Virtua's CHRO Discusses the Evolution of HR

Rhonda Jordan, SHRM-SCP, shares how the role of the HR department in healthcare has changed and discusses the DEI workforce initiatives she is proud of implementing at Virtua.

Editor's note: This conversation is a transcript from an episode of the HealthLeaders Podcast. Audio of the full interview can be found here and below.

Rhonda Jordan, SHRM-SCP, hasn't always worked in healthcare or in human resources, but it's certainly where she feels at home.

Her passion is reflected in the many leadership accolades she has received over the years, including several just in 2022. She was recently named one of Savoy Magazine's 2022 most influential black executives in corporate America, and in November she will be receiving the Human Resources Lifetime Achievement Award from the HR Department of the Year Awards.

Jordan currently serves as executive vice president and chief human resources officer for Virtua Health, a five-hospital, $2 billion community health system headquartered in Marlton, New Jersey. She has served in leadership roles at Virtua for almost 25 years and has a human resources career that has spanned more than 30 years.

During our conversation, Jordan spoke about how the HR department evolved during that time. She also talked about Virtua's many DEI workforce initiatives and the power of teamwork, and she shared advice for future leaders.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.

HealthLeaders: What has your career and leadership journey been, and why did you switch from working in marketing to healthcare?

Rhonda Jordan: I've just had a remarkable journey. I received my undergraduate degree at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. I am a transplant to New Jersey and was able to also obtain my Master's degree, while raising three daughters, all online.

During my time here at Virtua, I also became Six Sigma Green Belt trained and STAR Coach trained, and I am a senior professional in human resources, which is a certification that I'm most proud of through the Society for Human Resource Management.

I am a true testament that you can utilize skills learned from other industries to propel you into a different industry. My degree is in marketing, and I wanted to go into retail and be a buyer, which is what I did for the first part of my career. When I relocated to New Jersey, I realized that that's not an industry that I wanted to remain in. I thought about what skills that I utilized in that industry that might be applicable to a different industry. I hired people, I coached people, I fired individuals, [and] I also learned about budgeting, accounting, and inventory.

My first job in New Jersey was working for a company where I recruited talent for organizations, and I did that for about a year and a half, and then ended up at Children's Hospital as their director of career services. When I went to healthcare, I truly felt this was the right place for me. I believed in the mission of what healthcare stands for; you are delivering care to people who need it most. It's helped align, for me, what was important in my own value set, which was helping individuals reach their potential.

When I think about healthcare as well as human resources, we remove the barriers for individuals. We remove those barriers so that doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers can provide the care and support to those individuals who need it most.

I'm glad that there was someone who gave me an opportunity to be able to do this job because someone took a chance on me. I have loved my journey in healthcare as well as my journey in human resources.

HL: During your 30+ year career in healthcare, how has the HR department evolved in that time?

Jordan: [When] I think about my time here at Virtua, which I can't believe it's coming up on 25 years that I've been here, I've seen HR evolve from being a transactional department to one that is truly seen as a strategic partner and critical to the function of the organization.

When I think about just the last two years in healthcare and human resources alone, recruiting, retaining, and developing talent have never been more important. One of the examples that's happened at Virtua, we were on the cusp of talking about individuals working remotely. You didn't see that a lot in healthcare; there were some roles that could be performed at home that were done well, but for the most part you were in the office every day.

My team, now, is largely remote. They come in [to the office] for those important things that they need to be in for, because when you think about human resources being client-facing, they're here when they need to be in front of an employee, or when they need to be here for a particular meeting. But I would never have anticipated my department would be largely remote.

One of the top items for me and our organization, right now, is being able to develop strategies that retain our employees. We have individuals that are choosing to leave healthcare, so how do we create an environment where people want to stay, that they're able to thrive and grow? We have been focused on listening to what our employees have to say to us and developing strategies that they've helped us with. Our employees have told us what is important to them: They want to feel valued, they want to feel like they belong, and they also want to have a sense of purpose.

When I talked earlier about how I felt like I had found my niche in healthcare, I felt like I was connected to the mission of the organizations. When I think about Virtua helping you Be Well, Get Well, and Stay Well, many of our employees are aligned to that they want to feel that higher purpose. Our employees have told us that they want a job where they can continue to contribute, where they can grow, and where they are connected to something that is bigger than themselves. We as an organization want to ensure that we're establishing clear pathways for growth and make it easy for individuals to pursue training and development, and ongoing education.

[HR is] integral to helping this organization create a culture where people want to grow, thrive, and stay. Burnout is a big thing for us right now, when I talk about being able to retain individuals. People are tired, and we as an HR department have to create those strategies to remove that.

HL: Speaking of burnout and retaining great talent, what workforce DEI initiatives are you currently leading at Virtua?

Jordan: Virtua Health has been on that journey for a good number of years.

We [created] a common definition and language around inclusion, diversity, and equity. We listened to the voice of our colleagues. We created a team that defined what that was going to be for us, and what were the things that we were going to focus on.

[We created a] diversity and equity committee called IDEA, made up of high-level leaders in the organization, those who lead our affinity groups, and some of our physician leaders. That group has helped us develop what our agenda and our call to action would be. We have three main goals that we focus on around elevating the value of inclusion, diversity, and equity, creating an equitable workplace, and cultivating an inclusive culture.

We have what we call our affinity groups that are grassroots. We let our colleagues tell us what community they want to form. We have four of these groups with two more slated for this year. They promote awareness, education, and mentorship across the organization. It's designed to foster and nurture that inclusive culture and that sense of belonging. It's a place where safe and honest dialogue can occur. I've been so proud of the work that these groups have done.

One that I will call out is our LGBTQ+ group, [called] Out. That group helped inform for us what our new primary care practice would be, and that primary care practice is called Pride. As we were developing what would be the artwork, what are the things we had to consider, who needed to be the clinicians, it was the Out group that helped us on the development of that private practice, which [recently] opened.

We also trained our leaders and our staff around unconscious bias and emotional intelligence, so that we can spot these things in the workplace. And we can call each other on it. We've had more than 900 leaders that have participated in different education sessions, and we've also had the broader colleague community go through different trainings.

HL: How does your leadership style play a role in your achievements and everyday work?

Jordan: I do the work because I enjoy and I believe in the work; it is definitely not for the accolades and the recognition.

A leader needs to have a great team, and when I think about the team of individuals that I get to work with in the human resources department, I'm only as good as they are. It is important that as a leader, you surround yourself with talented, dedicated individuals. We're not alike and I like having individuals that are different than me, because they're able to challenge me to even be better from a leadership perspective. It's about allowing individuals to thrive. It's about building the right team around you.

HL: What advice do you have for women and others in healthcare who either aspire to be leaders in the sector or in human resources?

Jordan: Pay it forward; be an advocate for other women. There are times I've had individuals that have taken me under their wing; we have to do that for other women. I love coaching and mentoring others, being that advocate, and paying it forward.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. Individuals are willing to help you, other women are willing to help you, so ask for advice.

The last thing I would say is get involved; being involved in whatever is important to you and being able to give back, I think as women we should do that.