Brookings Health Designated U.S. Best-in-Class Employer

  • December 05, 2024
Gabe Blades and Seth Major, representatives from Gallagher, present the Best-in-Class Employer recognition to Brookings Health System. Accepting the award on behalf of the health system are Human Resources Director Lacey Ellsworth, President and CEO Jason Merkley, Chief Nursing Officer Tammy Hillestad and Chief Financial Officer Melissa Wagner. After participating in Gallagher’s 2024 U.S. Benefits Strategy & Benchmarking Survey, Brookings Health was identified as an organization that excelled in implementing successful strategies for managing people and programs. Individuals looking for Brookings job opportunities can learn more about Brookings Health’s award-winning team at brookingshealth.org/Careers

Brookings Health System has been designated a U.S. Best-in-Class Employer in the midsize category by Gallagher, a leading insurance brokerage, risk management, HR and benefits consulting company. Gallagher creates a Best-in-Class Benchmarking Analysis to identify organizations that excel in optimizing employee and organizational well-being.

After participating in Gallagher’s 2024 U.S. Benefits Strategy & Benchmarking Survey, Brookings Health was identified as an organization that excelled in implementing successful strategies for managing people and programs. Brookings Health System was recognized for its comprehensive framework for strategically investing in benefits, compensation and employee communication to support the health, financial security and career growth of its employees at a sustainable cost structure. 

Designations like Gallagher’s Best-in-Class Employer help current and potential employees looking for Brookings, SD jobs understand and appreciate an organization’s workplace culture and people strategy, important differentiators as employers compete for talent in today’s labor market.

To be designated a U.S. Best-in-Class Employer, Brookings Health System was assigned points based on its relative performance in the following categories:

  • Plan horizons for benefits and compensation strategies
  • Extent of the wellbeing strategy
  • Turnover rate for full-time equivalents (FTEs)
  • Completion of a workforce engagement survey
  • Use of an HR technology strategy and its level of sophistication
  • Difference in healthcare costs over the prior year
  • Use of a communication strategy

“Brookings Health System understands that high employee expectations haven’t budged in the changing labor market and have regularly examined their formula to attract and retain talent,” said William F. Ziebell, CEO of Gallagher's Benefits & HR Consulting Division. “In doing so, Brookings Health System utilizes data, workforce feedback tools and clearly defined policies to provide competitive benefits and experiences that their employees value.”

Brookings Health’s workforce embodies the spirit of teamwork, working together across disciplines to care for local patients and residents. Individuals who want to join Brookings Health System’s Top 20 Rural Community Hospital team can find a position right for them at brookingshealth.org/Careers.

About Brookings Health System

Brookings Health System, located in Brookings, South Dakota, includes a 49-bed hospital, the 79-bed The Neighborhoods at Brookview nursing home, Brookhaven Estates senior living apartments, Yorkshire Eye Clinic & Optical, and medical clinics in Arlington, White and Volga, South Dakota. It is a non-profit, city-owned facility that offers the community a full range of inpatient, outpatient, emergency and extended care services. Brookings Hospital provides local access to doctors in Brookings and offers robotic da Vinci surgery and Mako robotic-arm assisted procedures, making it one of the premier rural community hospitals in South Dakota. For more information about the services offered at Brookings Health System, please call (605) 696-9000 or visit us on the Web at brookingshealth.org.