CHAPTER 7The Good Employer
Paul Levy walked the halls of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
But he may as well have been walking a tightrope.
The Great Recession had hit, and Levy, CEO of the Boston hospital, had to cut labor costs while somehow preserving a high level of patient care. As he considered his options, Levy watched as a janitor emptied the wastebasket, a food service worker delivered meals, and other low-wage employees pushed patients through the halls on gurneys. He listened as they spoke kind words to patients and their families, he witnessed their cheerful presence and gentle care, and he realized that these “low-skill” workers were delivering health care.
As layoffs loomed large, this was not an idle insight. Levy knew that ...
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