2020 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Annual Report
Evolving our program to meet the needs of our workforce
For more than a decade, Encompass Health has made a concerted effort to keep inclusion and diversity at the heart of our culture.
The Company's efforts in 2020 that you'll see outlined in this report do not represent a box to be checked for Encompass Health, but a constantly evolving dedication to our employees and the communities we serve.
I look forward to what's to come for our Company in 2021 and beyond.
- Mark Tarr, President and CEO
Our strategic focus areas
Our Company's core values inform our business decisions and guide employee interactions with each other and those we serve. The focus of Encompass Health's DEI program includes four strategic areas: Our workforce, patient experience, supplier diversity and community partnerships. Incorporating DEI into our day-to-day business practices is The Encompass Health Way in action.
- Squared icon with four sections and an additional section below to highlight the DE&I strategic focus areas.
- Workforce: Attract, develop and retain a diverse talented workforce, reduce turnover, improve employee engagement and provide employee and leadership development opportunities.
- Patient experience: Provide opportunity to serve patients from diverse populations through new patient marketing opportunities to increase market share and improve patient satisfaction and outcomes.
- Community partnerships: Establish and maintain community partnerships that will improve relationships and health outcomes in the communities we serve.
- Supplier diversity: Promote supplier outreach and development programs to build relationships with more diverse business partners to maximize value for all out stakeholders.
- Culture: Cultivate an open, inclusive and respectable work environment that encourages collaboration and fosters creativity, innovation and employment engagement.
- Accountability: Build accountability among leadership and employees at all levels to ensure inclusion and diversity is incorporated into our day-to-day business practices.
Successes from the 2020 Employee Engagement Survey
"We're proud to see that Encompass Health's Employee Engagement Survey results show a three-year consecutive increase in the I&D index." said Barb Jacobsmeyer, former EVP, president of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals.
"This is a direct reflection of efforts designed to embed inclusion and diversity throughout our field operations, and these scores far exceed our healthcare industry standards."
More than half of all Encompass Health hospitals have a dedicated inclusion and diversity committee. Hospitals committed to a focus on diversity report greater staff involvement, an increase in cultural awareness and respect, and improved communications between departments.
"Our goal is for every Encompass Health hospital to have an active diversity, equity and inclusion committee by the end of 2021," Jacobsmeyer said. "This is just one measure being taken to ensure Encompass Health is an inclusive and equitable work environment, because that's what our workforce deserves."
Employee Engagement survey results
The I&D index of Encompass Health’s annual Employee Engagement Survey includes employees’ responses to questions related to respect, trust, culturally competent care and inclusion. Since 2018, the scores have increased from 78.9% to 82.6% favorability companywide, surpassing healthcare industry standards.
Fostering a culture of acceptance and inclusion
Encompass Health's Home Health and Hospice Inclusion and Diversity Committee made progress in 2020 toward its key objectives, including establishing an ambassador program that strives to ensure employees of all backgrounds feel welcome and supported, investing in an enhanced recruitment application to help attract a diverse workforce, creating a training for employees aspiring to rise into management, and developing an education curriculum for ongoing DEI education and training.
"These initiatives will continue to be the foundation for our I&D committee and sub-committees in 2021, with an additional goal of measuring the effectiveness of these efforts through data analytics, ongoing employee engagement survey results and continued recognition by our employees as a Best Place to Work," said Brenda Riordan, EVP, strategic operations, home health & hospice.
Diversity annual report
Learn more about our DEI initiatives in Encompass Health's 2020 diversity, equity and inclusion annual report.
