e-Interview
In conversation with Newsweek, Tomya Watt, EVP, interim chief human resources officer, at MSK Medical Center answered the following questions:
1. Can you provide an overview of your company's workplace culture and values, and how they contribute to a positive work environment?
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is a mission-driven organization – with core beliefs that both shape our culture and serve as the foundation for the impactful work happening here.
With a mission as critical as ending cancer for life, each member of our community can demonstrate our core values and make an impact. Whether it is an Environmental Service Aide working in facilities, a Nurse providing care, or a faculty member conducting research in a lab, each of our more than 19,000 employees contributes to our culture and workplace.
Through our clearly defined six core values, we encourage all employees to contribute to a positive work environment for all. We demonstrate Respect for the Individual and value each person's contribution. We showcase Excellence through Inclusion, recognizing that we succeed when diversity thrives. With Integrity, we do what is right and inspire trust by having the courage to say what we mean, matching our behaviors to our words, and taking responsibility for our actions. We are committed to Innovation with Lasting Impact, challenging ourselves to constantly learn and improve. We practice Stewardship, taking responsibility to strengthen MSK to better serve our global cancer community, today and in the future. And importantly, as One MSK we work together to do what no one else can in cancer.
2. How does your company promote diversity and inclusion within the workplace? Are there any specific initiatives or programs in place?
At MSK, we value excellence through inclusion and the advancement of health equity in cancer care. We work actively to address eliminating barriers, foster a culture of learning, and hold ourselves accountable to drive change. We view diversity in the broadest sense and focus on building a sense of belonging among our workforce and patients.
We have seven employee resource networks, where employees and allies join to network, share knowledge, and build a common connection. These include ABLE (Abolishing Barriers and Limitations for Everyone), BLAM (Black, Latino, Asian and Multiracial), BLAM FFA (BLAM Faculty & Fellows Alliance), MSK Women on the Move, MSK LGBTQ+ Pride, VETERAN, and Working Parents at MSK.
Since 2013, MSK has been recognized as a leader in the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) compiled by the Human Rights Campaign. We are employer partners in OneTen, the New York Jobs CEO Council, and Careerwise New York, each working to expand access to job opportunities, upskilling, and equitable career paths.
3. Are there any professional development and growth opportunities available to employees? How does your company support career advancement?
Employees are empowered to own their development, with a broad catalog of learning opportunities available through our digital Learning Hub. Within the Learning Hub, employees can receive personalized content recommendations, design their own learning pathways, and join groups with similar learning interests. Showcasing our commitment to career advancement, we encourage employees to utilize our Career Hub, an internal talent marketplace that identifies jobs and career pathways based on skills and interests. We have expanded our education programs to make it easier for staff to grow their careers through identified career pathways. One example of this is the MSK Laboratory Scholars program, an accelerated training program, which offers employees the opportunity to complete coursework at Marist College and complete clinical rotations at MSK, resulting in a new career as a Laboratory Technologist within 12 months.
4. What measures does your company take to support employee mental health and well-being?
At MSK, we are deeply committed to the health and well-being of our valued staff. Just as we strive to support overall wellness, we recognize the importance of addressing mental health challenges that may arise. We offer benefits, tools, and resources that support the emotional, physical, and financial well-being of our employees — through a comprehensive program via Magellan at no cost to our staff.
Employees also have access to a variety of offerings curated by the Employee Wellness team to support in building resilience, navigating life's stressors, achieving fitness goals, and bolstering emotional well-being. This includes the Guided Well-being portal, which includes custom resources and on-demand content. In 2023, we launched a new monthly employee newsletter, You at MSK, focused on keeping employee wellness resources top-of-mind.
5. How does your company ensure transparency and open communication between management and employees, fostering a sense of trust and belonging?
Our manager training programs emphasize the need for building trust and belonging between managers and their teams. Additionally, regular employee surveys, annual performance reviews, and mid-year-check-ins provide structured opportunities for all employees to share their feedback, thoughts, and ideas. We are committed to providing psychological safety – giving employees the opportunity to voice concerns, ask questions, and speak up without the risk of punishment or humiliation.
