Q&A with Andrew Wise, Vice President, Culture & Inclusion

Q: There are some very exciting things happening with Culture & Inclusion. Tell us about them.

Yes, it’s a very exciting time! The role of the Culture & Inclusion team is to enhance the experience of all team members at VNS Health by helping to build an organizational culture that is supportive and inclusive. This means establishing an environment where every team member has a voice and is heard, and where we take action based on their feedback to continue strengthening their employee experience.

We want every team member to feel they are recognized for their unique self; that they belong and are set up for success in order to contribute to our collective success; that they are well-supported by people managers who are skilled in coaching and development and inclusive leadership behaviors; and that they can thrive in their work at VNS Health, however and wherever they work—in person or virtually, or a combination of the two.

Q: What are some of the ways Culture & Inclusion will meet team members’ needs more effectively?

We have several areas of focus. One of these is to implement our Employee Listening Strategy. This strategy uses a multi-faceted approach to hear, note and respond to what our employees are thinking and feeling. We’re also spearheading VNS Health’s Inclusion Strategy, which has three pillars: bias mitigation strategies to counter conscious or unconscious bias in hiring, promotions and other professional areas; awareness and education; and our Employee Resource Groups or ERGs.

Q: Can you share a couple of examples of how a specific Culture & Inclusion initiative is having (or will have) an impact on our people and/or culture?

We recently hosted sessions for all people managers at VNS Health to help introduce them to the new leadership behaviors we are looking to consistently embed in order to better support our team members’ experience. We also launched a revamped Employee Survey in July that we anticipate will provide important new input on people’s needs. In addition, our new Women’s ERG just had its first meeting, and we’re getting ready to roll out four new ERGs, for team members who are Black, Asian American/Pacific Islander, People of Color, or Caregivers, plus anyone else who wants to join. And those are just some of our activities!

Q: Looking ahead, what other programs or initiatives is the Culture & Inclusion team planning?

All the initiatives I just mentioned are relatively new, and I think they’re all going to generate other action steps as they evolve. We also have other initiatives that are still in the planning stage, including improvements to our team members’ WorkNow@VNS Health experience based on team member feedback; efforts to increase representation at the Director level and above of people of color and women; and efforts to improve career progression at VNS Health for people of color, LGBTQIA+, transgender, veterans, and women. And we’re developing a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Learning Strategy for the VNS Health workforce. So stay tuned!