Yale New Haven Health is filling jobs and thanking employees

New employee Krissi Kawejsza, RN, (left) received a warm welcome from colleague Maria Creddo, RN, (right), who referred Kawejsza for employment to Yale New Haven Hospital under the health system’s new Employee Referral Bonus Program.

Yale New Haven Health’s new Employee Referral Bonus Program officially kicked off on Oct. 1 as a way to reward staff for leveraging their personal networks to improve the YNHHS workforce. Since then, the program is responsible for 57 hires.

“We realize that our employees are the best recruiters for our organization and we wanted to give them a tool they can easily use to refer someone,” said Melissa Turner, YNHHS vice president, Talent Acquisition. “On the incentive side, we wanted to recognize their efforts with a financial reward.”

Employees can earn $1,000 for each referral who is hired to a regular, full-time, or part-time position. There is a higher-level payout of $2,500 for selected open positions that are deemed hard-to-fill. The program is open to all YNHHS employees.

The process of making a referral has been simplified to a few clicks, thanks to new technology.

From the YNHHS intranet:

• Click on “Careers”
• Log in, search, and select the job to refer
• Click “Refer/Email to a friend”
• Fill out a short form requiring the referral’s name and email address
• Click “Submit Referral”

After the employee submits the information, the candidate receives a dedicated link to apply. Once the candidate applies via the link, the employee and candidate are attached in the system. This feature makes it easy to track referrals and the employees who are making them.

For more information on the Employee Referral Bonus Program, visit the intranet.

The Employee Referral Bonus Program is off to a successful start as the first wave of referred candidates is settling in to new positions. The first referral hired under the program, Krissi Kawejsza, RN, Transplant, Yale New Haven Hospital, said she didn’t want to work anywhere else.

“My friend Maria (Creddo, RN, Emergency Department, Yale New Haven Hospital) was working here and she told me how great it was,” Kawejsza said. “The process was very easy, it was all online. I got a call from Talent Acquisition the same day I applied.”

“I knew Krissi from nursing school, so I knew she had a great work ethic and would be a great addition to the hospital,” Creddo added. “It’s awesome that I got a bonus too.”

Other positions filled by the Employee Referral Bonus Program include:

• Business Associate
• Clinical Social Worker
• Medical Technologist
• Medical Coder
• Patient Care Associate
• Patient Escort
• Pharmacy Technician

There is no limit to the amount of bonuses paid out to referring employees. The more hired referrals you make, the more bonus money you earn. (Tax withholdings apply.)

If you’re ready to make a referral, head to the intranet.