Creating a Culture Where Everyone Belongs

Last month, many of you took the time to complete our Employee Voice Pulse Survey, which was a brief check-in following our annual engagement survey. We conducted this important checkpoint because we want to see whether the efforts we’ve put in place since your initial feedback are moving us in the right direction.

I want to thank you for again sharing your honest feedback. These surveys help us better understand what is working well, where we have opportunities to improve, and how we can continue building a workplace where our people feel supported, respected, and heard.

Building that kind of culture does not happen by accident. It happens in big ways, through how we listen to feedback and act on it, and in small ways, through how we welcome and support each other every day.

I have experienced some of those small moments since joining GBMC. Sometimes it is someone stopping me in the hallway to introduce themselves. Sometimes it is a team member helping me understand a GBMC tradition. And sometimes it is several people offering very strong opinions on the proper way to pick a crab. I am still a work in progress, but I appreciate everyone’s patience as I continue my Maryland training.

All kidding aside, those small moments of welcome have mattered. They have reminded me that belonging is not created by one big gesture. It is created through everyday interactions that help people feel seen, included, and valued.

That is true for a new CEO, and it is true for every person who walks through our doors.

One way we foster that sense of belonging is through our Employee Resource Groups, or ERGs. GBMC HealthCare currently has four: Greater Pride, our longest-standing ERG; the Black Alliance; the Women’s Leadership Alliance; and the Neurodiversity ERG.

Each group helps create connection across our system. They give colleagues opportunities to learn from one another, celebrate different experiences, support education and awareness, and strengthen the culture we all share.

This month, several of those efforts are especially visible. Greater Pride is bringing together a GBMC team to participate in the Baltimore Pride Parade on Saturday, June 13. Staff, friends, and family members are invited to join, and GBMC Pride T-shirts will be available while supplies last.

Later this month, the Black Alliance ERG will host the Juneteenth Jubilee for employees on Monday, June 22, from noon to 2 p.m. in the South Chapman parking lot. The event will honor history, excellence, resilience, and joy through live performances, food, guest speakers, storytelling, art, music, and vendor sales. There will also be spirit week activities June 15-18 in honor of Juneteenth.

These are wonderful examples of ERGs creating spaces for community, learning, and celebration. And they are not the only examples. The Women’s Leadership Alliance hosts events including the Women of Impact Awards and Women’s History Month programming, creating opportunities to recognize, support, and elevate women across GBMC. The Neurodiversity ERG leads education and awareness efforts during Neurodiversity Month and is currently sharing resources for Alzheimer’s and Brain Health Awareness Month.

Yes, these groups host some really great events. But more importantly, they build connection. They help us understand one another better. They help colleagues find community. And they help shape the kind of workplace where people can bring their best selves to the important work we do every day.

Belonging is something people should feel when they walk through our doors, whether they are coming to work, receiving care, volunteering, visiting a loved one, or partnering with us in the community. Our ERGs help us move closer to that goal.

I encourage you to learn more, attend an event, support your colleagues, and consider getting involved. Staff can check their work email for details about upcoming ERG activities and how to participate. And for any employee interested in joining an ERG, it’s simple – just complete a quick interest form.

Thank you for all you do to make GBMC HealthCare a place where everyone can feel welcome.