Kayla Yun

HCA 730

Professor Dowgwillo

November 6th, 2021

Human Capital Leader in Healthcare Interview

Human Capital Leader: Monica Johnson

Organization: Ciox Health

Title: Vice President, Talent Acquisition

Length of Time in Role: 2 years

Date of Interview: November 4th, 2021

1) Describe your role and experience with Human Capital Planning and Management in

Healthcare?

I am an industry diagnostic and Human resource leader for Ciox Health. I was involved

in the Human Capital Planning and Management of non-healthcare related industries prior to my

employment with Ciox Health. In my current role I am responsible for the strategy and

successful execution of sourcing talent from start to finish. When a role has been identified, it is

my job to fill this role. I am responsible for the sourcing, strategy, and recruiting of talent for

Ciox Health. In terms of the market, I also give guidance for where we are and where we need to

go.
2) What types of projects do you typically work on? Describe two of your last big projects

(at least 1 healthcare related).

I typically am responsible for running diversity trending projects for Ciox Health every

year. My most recent project involved the organization of diversity and inclusion for this past

year. I look at how we are currently trending and compare that to the market for each function.

This includes technology, HR, finance, and accounting by level. This project requires an

understanding of how diversity inclusion for Ciox is compared to the market, and where it is

trending. I also ran a Multi-rater Assessment (MRA) project this past year that involved

obtaining anonymous performance-related feedback from stakeholders to compare it against self-

ratings and generate action plans for continuous development.

3) Describe the short-term human capital objectives for your organization. Why is

sustaining an “employee focused” culture important to achieving these objectives or goals?

Ciox's short-term goals include identifying the appropriate talent at the right time for the

right position. Every person being considered for employment must have a high level of tenacity

and originality. Another short-term goal we're focusing on is laying the groundwork for a

streamlined workflow process. We will then raise long-term after the workflow has been

corrected. The employee must feel heard and valued in order to reach those objectives or goals.

All strong employee-focused cultures need a foundation of empathy and human understanding to

flourish correctly.

4) Describe the long-term human capital objectives for your organization. Why is

sustaining an “employee focused” culture important to achieving these objectives or goals?

Ciox Health is a dynamic organization that is evolving over time. In terms of long-term

human capital goals, it's critical that we find transformational individuals who can work through
changes as the firm expands. I first joined the Ciox team because I wanted to be a part of a team

that was focused on long-term success. Long-term, my hope is that we will have an approach to

business processes that elevates us to the next level of KPIs. Referral rates and candidate

recommendation scores are two new increased measures of success that we hope to see improve.

This is only feasible if employees believe they have been heard, which is no different from a

personal relationship.

5) Describe the core values important to creating and sustaining an “employee

focused” culture in your organization. In what ways do these core values support your

organization’s human capital plan?

Ciox Health’s core values consist of: 1) “Win Together- Bring out the best in each other.

Find a way. Celebrate success.” 2) “Deliver Awesome- Customers talk, we listen. Be great at

what you do. Do what you say.” 3) “Make a Difference-Set the pace. Continually improve.

Operate in the arena.” Our employees are at the center of everything we do, as they are the face

the company. Ciox established a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Council in 2020. The

Council's purpose is to acknowledge and celebrate the inherent dignity and worth of everyone at

Ciox. This includes employees, customers, and everyone else we come into contact with.

6) Listed below are 8 elements central to sustaining an employee focused culture. Describe

what this element means to your organization and how the element is put into practice.

Please provide examples.

Elements of Very Effective Somewhat Not Effective Comments

Employee Effective Effective
Centered
Cultures
Leveraging 4 3 2 1 Ciox puts our employees first as they
are the face of the company. We
people-first ensure that their voice is heard. We
core values actively invite feedback from
employees for ways to improve. An
example of this is employee
engagement surveys.
 Leadership that 4 3 2 1 Our management communicates
openly with our staff about both
“walks the obstacles and accomplishments.
talk” We actively put words into action.

High levels of 4 3 2 1 Building a foundation of trust allows

our employees to feel safe and
trust respected. We offer an inclusive
culture as demonstrated by our
establishment of a Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion (DE&I) Council in
2020.
Open 4 3 2 1 All stakeholders have the opportunity
to share their thoughts and concerns
communication with management and each other.
Management is accessible via email,
Microsoft teams, and by phone call.
Quarterly town hall meetings are
conducted companywide to address
milestones and provide employee
engagement opportunities.
Aligned 4 3 2 1 Leaders like myself convey the
organization’s objectives and
operations that strategic direction to operational
focus on leaders and employees. From there
we can identify and fill gaps
human capital throughout the strategic workforce
management planning process. Leaders provide
direction throughout this process.
initiatives
Aligned work 4 3 2 1 Talent is our company’s greatest
asset. We are always refining and
environments upgrading our hiring and recruitment
that focus on procedures. While also assigning
individuals to positions where their
human skills and knowledge can have the
planning strongest impact.

