The DRW Way
What sets DRW Healthcare Staffing apart in the healthcare staffing industry?
The Locums staffing sandbox we play in everyday is relatively standardized, with people and data standing out as front-runners for how an organization in this industry can set itself apart. There are elemental factors which are mandatory and/or required to fill a job opening for healthcare. We know that no matter what industry you’re in, you must differentiate yourself in a positive way, especially one like ours where many competitors are likely to operate in a similar manner. This differentiation is important not only to our external clients, but it’s also key for our internal talent and success too.
In a recent meeting, our new COO mentioned something that quickly caught my attention. We choose to operate differently, and he mentioned “The DRW Way” of doing business and what that means. As with most organizations, we continue to make improvements with how we run our business, and recently, it’s been more important than ever as we have grown exponentially in the past few years. We’ve done so by being creative, agile, flexible, and deciding to break the mold with how things “have always been done” in this space. Conducting business, The DRW Way, has allowed us to reach our financials goals with far less people than most companies in our space. Financials aside, our employees also genuinely enjoy what they do, and more importantly, the place they do it in!
The idea that we do things differently wasn’t completely foreign to me, but it made me realize I had not put enough thought into the “why.” The “why” is extremely important so I put the old thinking cap on, met with different team members, and sought to understand why DRW is different.
Our CEO and Executive Leadership team always have an open-door policy, this continually bubbled to the surface when diving into why and how DRW sets itself apart. It’s vital to our culture and growth to ensure our teams understand the importance of transparent communication with everyone, regardless of tenure or placement in the org chart. We pride ourselves on avoiding the “corporate red tape” mentality as we’ve seen fruitful ideas and collaboration come from these clear and consistent interactions. This approach is different from how many organizations operate and this is one of many ways which help us stay fluid in our approach to the business.
Personal work/life balance is integral to any working environment, especially after the pandemic changed so many people’s lives overnight. Recently, one of my direct reports asked me if he could come in a little late because his child had an end of the year performance at school. He knew what my answer would be, but I always appreciate that he cares enough to ask. My answer was simple; “Family first, you know our policy!” A lot of companies say that, and I’ve heard it from former employers. The difference at DRW is that we mean it! I’m a firm believer that you’ll always get more out of your employees when you value their ability to be happy outside of work. This allows them to bring the best version of themselves to DRW and our clients!
I’ve been fortunate enough to see first-hand the compassionate nature of our CEO, which again, is stated at many organizations but how many of us experience this type of benevolence? As we know, actions speak louder than words. DRW has a CEO who truly cares about the people he chooses to employee. Whether it’s simply lending an ear, offering advice, utilizing his network in varying ways, providing funding/donations to many charities and kids sports teams that are personal and important to employees, etc. The bottom line: it’s a family atmosphere and that starts from the top!
“Chris constantly shows a different level of caring than I have ever seen before from a CEO. He does not view his employees as disposable assets and genuinely cares for everyone that works here!”
-Nate Hancock, Vice President of Sales
Aside from his caring and giving nature, he has created a compensation plan for his employees that is far better than any company in our industry. He’s a firm believer in rewarding greatness and it shows day in and day out. I can’t speak about each of your experiences in the workforce, but I can attest from my personal experience, I’ve never witnessed this before and am grateful to be part of an organization where people are pushed to be the best they can be and are rewarded accordingly for their effort.
The office setting at DRW is unique and energizing. The center of activity is our sales floor which is an element of the DRW atmosphere I truly love. It’s a team-based environment where you are dependent on your counterparts to collaborate effectively. Physical presence, being in the office and around one another, is important and our employees’ passion for what they do permeates throughout our building and we’re able to see it every day. It reminds me of the way things were pre-covid and provides me with an increased level of enthusiasm and energy!
Walking the sales floor and getting hit with questions or hearing success stories is motivating and reinforces the value of having stellar team members. I can tell how much our people care about what they do, and it helps light a fire under me every single day I step foot through those front doors!
Below is how one team member summed up what it means to be at DRW and do things “The DRW Way”. It encapsulates everything I love about why we’re different and I couldn’t have said it better myself!
“All for one, and one for all – There is a mentality of teamwork and unity at DRW that permeates everything we do. We celebrate each other’s successes and bear each other’s setbacks together. This sense of unity and teamwork breaks down the walls between teams and individuals to allow for true, unfiltered collaboration. In an industry that can, at times, be highly individualized, this characteristic of DRW helps us stand out amongst our competition.”
Nate Hancock
Vice President of Sales
About the Author: Nate is an industry veteran with over 10 years of experience in healthcare staffing and locum tenens. He has been an integral part of DRW’s leadership team since 2018.