The Philippines’ NKTI wins Employee Engagement of the Year

It was awarded for its efforts to improve employee experience and create a working atmosphere that is conducive for high performance.

Philippine government-run hospital National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) catered to a unique subset of patients needing special care during the peak of the pandemic: it became a default center for those needing kidney care.

As with any other institution or dialysis units, the pandemic has brought unimaginable challenges especially amongst healthcare providers and patients.

There were several makeshifts NKTI had to undergo to cater the influx of patients. Despite this, NKTI made sure to develop employee engagement programs amidst challenging times.

It prioritised personal and professional development through the newly launched ONE NKTI (Onboarding for New Employees of NKTI). It is a 12-month onboarding program wherein employeees were oriented with NKTI, as well as to the institute’s culture and core values.

The NKTI also has a capacity building programme to prepare high potential employees for higher positions. The 32-hour training and workshop prepares next-in-rank high potential employees for leadership roles.

Additionally, NKTI highlighted the importance of employees' active engagement through participation of union representatives in various committees and programmes. This goes hand in hand with the institute’s annual general assembly and formation of the Union Management Council to ensure direct communication with executives and employees’ full cooperation with the provisions of the employee-management agreement.

Despite the busy schedules of medical professionals and hospital support personnel, NKTI makes sure to provide a good employee experience. It conducts a five-day teambuilding activity to provide employees with a fun environment whilst learning the organisation's core values.

Meanwhile, NKTI has various efforts to recognise the unwavering commitment of its employees. It dedicates the month of September as Employees’ Appreciation Month. It also developed the Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE) to provide awards and incentives for employees' hardwork, innovation, and contributions to the organisation.

To gauge employee engagement within the institute, NKTI launched the EmPulse Survey to measure employees’ feelings towards each of the drivers of engagement. According to the report's 2022 data, NKTI has a 76% (with neutral scale) to 80% (without neutral scale) engagement rating. This data is relatively higher than the 2020 global average for employee engagement rating of 53%, based on data from Qualtrics 2020 Global Employee Experience Trends.

For these initiatives, NKTI was given the Employee Engagement of the Year – Philippines award in the recently concluded Healthcare Asia Awards.

This year, with its theme of Recognising Trailblazing Initiatives in the Healthcare Sector, the awards programme aims to honour hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers that have risen above the challenges and made a remarkable impact to their patients, most especially amidst the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.