Snapshots and Stories


Jamie Livingston took a Polaroid snapshot every day for 18 years. He began his project in 1979, and took a picture of his life every day until his death from cancer in 1997. Each of the snapshots – over 6000 total – was a glimpse of a moment in time, but together they told the story of the last 18 years of his life.

Just as a snapshot captures a moment, so does the information our employees give us on the Employee Engagement Survey. The survey results give us a glimpse of this moment, of what our employees are experiencing right now in regard to their engagement with this organization, our facility, and your department. And when we combine each snapshot – the data from one employee’s response – with all the other snapshots, they tell a story. Some of these stories give us reason to celebrate, while some may challenge us to ask how we can help to change the story.

The most important thing we can do is to listen to the story. We need to hear what our team is saying about their experiences with us. We can only do that if they give us the snapshot. The survey opened on Monday, and will continue through the 29th. Please encourage your team to take the time to share their thoughts. In recent months we’ve addressed staffing issues across our facilities as employees told us this was a big concern. Benefits have been changed because of employee input on the surveys. We need to hear the stories so that together we can write the next chapter in a way that increases engagement.

Called to Lead, Section 3, quotes Woodrow Wilson: “The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people.” This is the opportunity to hear the voices of those we serve each day.

Called to Care Action

Encourage your team to take the survey.

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