Case Study: Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital boosts engagement and retention with Bucketlist Rewards

Transforming Employee Engagement and Retention with Bucketlist Rewards

Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital, a 21-bed critical access hospital serving northeastern Minnesota, was struggling with very low employee engagement and siloed teams. After an early survey placed engagement in the 16th percentile, the hospital needed a more structured way to recognize staff and improve retention, so it turned to Bucketlist Rewards.

Bucketlist implemented a comprehensive, automated recognition program that consolidated anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, and peer-to-peer recognition into one scalable platform, with rewards tailored to local businesses. The results were dramatic: engagement rose from the 16th percentile in 2018 to the 96th percentile by 2023, turnover dropped to around 1% with many months at zero voluntary departures, and administrative time for recognition fell to less than an hour per week.

Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital

Rochelle Sjoberg

Chief Human Resources Officer