A culture of respect, integrity
Intelligent In Sites relies on employee engagement to track progress
Employees at Intelligent In Sites, a software platform developer providing real-time operational intelligence data for healthcare, sometimes lead double lives. Usually, they are working their regular jobs, but at times they take on the personality of the person for whom the technology is intended. Shane Waslaski, the company’s CEO, encourages these dual roles so employees can get into the character and spirit of, say, a nurse, a physician or someone who manages a healthcare organization or hospital. “We create a persona around these individuals—what their typical day looks like, what are the challenges and the tasks they face, what are the frustrations that they typically experience,” he said. “And so we use design thinking and empathy to determine exactly what those individuals have and need.”
Waslaski said his staff, headquartered in Fargo, N.D., accepts such immersion because they embrace the company’s passion to transform healthcare. “We have a fundamental belief that we are people who are nourishing other people, and part of that process has to start with us believing that we’re in this to make the healthcare environment better for the providers, the healers and for the patients,” he said.
Intelligent In Sites is No. 4 on the ranking of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare for small supplier companies, those with 25 to 99 employees. The firm is No. 5 among all suppliers and No. 10 among all 100 of the Best Places to Work. It’s the fourth time the company has been named to the annual rankings.
Cipher Health, No. 1 overall on this year’s ranking, as well on top of the supplier category, is profiled in the main story (p. 4). Aspen Advisors and C Quence Health Group, No. 2 and No. 3 in the small supplier category, respectively, are also repeat winners and were profiled last year. Visit ModernHealthcare.com/bestplaces to read about those companies and other previous winners.
Shelly Schulz, who spent many years as a registered nurse in hospitals and nursing homes, now serves as Intelligent In Sites’ manager of learning and development. “As a nurse, I get to help my team members understand what it is like to work with healthcare professionals and what it is that the providers and caregivers need,” Schulz said.
While working on projects employees are passionate about might make Intelligent In Sites a fulfilling place to work, Waslaski tries to quantify that enthusiasm through weekly surveys in which workers are asked for their opinions on various work-related issues.
Once a month the company asks, “How happy are you at work?” On a scale of one to 10 (with 10 being the highest and 7.5 considered the benchmark for satisfaction), employees typically score the metric with an 8 or higher. Another question that exceeds the 7.5 benchmark measures employee satisfaction with company culture. “It’s a culture of respect, integrity and velocity, allowing everyone to grow as an individual,” Waslaski said, describing the fast-paced office environment.
Intelligent In Sites also has a “Pulse” team, in which employees who are not in senior management work to make sure the company’s culture flows throughout the organization. For example, when a new employee is hired, that person can dip into the “welcome bin” and get information on area restaurants and maps of where everyone sits in the office, and a welcome note from the person on the team who will guide the new employee through the orientation process.
Schulz said she hears positive feedback from new employees. “The piece that ties everything together is the focus on why we are here—we truly are here to transform healthcare, and it’s just exciting to see the people all working together toward that goal doing meaningful work,” she said.