“I come into work every day with a mindset” JOSH BOWLIN explains with a smile, “It’s actually a quote by Philo of Alexandria: ‘Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.’”
Josh, a Senior HRM Assistant, talks about how he gets to work with many different people being part of the Talent Acquisition department.
“We meet so many people and get a little glimpse into their lives,” Josh continues. “We have had people who have come in who have just lost family members or have gone through traumatic accidents. I get to hear their stories of why they were attracted to Loma Linda, how they were treated here, and why they want to work here.”
Josh explains that he takes the opportunity to get to know each person that comes through Talent Acquisition and make his or her experience at Loma Linda a great one.
“Everyone loves getting a job!” Josh remarks, “They’re usually happy when they come in, but we are able to provide that front door experience and say ‘Welcome to Loma Linda!’”
Josh acknowledges that sometimes providing an excellent experience for the employees requires going the extra mile. “Whether it’s coming in early to adjust to someone’s schedule, or staying late. Sometimes I’ll come in at 7 o’clock for a resident physician, or I’ll stay late for an employee who just can’t get here.”
Josh feels strongly that he can play a part in the mission of Loma Linda by how he approaches his job each day. “It’s providing that type of service,” he says, “That helps us to really live the mission and values of this organization every day.”
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JOVI CO-BERMEJO, a Benefits Analyst and team member in Talent Acquisition, is a good listener. She tells of her time recently working on the benefits team where she helped process life-claims. Jovi wanted to make this difficult process as smooth as possible for these employees, and made sure that she was there for them.
“While meeting with them and taking information for paperwork, they would start crying because they are sad and have lost their loved one,” Jovi begins, “As they would tell their story, I would sit and listen to them pour their hearts out, and I would reach out and put my hand on their shoulder. If they didn’t flinch, then I would reach out and hold their hand. And normally they will enclose my hand with their hand.”
Jovi had the opportunity to listen to these people tell their stories and to help them through the hard time that they were having. “After I gathered all the information I needed to process the claim, they would hug me and thank me when they leave,” she continues. “I would receive e-mails from them thanking me just for listening. Because people sometimes just need someone to listen to them.”
Though this was one the hardest parts of Jovi’s job, it was an opportunity to be of service to others in the organization. “It is heartbreaking, but I wanted to make sure that their needs were met,” she says.
“I contribute and live the mission of Loma Linda by being at work every day, being accountable to my team, helping my team when they get busy, and covering for co-workers who are out ill,” Jovi Co-Bermejo explains. “I’ve been working here for 27 years, and my whole family works here too. It’s a good place to work.”
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JOY RIDDLE, a recruiter strategist for Talent Acquisition, has a long history working at Loma Linda. Before working in Talent Acquisition, Joy worked as a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Children’s Hospital. Joy shares how her passion for nursing and caring for patients in a faith-based organization inspires her to share her story with nursing students from around the area.
Joy recruits RN’s at the local nursing schools, and a few weeks ago was speaking at a local community college. “When I talked about Loma Linda I spoke of it as a nurse myself,” she says. “I let them know that it is a Christian hospital and that we don’t apologize for that. This either draws them to find out more about us or helps them make a decision to choose other places to apply.”
Joy remembered a time when, as a NICU nurse, she had the opportunity to meet the spiritual needs for the family of her patient, right when they needed it most. “It was at shift change and the family was desperately waiting for their pastor to arrive so he could pray for their baby before rushing him to the OR for emergency surgery. When we found out the pastor wouldn’t make it in time, I asked the family if I could have the privilege of saying a prayer of protection for their baby and to ask God to guide the surgeon’s hands,” she says. “How grateful they were that I would even offer and what a blessing it was for me to be able to do it! So even though I speak to secular campuses, I want to give an example of what it meant in my life to be able to do that.”
Joy’s story made an unexpected impact on many of the nursing students she had talked with that day. “I do not know how many students came up to me, called me later or e-mailed me, saying, ‘I’ve never done any clinical rotations at Loma Linda, but as soon as you said that, all I wanted to do is work there.’”
Joy explains that this opportunity to tell her story and connect with these students connects her to what she does.
“When I look at the job applications on my computer, I see each one as a real person. And if I think about it that way – even if I’m tired or I feel too busy – I can still stop and just remember why I’m here and why I do it,” Joy says. “I’m truly interested in their story or what they need because, sometimes, one little thing we do or say can change everything.”
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DOMINIC BOKICH believes strongly in furthering the mission of Loma Linda through strategic businesspractices, both locally and globally. As a Recruiter strategist in Talent Acquisition, Dominic shares his passion for service in a number of ways, whether it is encouraging others to serve, or making it possible for those who are interested in serving to be part of the mission of Loma Linda. Dominic talks specifically about his experience with the HRM Management Residency and Internship program.
“I hire for the HRM Management Residency and Internship program and a moment that was really rewarding for me was when we hired a group of residents that came up with the concept of doing an international rotation as part of the Management Residency,” Dominic says. “This is our second year where we have one of our Management Residents going to Africa for three months.”
Dominic explains how the Management Residency impacts the global entities of Loma Linda in a very tangible way. “Our Management Resident is working on strategic planning and implementing computer training in the Human Resources department at Malamulo hospital,” Dominic continues.
HRM plays a large part in the process of being able to facilitate global service for the Management Residency. “By choosing applicants that meet the values of the institution, then watching their creativity expand, the small program that we didn’t have seven years ago has turned into the global influence for good,” Dominic explains, “It’s rewarding for me, and one of the highlights of the past few years has been getting the program started, then having it expand internationally.”
Dominic believes that what he does each day contributes to the global mission of Loma Linda. “A lot of things happen that give us the opportunity to serve in Human Resources. I’m very proud to work here.”