Christus Invests In Employees, Sees Returns – Best Workplaces in Latin America 2009

MEXICO CITY – The halls at Christus Muguerza Group hospitals have the bright lights of medical institutions, but gone are doctors and nurses only clad in white, green or blue medical garb.

Instead, a doctor on his rounds at the hospital group’s 3-year-old Christus Muguerza Sur in the northern industrial city of Monterrey can bump into a colleague dressed as a clown, instead of medical gowns, in an effort to cheer up children.

Or if any of the medical personnel feel inspired, he or she can duck into what is known as the “thinking room” and scrawl wishes, thoughts and suggestions on a wall.
Such quirky features may seem out of place in a medical setting. But Mauricio Zambrano, head of human resources for Monterrey-based Christus Muguerza Group, believes in having fun – even for those people who save lives for a living.

“We spend a lot of time here,” said Zambrano in a telephone interview. “Sometimes we spend more than 24 hours here. We have to have a good time.”

The Christus Muguerza Group has been operating for 75 years and now has 4,500 employees at its seven hospitals, including nearly 300 at the Christus Muguerza Sur. Revenue for 2008 reached some $225 million.

Zambrano said helping hospital staff members find relief from the pressures associated with their work was a priority.

“Naturally, there are protocols and practices that you can’t mess around with that are vital to the health of our patients,” he says. “We can’t be flexible in those areas, but there are other areas where we can be.”

The hospital is equipped with staff rooms where personnel can take a break and relax in private. Stressed-out nurses can literally let their hair down, take off their shoes and enjoy a game of ping pong.

And even before they walk through the hospital doors, Zambrano’s staff had good reason to be in high spirits. They enjoy benefits and privileges that are almost unique among other Mexican companies, in the healthcare industry and outside it. Doctors and nurses get two full days off a week – something almost unheard of in hospitals. Nearly 80 percent of the staff works on flextime; helping to ensure that they are able to spend the hours they need with their families.

In a country where corporate management tends to be rigorously hierarchical, Zambrano, 36, runs an unusually democratic shop. At regular brainstorming breakfasts, executives and doctors on down to the janitors get to have their say about the hospital’s operation.

That approach fosters more personalized interactions, including those between management and staff. “We all know each other by first name, second name, and sometimes even nicknames,” said Aidee Garza, the director of human resources at Christus Muguerza Sur.

Zambrano maintains the feel-good practices are not gimmicks, but are based on economics and common sense.

The hospital may be overflowing with the latest medical technology, but people are by far the most important tool, he said. By being open and flexible with his staff, they are willing to respond in kind, even agreeing to hold off on a pay raise if times are tough. If they are well rested, they perform better at work and help the hospital reach new targets, he adds.

Above all, fair treatment of the workers means the hospital is able to retain them. Zambrano boasts that once new people are hired, very few leave.

“Instead of worrying about losing money and wasting time and effort in severance, recruitment and training, we can invest in the people we already have,” he said.

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