In an increasingly complex and busy world, it's easy for business leaders to lose touch with their customers or members. That's why Medibank set up the "Job Swap with George" initiative, which sees Medibank Managing Director George Savvides swapping roles with one of Medibank's 4,500 employees for the day.
Jacklyn Adams took George through a day in her life at Cabrini Malvern, where she works as a Hospital Liaison Representative. This is part of Medibank's Mi Health initiative and involves visiting Medibank members staying at the hospital to answers questions about their health insurance, as well as explaining how the private health insurance system works during their stay.
The experience gave George an opportunity to walk in the shoes of a Medibank employee "on the ground" and also have closer interaction with members. George explains further, saying:
"My time as a Hospital Liaison Representative was fulfilling and rewarding. I was pleased to see that the service is appreciated by members and they find it useful. It's clear that the presence of a Medibank representative is reassuring at an important time in a member's life when they have a lot to deal with."
George continues, "It became evident that our company values of customer focus, accountability, integrity and respect are played out powerfully in this role. These values are employed right throughout Medibank and I am conscious of them daily in my own work. It was interesting to see them employed from a different perspective and witness the positive effects they had on our customers in the hospital setting.
"It was also great to visit two 'new' mums who proudly showed me their one-day old babies! Jacklyn made it so easy for them to not have to worry about paperwork to sign the baby on the family cover. And the nurse advice line service was really appreciated by the new mothers as they prepared to go home and look after their expanded family," says George.
On the role of a Hospital Liaison Representative, George says, "The key attribute of Hospital Liaison Representatives is strong emotional courage, as they are supporting and dealing with people who are going through difficult times or significant life changes. Jacklyn clearly excels in this role and is a great ambassador for the service."
Commenting on her work and day with George, Jacklyn says: I get a real sense of satisfaction from my job. When people come into hospital, they naturally have a lot of concerns and worrying about their health insurance shouldn't be one of them. I'm on hand to reassure them and answer any questions they may have. Patients are able to ask us anything, so if they do ask us something non-insurance related, we always make sure we follow it up with the hospital.
"George did a fantastic job and it was great to spend the day with him. It's positive to work with a Managing Director who is keen to be involved closely with his team."
About Mi Health
The hospital liaison service is part of Mi Health, a range of integrated healthcare services available to Medibank Private members with resident hospital cover. Mi Health incorporates a 24 hour health advice line, access to the Health Hub, an online portal which provides health information and personalised wellness records, and three Smartphone apps. The Hospital Liaison service is national, with 36 staff operating in 47 Medibank Members' Choice hospitals across the country.