{"id":227642,"date":"2026-10-21T14:23:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T18:23:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/human-resources\/?p=227642"},"modified":"2026-10-21T14:23:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T18:23:20","slug":"connection-starts-with-communication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/human-resources\/2026\/10\/21\/connection-starts-with-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"Connection starts with communication\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A
Ryan Fields, MD, FACS, Seymour I. Schwartz Professor of Surgery and chair<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ryan Fields, M.D., shares how communication,\u00a0recognition\u00a0and staff involvement can help create a workplace where people feel connected\u00a0and like they belong.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Fields thinks about employee engagement, he starts with a simple goal: create a workplace people want to be part of.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want people, when they get up and they\u2019re on their commute, to be excited to go to work that day,\u201d Fields said. \u201cI realize\u00a0nobody\u2019s\u00a0happy to go to work every single day. But overall,\u00a0I\u2019d\u00a0like people to look at\u00a0this as\u00a0more than a job.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a passion.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a\u00a0calling.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0here for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

As leader of a department of\u00a0nearly 500\u00a0people\u2014including faculty, trainees,\u00a0staff\u00a0and even remote\u00a0workers\u2014Fields knows creating that experience requires intentional communication, recognition,\u00a0and connection.<\/p>\n

Keep people connected<\/h2>\n

One of Fields\u2019 most visible practices is also one of the simplest: every Friday, he personally writes and sends an update to his department.<\/p>\n

The informal newsletter might celebrate a new publication or grant, recognize someone\u2019s 25th anniversary, share an\u00a0award\u00a0or simply remind employees to get their flu shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe purpose was twofold: to put things out there to the department every Friday about the week\u2019s happenings, but it also holds my feet to the fire,\u201d Fields said. \u201cI write those. I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have anybody do it for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Employees can\u00a0submit\u00a0news and recognition through a Microsoft Form, helping Fields surface accomplishments he otherwise might never hear about.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might be, \u2018Hey, such-and-such just got this award.\u00a0They\u2019re\u00a0not going to tell you, and you may not\u00a0hear,\u2019\u201d\u00a0he said. \u201cSo\u00a0it\u2019s a great mechanism to call out things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Make sure staff have a voice<\/h2>\n

Fields\u00a0is\u00a0particularly intentional about making sure staff feel included\u2014not only in recognition, but also in decisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest component of our department\u00a0is\u00a0the staff, but oftentimes they\u2019re the ones that don\u2019t get recognized or included in a lot of planning as much as they should,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve tried to be very cognizant about including the staff as\u00a0the\u00a0largest\u00a0component of what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Show employees their feedback matters<\/h2>\n

That commitment to listening has\u00a0carried\u00a0into the department\u2019s response to the Employee Experience Survey.<\/p>\n

Fields and his leadership team have been reviewing their results and\u00a0identifying\u00a0areas where they can make a difference, including communication, recognition,\u00a0and opportunities for employees to connect.<\/p>\n

The work is still underway, but Fields believes one step is particularly important: closing the loop with employees.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted everybody to realize: You did this survey, and now we\u2019re actually looking at the results and taking it seriously,\u201d Fields said. \u201cWe do read them, and we are trying to use them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Make time\u00a0for connection<\/h2>\n

Fields\u2019 department has also created more opportunities for employees to spend time together, including social gatherings and its first staff recognition awards event.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhysically getting people together outside of the normal business\u00a0environment\u00a0is nice for people to get to know each other and just relax and reflect and recognize each other,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

And Fields\u00a0believes\u00a0many of the practices that build engagement\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have to be complicated.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome up with some form that is\u00a0right-sized\u00a0to your department of effectively communicating news and updates and wins and areas of emphasis,\u201d he said. \u201cI think those things are really helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

The format may look different from team to team. The important part is making communication, recognition,\u00a0and employee voice part of how the work gets done.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ryan Fields, M.D., shares how communication,\u00a0recognition\u00a0and staff involvement can help create a workplace where people feel connected\u00a0and like they belong. When Fields thinks about employee engagement, he starts with a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":212,"featured_media":232702,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1452,356],"tags":[1542],"class_list":["post-227642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn-grow","category-updates","tag-hr-connect"],"acf":{"external":"","hide_featured_image":false,"related":"show_related","style":"","content_modules":[{"acf_fc_layout":"query_new","anchor":"","css_classes":"","title":"

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