I do process improvement every day as part of my job. I sort mail and look for ways to save money. I noticed that several envelopes were being mailed to the same location almost daily. I decided to bundle the envelopes to the same location and was able to save over $20 per bundle, which is about $1,500 monthly for just this one location. I’ve got 15 addresses I do this with. Everything I do with the mail, I look for savings. I’ve worked for KP for 46 years. I’m a mail clerk—that’s what I do and I’ve had the same job since I was hired.

I used to be in a department that was driven by management—it was ‘my way or the highway.’ There was no enthusiasm in the workforce, nobody smiled, nobody cared. A pay cut and a couple months later, I transferred to the Emergency department. There I was introduced to the UBT and never looked back. Our meetings are held as ‘equals’ alongside some of the most empathetic managers and supervisors, and we are trusting each other to do by what's right by the department and not by the individual.

 People are always touching me. Talking baby talk to me. That’s OK. It makes them feel better. When I go to work, I’m there for the patients. In my heart, though, I know I’m there for the staff, too. They work so hard. They look so stressed sometimes. No wonder it’s hard for them to speak up. I give them a little bump, and I know I’ve helped. That’s how I speak up. Every day. I’m a pet therapy dog. I’ve been coming to Sunnyside Medical Center for nearly two years.

I had an injury in at my previous job. It was due to the workstation not being appropriate for my height. I had talked about the issues I had with my workstation for years and unfortunately no attention was brought to it until an injury occurred....My hand actually locked up in the middle of work. When I came to this pharmacy, I wanted to make sure that no one else went through that experience. That’s why I become a workplace safety champion.

I was using a mobile X-ray machine in a patient’s room....I had the machine and the tube set up, then I positioned the patient—and when I moved, I forgot about where the tube was. I hit my head on it. It hurt quite a bit, but I wasn’t injured. I was too embarrassed to tell anyone. I didn’t say anything and sure enough another tech did the same thing....After my colleague was injured, I spoke out at my department meeting. Now we position the patient first, and we don’t move the tube until we are ready to take the picture.

Everything is a conversation for a unit-based team. Through the partnership, we’ve been able to make it a model. We constantly have to shore it up. There are people who come into the organization who don’t understand the UBT model. We have some places where UBTs are working really well. Labor needs to be more engaged and we need to continue to beat that drum on a department level. A UBT is only as successful as your willingness to participate. It can’t just be about management—it takes us all coming together.