Blog home
CHG is a leader in more ways than one. Not only are we the largest locum tenens staffing agency, we also continually win awards as a best place to work. And whether you're working from one of our offices or remotely, CHG’s strong culture — which is “anchored in our purpose and our core values,” can be felt.
That’s according to Jeff Freeman, CHG’s executive vice president of culture and engagement. We sat down with Freeman to discuss how CHG maintains its strong team culture and why it’s so important to foster community among our people.
1. We recognize each other’s successes
It can be disheartening to show up as your best self to work, only to have your contributions overlooked — regardless of how excellent they are. That’s why CHG aims to create a culture where positive reinforcement can be used to build stronger connections between team members across all levels.
“We are proactively building an environment where people feel seen, heard, and valued — where they feel like they're connected to something bigger than themselves,” says Freeman.
In fact, it doesn’t just stop with encouragement. CHG motivates its people to take it one step further and recognize when a colleague does good work.
"We celebrate each other's successes, support one another through challenges, and embrace a growth mindset. This fosters a culture of continuous learning and development, allowing us to grow together as individuals and as a company," says Freeman.
2. We let people work in ways that contribute to work/life balance
With five office locations across the country and employees in 49 states, many of CHG’s people have the freedom to choose where and how they work best.
“This model has built trust within our organization and supports our people's lifestyle, and that all contributes to a healthier, better employee,” says Freeman.
CHG’s dispersed workforce is just one example of the “win-win-win” mentality that CHG champions, says Freeman.
“What is the right thing to do for the employee, for the customer, and for the business? If we approach conversations with those three things in mind, we typically get to a good answer and a good solution that works for all three,” he says.
Embracing flexibility: How 3 employees created a schedule that works for them
3. We encourage two-way communication within and across teams
CHG’s leaders encourage open dialogue, leading to stronger team connections and outcomes. This is modeled by leaders making themselves available to staff. “It really starts with strong leadership to create a culture where people feel safe to speak up,” says Freeman.
At all levels of the company, CHG’s leaders strive to foster collaboration, innovation, and overall employee satisfaction through clear and open communication.
“A big part of the cohesiveness is due to our leaders meeting our employees where they are,” shares Freeman.
A growth mindset: Find out how one CHG employee helps her team grow
4. We intentionally create opportunities to connect
Freeman recognizes that some of the casual workplace interactions — like the ability to quickly solve problems or come up with ideas on the fly — are harder to come by in a remote work environment.
So CHG is consciously building a culture to overcome these obstacles. “When you're working remotely, you have to be more intentional about those impromptu connections. We make sure that our people have those kinds of impromptu moments to connect and engage with people, even in a remote capacity,” says Freeman. “CHG’s leaders are always on the lookout for opportunities to bring our people together to learn and connect through the work we do every day.”
Keeping this top of mind has paid dividends. “Our staff feel more connected to our purpose, more engaged in the work, and more connected to each other,” says Freeman.
5. We know how to celebrate with one another
CHG knows how to throw an event, and they’ve continued to host celebrations even as more employees go remote. Whether it’s the Making a Difference Week charity event, the annual Halloween party, or the Putting People First employee celebration week, the company goes big to show its employees a good time.
“We're really intentional about the in-office events we hold to bring people in and get employees together,” says Freeman. “We see a definite spike in attendance in the office when we host events for staff to engage and connect with each other.”
6. We incentivize giving back through volunteering
CHG doesn’t just pay lip service to the value of giving back to community organizations through volunteering. The company provides all its people Volunteer Time Off (VTO), which is 16 hours of paid time off to volunteer in their community.
“It connects back to our purpose of serving our communities. You can make that difference that we're after, and it connects you to something bigger than yourself,” says Freeman.
Team VTO is another company offering, which provides unlimited paid time off when doing volunteer projects with your team. The benefit to this is two-fold: not only do you get to improve your community, but you also get to spend time outside of the office getting to know your coworkers, too.
Making a difference: CHG’s commitment to the community
7. We seek out and respond to feedback
Freeman recognizes that despite their best efforts to be intentional and proactive in building a positive work culture at CHG, the leadership team might not always get it exactly right — or execute it perfectly. That’s why on top of encouraging an atmosphere where information and ideas flow freely between individuals and teams, CHG also gathers anonymous employee feedback through annual surveys.
“It provides people an opportunity to be heard, to use their voice to tell us what's working well, and to tell us where they see opportunities for improvement,” says Freeman.
But making people feel heard is only the beginning. CHG’s leadership team not only acknowledges the feedback, but also takes action — from enhancing CHG's employee benefits to upgrading development and training programs to increasing flexibility.
“Anywhere between 85% and 90% of staff participate in those surveys, and our people are really honest because they know we listen and take action,” says Freeman. “We get candid feedback from our people, and we read every one of those comments, which help us make the changes necessary to continue to evolve and grow our amazing culture.”
Are you ready to join the CHG team?
CHG intentionally creates a great team culture where employees feel valued and cared for.
If you’re an individual who is purpose-driven and wants to work for a company that’s dedicated to the overall well-being of its people, check out CHG’s current job opportunities.
