medical lab techs. UH also emphasizes community workforce development and hires more than 200 people from surrounding communities each year, especially those in socioeconomically challenged areas.

“University Hospitals is committed to creating a sense of belonging for our employees so that we can retain top talent and recruit new caregivers to our health system,” added Dr. Megerian. “We do this in several ways, including robust employee recognition programs calling out outstanding performance, as well as our UH Appreciates Program, in which caregivers and leaders can nominate stand-out co-workers and team members. We also have six employee resource groups and a CEO Book Club, where caregivers can come together in smaller settings and discuss what’s on their minds. In addition, we distribute a Caregiver Engagement Survey each year and act on the feedback we receive. We strive create a workforce that’s better, stronger and more engaged every day, because we know that taking care of our employees results in them better caring for our patients and enjoying their workdays. It’s a win-win. This kind of culture creates better patient outcomes and sustainable, long-term career paths.”

The full list of Dream Employers can be found here, and an article featuring Dr. Megerian can be found here.