6. What steps does your company take to ensure equal opportunities for employees of different backgrounds, including gender, ethnicity, and age?
At MSK, we recruit, retain, and develop diverse talent, and work to create a workforce reflective of our patient population. To help increase access to job opportunities, we removed degree requirements from our job descriptions, unless required for licensure. We are in the final stages of implementing a direct-bill tuition program, which will offer "no-fee" degrees to our employees who are looking to advance their careers. We utilize the technology platform Textio, to reduce potential age and gender bias in our job postings and recruiting mail.
7. Can you share any success stories or examples of how your company has fostered an inclusive and diverse workforce?
There are multiple, enterprise-wide efforts underway to showcase one of our core values, inclusive excellence, and promote the recruitment and development of a wide spectrum of our talented workforce. Some of these include:
Leadership development programs are available for staff at varying levels to support career planning and internal mobility. They include immersive programs — the Emerging Leaders Program and the Emerging Talent Program — that offer selected staff the opportunity to build their skill sets and prepare to meet future leadership challenges. MSK also offers a host of on-demand development resources for leaders.
- MSK's Career Hub is a tool for internal job seekers to identify jobs and career pathways based on skills and interests.
- Employee Resource Networks are employee-driven task forces organized around a dimension of diversity. Their purpose is to build connections among employees and amplify the voices of diverse communities within MSK.
- MSK partners with several workforce development organizations, including CareerWise New York, which creates Apprenticeship opportunities at MSK for youth from within underrepresented NYC communities.
- MSK's Bridge Program aims to provide post-baccalaureate trainees from traditionally underrepresented groups with a strong foundation in science and research, as well as guided mentoring that will help them successfully transition into biomedical PhD programs.
- The Office of Health Equity has implemented recruiting and training programs for high school and medical students to enhance the diversity of the future cancer research workforce.
- The CAP/Nursing Externship Program provides nursing students with full-time employment for ten weeks to gain clinical experience and serves as a pipeline of nursing talent, as students may receive a full-time job at the program completion, contingent on graduation and licensure.
8. How does your company encourage and support employee engagement and empowerment?
Recognizing the power of positive feedback, the Values in Action Recognition program helps employees or managers recognize colleagues who have gone above and beyond in demonstrating MSK's core values in how they work, relate to other people, and contribute to our shared mission. Since launching in Spring 2023, more than 775 digital recognition badges have been shared across the organization. We host Staff Appreciation Week, with engaging events that intend to reach all our employees wherever and whenever they are working - at regional locations, remote, and overnight shifts.
Each year, we look forward to hearing from our employees in an annual employee engagement survey, focusing on overall engagement and satisfaction, and informing the path forward.
9. What types of employee benefits and perks does your company offer? How do these contribute to overall job satisfaction?
At MSK, we offer a variety of benefits to support the whole employee. Our programs are designed to be comprehensive and flexible so that employees can choose what will best meet their individual and family needs throughout their career with us. Benefits include healthcare, emotional well-being, childcare, cancer care, financial health, retirement savings, family building, education, time away, and work-life benefits – for the individual, their domestic partner, and dependents. We offer transgender-inclusive benefits, including transgender affirmation surgery, and have a Manager Resource guide and best practices ensure a positive experience for the employee. Employees can work with a benefits concierge to help guide their benefits selection and understand the variety of plans and options that are available to them. Employees have access to MSK Direct, simplified access for employees and their families to the extraordinary cancer care provided by MSK.
10. In what ways does your company prioritize the well-being and work-life balance of its employees?
We are proud to offer a wide variety of wellness and work-life benefits that support the overall well-being of our employees. These include self-care including guided well-being, resilience, nutrition, exercise, and tobacco cessation. Burnout in the healthcare workforce is a reality and MSK recognizes the need for employees to have access to time off for recreation, self-care, recovery, and time to care for loved ones. To contribute to a positive work-life balance, MSK offers a range of care-giving resources, including dependent care FSA, back-up childcare and elder care, adoption and surrogacy assistance, commuter spending accounts, and a wide range of employee discounts. MSK employees also have access to Care.com benefits through LifeCare, a personalized information and referral service, that provides guidance at many stages of an employees' life.
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