How Piedmont Cancer Institute Cut Turnover from 36% to 14% with Nectar

Challenges

Recognition Was a Checkbox

“Employee recognition was limited to a $25 Amazon gift card that I’d order in bulk once a quarter to give out to managers for employee birthdays. Our managers were giving out gift cards that they weren’t even taking the time to sign because they were too busy. There wasn’t any passion or connection behind it. We wanted our managers to have something where they could really connect with their employees.”

Manual Processes Leave Room For Error

“Doing manual orders and ordering bulk gift cards was a tedious process — running a report, making sure we had a current roster, ordering them in enough time, getting them distributed across five different locations. Was the leader still the same? Were the people still the same? With 36% turnover, that list was constantly changing.”

Busy Clinical Teams Without Recognition Reminders

“We’re a very busy clinic-based practice. The reason managers weren’t recognizing their employees wasn’t because they didn’t care about them — it was because they were so focused on taking care of patients and they didn’t have a tool. They needed something that made recognition easy and meaningful, not another task on their plate.”

Turnover in a Demanding Specialty

“Our turnover was at 36%. My very first mission on my whiteboard was a bunch of sticky notes because I was filling positions just about as fast as they were emptying them. The gift card distribution list would be outdated by the time the last month of the quarter came around. It was this constant rotation of tracking down gift cards and playing catch-up.”

“Our physician owners really do want to invest in their employees. Employees were only hearing from their managers when they were doing something wrong, and we knew they wanted something more. We already knew the culture we wanted. Nectar gave us the tool to actually build it.”

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Solutions

Leadership Buy-In From Day One

“Getting our senior leaders on board was key. We literally discussed every piece of what Nectar would look like and how it would roll out. Getting our chief clinical officer on board — she was essential to the engagement we achieved. Even our CFO, who I expected would push back on ROI, saw the value and created a line item for it right away.”

Values-Driven Recognition

“Having Recognition tied to our core values was absolutely the reinforcement tool that we wanted. We didn’t want just ‘oh, it was great seeing you today, here’s 5 points.’ Here, every shout-out connects back to who we are and how our values show up in our daily in our dedication to excellence.”

Experience That Spans Generations

“It feels like a social media feed where they’re having a lot of fun with it. The GIFs have been really great spanning our multi-generational workforce. Sometimes the younger employees will come to the older ones and say, ‘Hey, help me find a really great one.’ It creates this lightened, fun part of being able to shout out your coworkers.”

HRIS Integration for Seamless Management

“The ability to integrate with our HRIS system was key in the evaluation process. It means employees upload automatically as you add them and pulls them out when they leave. From an HR standpoint, a much more efficient process than us manually having to do that keystroke across five locations.”

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Impact

Decrease in Turnover

“We’ve now cut our turnover down to 14%, so from 36 to 14 is huge. We’re really seeing that our culture and our values — which we really believe in and are the core of who we are — are being lived out in every decision we’re making on a daily basis. How we speak to each other, how we treat our patients, how we champion what we do every day.”

90% Engagement Survey Participation

“We had 90% participation in our employee engagement survey. We had multiple departments that were at 100%. The goal is 70%. So even in the engagement process, we were above average. I think Nectar speaks a lot to that because we’re pouring into our employees. They know it’s an investment in them.”

Recognition Fuels Recruitment

“We’re hearing that our coworkers champion PCI in the community. They talk about it in the break room, in the cafeteria, when they go home. We’re seeing it on our social media and our company reviews, which were not as fabulous as they are now. It really helps reinforce that culture of being a team.”

Cross-Departmental Team Cohesion

“Giving shout-outs to other departments really helps with the cohesion of the team. Sometimes it feels like nurses are with nurses, MAs with MAs. When you shout somebody out and give them recognition, it brings everybody up to the same level and feels equal and part of the team.”

Leadership Focused on the Positive

“Leadership changes their focus to catching that person doing good. One negative comment can outweigh five positive ones. So how do you give your managers the platform to create that positive recognition? Nectar shifted our leadership’s ability to focus on reinforcing the countless times they see staff doing something excellent.”

A Platform They’d Never Give Up

“If Nectar broke tomorrow, my team would instantly be blowing up my email saying, ‘Where is Nectar? Why is it gone?’ Even when I forget to launch a challenge, they’re like, ‘There’s not a Nectar challenge today.’ We would have to find something else. That’s how embedded it is in who we are.”

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How Piedmont Uses Nectar: Real Examples

Cancer Awareness Challenges

“Since we’re an oncology practice, we run cancer awareness challenges throughout the year. There are ribbons and colors you get to wear. It connects what we do every day to what we celebrate on the platform giving us a culture building platform that actually means something to who we are.”

Compliance Training

“Nobody enjoys HIPAA privacy training. So we give rewards if you get it done in a shortened time frame. HR isn’t having to knock down the door anymore — employees get points if they get it done early. That’s been one of the most effective challenges we’ve run.”

Employee Appreciation Photo Challenge

“One of my favorites, employees can get points by sharing a photo of themselves in their PCI gear, and even their family members in PCI gear. That’s kind of special to what we do. It shows they’re proud to be part of this team even outside of work.”

Cross-Location Teamwork

“When nurses come over from a different location and take over the lead position and complete the team we need, I always look out for them on Nectar because we need them. We only get so many points a month, so you’ve gotta be intentional with five here, ten there. That makes the recognition feel even more meaningful.”

Meaningful Rewards Employees Use

“I had about $125 in points, so I bought an Airbnb gift card with it. We put it toward our Airbnb in Gatlinburg last weekend and it took a bunch off the financial side. That’s real and more than just a pat on the back.”

“When you’ve got a happy employee that loves what they’re doing and feels supported and encouraged and recognized, their face lights up — they can focus truly on just taking care of that patient. And that’s the difference: you’re getting excellence versus just meeting standards.”

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About Piedmont Cancer Institute

Piedmont Cancer Institute is a physician-owned oncology practice serving patients across five clinic locations in the greater Atlanta area. Dedicated to creating the best outcomes for those with cancer and hematological disorders, PCI delivers compassionate, world-class care guided by core values of community, innovation, compassion, and integrity. It’s a culture where purpose comes before self, and where every member of the team, from nurses to front desk staff, plays a role in the patient journey.

Location: Georgia

Industry: Healthcare - Oncology

Company Size: 300+

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