The Vibe Is Catching

A contagious positivity and energy people want to be a part of

“So, I’m a little disappointed that they will only let me give five stars, because this place is amazing!!!” wrote Chris Sund in a Google review for Fusion Medical Staffing.

Sund, a division manager, is certainly not alone in his opinion. The Omaha, Neb.-based healthcare staffing firm scored as a grand prize winner in Staffing Industry Analysts’ Best Staffing Firms to Work For list for the second year in a row based on the annual survey of internal workers; last year, it was in the midsize category. As an aside, it also had a score of 4.9 out of 5.0 among Google reviews.

In an interview with Staffing Industry Analysts, Sund cites Fusion Medical’s culture as the reason behind it being a great place to work and as what encourages employees to stay.

“When you walk through the halls of our company, you can just feel the energy flowing,” he says.

Shared Warmth

If you look around, you will find that everybody’s hard at work, but upon closer inspection, you’ll see everyone is smiling, collaborating and laughing, Sund continues. There is a shared warmth, with lots of high-fives and celebrations. “This vibe, it’s addictive. You feed off that energy; it makes you just want to jump in and be a part of that.”

But it’s not just about the high-energy atmosphere.

Fusion Medical cares about the people who work for them, he says. There are town hall meetings to make sure everyone is on the same page; free, healthy snacks; a personal trainer; weight room; gym; and more. Employees get hand-written cards from President and CEO Sam Wageman.

Recognition is also important, says Sund, who has worked at the company for 2½ years. “When someone accomplishes a big feat, you know it because we make a really big deal out of it.” Fusion Medical’s approach is paying off. Not only is this its second year as a grand prize winner, it has been on the list each year since 2015 and was a Best Staffing Firm to Temp For each year from 2014 through 2018.

“People come here and they stay because of the people that work here,” says Meghan Patton, who works in Fusion Medical’s nursing division as a client manager. “When you surround yourself with positivity, it’s contagious.”

Patton has been at the company for 3½ years and served as a nurse recruiter prior to her present position. She found out about the firm when she was a nurse and read a newspaper article on Fusion Medical being a best place to work in the Omaha area.

Mind, Body and Soul

The company makes sure everyone knows what its goals and vision are, and workers are challenged and given the tools to continually improve, Patton says. The focus is on the mind, body and soul. Managers really care about people and recognize that employees also have responsibilities outside of work.

The mind is fed with constant training. “There’s opportunities for growth here,” she says. “You get encouragement from the best people in the industry, people who have been doing this a long time.” They are there to help each other, even through mistakes. “We’re all human … but it’s how do you learn from those mistakes?” And as for catering to well-being, she mentions the company’s two gyms and full-time personal trainer. It also has a wellness committee. “Being here and working here is kind of an all-encompassing experience,” Patton says. “I feel like there’s countless opportunities to advance and grow.”

In terms of food for the soul, the company is big on giving back to the community, and even has a full-time person on staff to handle community outreach.

“We do an incredible amount of outreach here in the community,” Patton says. If you’re giving back into a community, “How can you not feel good about what you’re doing?” she asks. “How can you not feel good about yourself and the company and the people that you surround yourself with?” For example, every month, employees go to help out at the Stephen Shelter, an organization serving the homeless in Omaha. And each year, the company hosts a “Golf fore MS” tournament and a breast cancer bowling event to benefit those causes. Employees also volunteer at Quality Living Inc., an organization that helps those with brain injuries. The company gives employees 16 hours a year as time off to volunteer at a charitable organization of their choice.

You Have Autonomy

Tara Sprakel, chief marketing technologist at Fusion Medical, says internal workers stay at the firm because of the combination of a positive culture as well as the autonomy to make decisions. Sprakel also cites the vision that is shared throughout the company.

Fusion exists to ensure that everyone we touch has a better life, she states, whether that be internal employees or its nurses out in the field and the patients they are treating. “I think the fact that everyone here has a clear vision and purpose really makes them buy into Fusion.”

Keeping employees happy and giving them the ability to make decisions helps the company because engaged workers tend to be more loyal, more productive and, in turn, offer the best service to clients, Sprakel says. They also tend to be more creative when coming up with solutions, not to mention collaborative.

“Everyone here seems to be friends outside of work, which is really cool to see,” she says.

Sund says Fusion can seem too good to be true; even he thought so at one time.

“Prior to ever working at Fusion, I had a friend that had pestered me to apply,” he says. “I really enjoyed the company I was working at before, so I really didn’t entertain the idea.”

But the friend was very passionate about how much he would like it, calling him multiple times, and Sund finally decided to hear him out. While he still didn’t believe all the accolades, Sund eventually decided to talk with Fusion about a job, which he accepted.

“My biggest regret was that I waited as long as I did to have that talk,” he says.