Change 4 3 2 1 There is a coordinated effort to

guarantee that all talent can do
responsiveness today's work and able to adapt to new
processes as Ciox is continuously
evolving. Talent must also be able to
solve issues and respond swiftly to
the changing market. Team
performance is continuously
measured.
Organizational 4 3 2 1 Resiliency can only be accomplished
by organizations who recover, adapt,
resiliency and thrive after a business setback.
We are constantly reaffirming Ciox
Health's moral mission and assisting
people in finding meaning in the
workplace. Individuals with
perseverance and the aptitude to
embrace change make up our talent
pool.

7) Describe the ways training (continuous learning) supports success of human capital

initiatives in your organization? In what ways does continuous learning contribute to

organizational success?
 All of our efforts are aided by training. Technical training has an incredible amount of

depth and is closely linked to talent acquisition. Leadership success necessitates the development

of soft skills. Soft skills such as communication skills, leadership skills, ability to work in teams,

and interpersonal skills are all vitally important for organizational success. You must be on a

never-ending cycle of progress, always asking yourself, "How can we do better?" We do a post-

mortem report in order to learn more and see how we can do better.

8) Describe a time when you had a challenging Human Capital Initiative to work on? What

was challenging? What did you learn from it? How did you measure success?

When I initially began working at Ciox, I had to completely rebuild the talent acquisition

team from the bottom up. I came in to create a rational shift, to make everything make sense.

This was difficult since my team was change fatigued and felt like there was no way out of the

mess we were in. Nothing appeared to be operating the way it was supposed to. As you can

imagine, the intensity of the rebuilding process made this a difficult period. To overcome these

challenges, I needed to put in place the appropriate structures. I discovered that the best way to

attain company success is to enlist the help of your staff. You must show them that you are in it

with them and be able to establish a foundation of trust. The effect that the improvements have

had, as well as favorable employee feedback, are how I judge success.

9) What have been some of the greatest challenges you have experienced working in the

Human Capital field in healthcare? What would you differently?

One of the most difficult tasks is establishing connections and providing an exceptional

applicant experience so that we can effectively manage and grow the company. This is a never-

ending endeavor that we are always striving to better. If I could go back in time, I don’t think I
would have done anything differently as it has gotten me to where I am now. You develop, learn,

and strive for better because of these challenging times.

10) Describe what your organization needs to do to sustain an “employee centered” culture

for human capital initiatives in your organization? (Please provide examples)

To maintain an employee-centered culture for human capital efforts, you must walk the

talk, respect your employees, create trust, and communicate effectively. Your staff must have

faith in you, and know that you will be there for them at all stages along the process. This will

lead to satisfied personnel who are pleased to work for your organization and are more eager to

go above and beyond for it.

11) Open-ended question 1: How has COVID-19 impacted human capital within your

healthcare organization?

We as a corporation had to respond to transferring our personnel online once COVID-19

generated widespread stay-at-home orders. As a result, we needed to envision the new workplace

and make sure the proper foundations were in place. We also needed to come up with a well-

being procedure that adequately addressed top employee issues while reducing risk to the

organization. It helped us understand as a company that we should no longer be hesitant to

operate remotely. A perfect example of this is being in a staff meeting via zoom and someone’s

dog barks in the background. This doesn’t upset me, rather it shows that we are all human.

COVID-19 has taught us as individuals that life may be enjoyable in addition to everything else

we do. It brings out a human aspect that we would not have been able to see if the pandemic

hadn't occurred.
12) Open-ended question 2: Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, what human capital

initiative plans can your healthcare organization implement to better protect and invest in

its employees?

Beyond COVID-19, I believe that further initiatives might be adopted to deliver more

hard and soft benefits to our employees. Benefits such as help for life challenges, mental health

days, and additional paid time off are examples of this. As a human capital leader, my goal is to

be able to help people rise to their full potential as professionals at challenging times like the

present COVID-19 pandemic.

Narrative Analysis and Reflection

Monica Johnson, Ciox Health's Vice President of Talent Acquisition, was the subject of

my Human Capital Leader in Healthcare interview. Considering her workplace is in Atlanta,

Georgia, we conducted our interview via Microsoft teams. Monica has worked as a Human

Capital Leader at Ciox Health for the last two years, and this is her first experience in the

healthcare industry. Monica provided valuable insight into her prior experiences, work

responsibilities, and key leadership criteria for the company's growth throughout the interview.

Healthcare organizations are complex settings that need strong, integrated, and collaborative

leadership, and Monica truly has proven herself to be capable of just that (Sonnino, 2016).

Talent Acquisition

Throughout our interview, there is a human capital objective Monica brings up numerous

times regarding talent acquisition. She highlights the value of having the right people, at the right

place, and at the right time. This is the distinction between talent utilization and both talent

acquisition and management (Salsbury, 2016). The goal of talent acquisition is to bring new

people into the company (Salsbury, 2016). Talent management is largely concerned with the
combination of talent acquisition and organizational growth, but it also includes other aspects

such as compensation (Salsbury, 2016). Talent utilization comprises talent acquisition, but it also

entails ensuring that the appropriate people are always in the right location to optimize their

productivity as individual contributors and members of a well-functioning team (Salsbury,

2016).

