Northwell Health Alumni: Talent is Ageless

EnterpriseAlumni CEO Emma Sinclair MBE talked with the leaders at Northwell Health behind their Alumni Network and their internal staffing agency to hear about how they have launched a program to welcome retirees to return to work for short-term and long-term opportunities within and without Northwell.  They discussed some of the anticipated benefits and the key learnings they experienced.

Thank you to our guest speakers:

Maxine Carrington, SVP & Chief People Officer at Northwell Health

Carolyn Doyle, VP, FlexStaff at Northwell Health

David Gill, VP, Culture & Experience at Northwell Health

Cheryl Davidson, AVP, Alumni Relations at Northwell Health

Five Things We Learned About Northwell Health Alumni

Northwell Health’s alumni program is actively encouraging rehires

“When we speak to our alumni, they are so excited to stay connected to the mission of Northwell Health as well as to their former colleagues, many return as re-hires …”
Cheryl Davidson

FlexStaff is bringing care directly where it needs …

“We currently have more than 4,000 FlexStaff employees who provide staffing directly to the bedside, and we're always looking to bring in new candidates …”
Maxine Carrington

Don’t be afraid to look around for inspiration …. 

“We knew there was an opportunity to leverage alumni, so we sat down to find out the types of things they would be interested in. We know there are organizations that already do this well, so we looked at what could shamelessly steal and place …”
David Gill

Feedback can save you money …

“Our day-to-day issue is: how do we find the most highly qualified contingent labor? In addition to the white glove service for retirees, I've made a commitment to provide feedback on key metrics such as how much are we saving on consultancy fees …”
Carolyn Dole

One day, everyone will be an alumnus …

“Hearing our alumni want to stay connected has been a wonderful way to communicate and look at people as a life-long connections, because at some point, all 83,000 of us will be alumni.”
Cheryl Davidson

Q&A

What inspired Northwell Health to focus on alumni?

Maxine Carrington: We like to say: we're not a health organization, we're a movement that looks to raise the standard of health in every community. Many of our 83,000 team members, plus those who have moved on, still live in our communities and engage in some way. We look at companies who have formed alumni networks, often through colleges and universities, to see how we can invite people who have stepped away, through boomerangs, recruitment referrals, philanthropy, brand ambassadorship and advocacy.

What has the feedback been like?

Cheryl Davidson: Phenomenal. When we speak to our alumni, they are excited about the opportunity to stay connected to the mission of Northwell Health as well as to their former colleagues. So much, many even return as re-hires.

How did Northwell Health develop its alumni network to facilitate this return of retirees?

Maxine: We had to think: how are we going to get enough care to the bedside? Who are the nurses, clinicians and other former Northwell employees we can bring on through FlexStaff, our internal agency, so we can get the care we needed to the bedside? We currently have over 4,000 FlexStaff employees who provide staffing, around 3,000 on a weekly basis, and we're always looking for opportunities to bring in new candidates.

What is the initial process of starting a network?

David Gill: We knew there was an opportunity to leverage alumni, so we sat down with individuals – some within educational settings, others who had recently exited – to find out the things they would be interested in. We know organizations and industries that already do this well, so we looked at what could shamelessly steal and place within a healthcare environment.

What led to Northwell launching a program to welcome back retirees?

Cheryl: This was Maxine's vision of how we can create this lifelong infinity and inclusion. We looked at what we offer our current team members, to see what can be translated into our alumni community, through podcasts, seminars, book clubs or virtual yoga support groups.

Maxine: We know people are working longer and retiring later, so they are always looking for ways to contribute and stay connected. With the retired returning to the workforce, timing can be crucial as well.

What short- and long-term opportunities do retirees have available?

Carolyn Doyle: We have a great deal of clinical roles, but also a great number of non-clinical roles such as chief nursing officers that is a great incentive for retirees. FlexStaff places employees across the whole health system, so we can provide flexible opportunities across the whole of Northwell.

Does FlexStaff have a special approach for interviewing alumni?

Carolyn: We've been working very closely with Cheryl and her team to be really thoughtful around bringing alumni back. So for FlexStaff, we put a single point of contact on board.

Do you expect alumni to impact your current employees?

David: Absolutely. There's the opportunity for alumni to come back and play a role, through mentorship, knowledge sharing and coaching. Employees will walk out with a lot of knowledge and often a feeling of ‘I haven't quite finished my to-do list.’ Everybody within an organization is at different stages of being an alumni. Interaction with individuals who have left can really strengthen the culture.

How will Northwell measure the success of your program?

Cheryl: One metric is the number of people who register. But we really want to see how people are engaged, who is participating, and who is looking to come back to a leader or consultancy role.

What does the support structure look like for your alumni network?

Maxine: When you're incubating a concept, there’s a now vision and a full maturity vision. It was important to find the right leader, which is why we chose Cheryl. We knew we had to scale through our marketing, communications, and tech teams. Then, like with any other organization, you want an alumni board of volunteers who can further lift the momentum.

How does your alumni network help people into jobs?

Carolyn: Our day-to-day issue is: how do we find the most highly qualified contingent labor? In addition to the white glove service for retirees coming back into the organization, I've also made a commitment to provide feedback on key metrics such as how much are we saving on consultancy fees.

How will your alumni program benefit the culture of Northwell? 

David: I’d really like to see this commitment of long-term connection in more than just words.

Carolyn: I think we need to ask: are we solving a problem? What is the value to Northwell? What is the engagement of our retirees who came back into the organization? Has our pool of retirees increased?

Cheryl: We’ve been reaching out to leaders to see what they are looking for. We are hearing that many of our alumni want to stay connected, albeit with a little bit more flexibility. So it's been a wonderful way to communicate to our alumni and our leaders, and looking at people as life-long connections, because at some point, all 83,000 of us will be alumni.