Video series does triple duty

The original goal set by Baystate Health was for employees to get to know the organization’s CEO, Mark Keroack, M.D. The way it approached the challenge wound up earning Baystate Health first place in the “Executive Communication” category of Ragan’s 2017 Employee Communications Awards.

The communications team achieved its goal by delivering recognition to a number of Baystate facilities and letting employees submit questions Keroack would answer. It was all wrapped up in a video series titled 24MK—Two Questions for Mark Keroack. 

The video series featured the CEO at various Baystate locations discussing and showcasing each facility while answering two employee-submitted questions at each. The questions were as likely to be personal as business-related, giving Keroack an opportunity to show his human side, a tactic known to create a deeper emotional bond between employees and leaders. 

The videos were shot mostly in natural light, with the camera always moving, producing a documentary-like look and feel. The team has produced 41 videos, leading 80 percent of surveyed employees to say they usually learn something new about the organization or Keroack when they watch the videos. 

Most employees also said that the videos increased their affinity for their CEO and their connection to the organization. Employees left comments like, “Real people questions and down-to-earth answers.” Who could ask for more from an executive channel designed to reach employees?

Congratulations to Baystate’s Dawn Chipman, Charlie Breguet, Todd Lajoie, Karen Beckstead and Mark Keroack.