Leadership

Monica's role at Ciox and her daily responsibilities require her to be a leader. Monica

emphasizes the significance of cultivating an employee-focused culture and gaining her

employees' support throughout our interview.  To achieve any continuous improvement

objectives or goals, the employee must feel heard and respected. To thrive, all effective

employee-focused organizations need a foundation of empathy and human understanding. Moral

efforts to embrace and model these objectives for organizational members are required for such

institutional leadership (Hoff et al., 2017). Symbolic efforts to ensure the organization's

legitimacy (both internally and externally) and to provide a sense of stability and self-control are

an essential part of leadership (Hoff et al., 2017). Finally, proactive behaviors that encourage

organizational members to imagine and adopt new, valued organizational and work patterns are

part of leadership (Hoff et al., 2017). The dynamic linkages between management ideals, culture,

skills, and the organizational setting should be the focus of successful leadership guidance (Al-

Sawai, 2013).

People-first Core Values

People are guided by values to determine what is good or desirable and what is not

(Zwetsloot et al., 2013). They have a significant impact on individual and group behavior, and

they serve as broad guides in all circumstances (Zwetsloot et al., 2013). Monica highlights the
importance of people-first core values and how they support Ciox Health’s short and long-term

human capital plan. World-class organizations appreciate and invest in their employees by taking

the following steps: strategic alignment of HR management policies, effective communication,

employee empowerment and engagement, training and development, teams and collaboration,

and review and continuous improvement (Black & La Venture, 2015).

COVID-19 Impact

In all organizations, the proliferation of COVID-19 caused disruption, uncertainty,

complexity, and ambiguity (Azizi et al., 2021). Any organization's greatest asset is its people, as

they are the ones who help it realize its objectives (Azizi et al., 2021). Monica highlighted the

impact that COVID-19 had on Human Capital at Ciox Health. As an organization, Ciox had to

respond to transferring their personnel online once COVID-19 generated widespread stay-at-

home orders. As a result, Ciox needed to come up with a strategic procedure that adequately

addressed top employee issues while reducing risk to the organization. She states that COVID-19

has taught us as individuals that life may be enjoyable in addition to everything else that we do.

It brings out a human aspect that we would not have been able to see if the pandemic had not

occurred. She hopes that, beyond COVID-19, further initiatives will be implemented to provide

more hard and soft advantages to Ciox employees. This might include things like assistance with

life issues, mental health days, and extra paid time off.

Reflection

Overall, the process of interviewing Monica provided me with valuable insight into

Human Capital Management in Healthcare and the impact it has on an organization ’s strategic

operations. Through my interview with Monica and the course principles I've learned about thus

far in the course, it has become clear to me that maintaining an employee-focused culture and
establishing strong leadership are top priorities for any organization. The culture of a company

is vital, since it determines whether or not it is a pleasant and healthy place to work (Tsai, 2011).

Employee acceptance and appreciation of the organizational culture may impact their work

behavior and attitudes creating a more successful work environment (Tsai, 2011). When leaders

and employees have a positive relationship, both will contribute more to team communication

and cooperation, as well as be motivated to complete the organization's goal and objectives,

resulting in increased job satisfaction (Tsai, 2011). Employees truly are at the heart of every

successful Human Capital Initiative Plan.

 References

Al-Sawai A. (2013). Leadership of healthcare professionals: where do we stand?. Oman medical

journal, 28(4), 285–287. https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2013.79

Azizi, M. R., Atlasi, R., Ziapour, A., Abbas, J., & Naemi, R. (2021). Innovative human resource

management strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic narrative review

approach. Heliyon, 7(6), e07233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07233

Black. J.M., & La Venture, K. (2015). The Human Factor to Profitability. Building a people-

centered culture for long term success. Forward by Lui, K. and Cervenka, D. Riverview

Book Group, GreenLeaf Publishing, Austin: TX.

Hoff, T.J., Sutcliffe, K.M., & Young, G.J. (2017). The Healthcare Professional Workforce.

Understanding Human Capital in a Changing Industry. Oxford University Press: New

York

Salsbury,M. P. (2013). Human Capital Management. Leveraging your workforce for competitive

advantage. Salsbury Human Capital, LLC: New York

Sonnino R. E. (2016). Health care leadership development and training: progress and

pitfalls. Journal of healthcare leadership, 8, 19–29. https://doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S68068

Tsai Y. (2011). Relationship between organizational culture, leadership behavior and job

satisfaction. BMC health services research, 11, 98. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-11-98

Zwetsloot, G. I., Scheppingen, A. R., Bos, E. H., Dijkman, A., & Starren, A. (2013). The Core

Values that Support Health, Safety, and Well-being at Work. Safety and health at

work, 4(4), 187–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2013.10.001