While at work one day in January, Rebekah Ziemski knew something felt off.
“I was pregnant, but I knew something wasn’t right. My manager was so supportive and told me to go home and get some rest.”
Rebekah, an occupational health nurse with ECU Health, was already being closely monitored by her physicians for an autoimmune disorder. She consulted her obstetrician, who told her to come to the emergency department (ED) if she didn’t get to feeling better. “I didn’t realize then that I was actively miscarrying.”
Her symptoms escalated, and an ED visit confirmed what she suspected, Rebekah faced not only the grief of loss, but also unexpected complications. “I was bleeding badly and continued to do so; my doctor was worried.” It turned out Rebekah required two additional procedures to stop the bleeding.
Rebekah didn’t have much paid time off (PTO), and although her doctor released her to return to work, she didn’t feel ready. “I had just lost my son four days previously, and I tossed and turned with the idea of going back to work. That’s when I reached out to HR.”
Through the HR Services site, Rebekah asked if her experience allowed for bereavement leave. “The death of an unborn child isn’t in the policy,” she said. “I put out a cry for help, and I think Mindy heard the despair in my question.”
Mindy Wallace, an HR Shared Services consultant, said her specialty is in leaves of absence, and when she read Rebekah’s plea for help, she had to respond. “We’re one of the first lines of defense for our team members,” she said. “After hearing what Rebekah was going through, I reached out to her directly to get more information.”
“Mindy helped me get bereavement time, but she also worked with my manager, Cheri Bartlett, to get more than 80 hours of PTO donated to me,” Rebekah said. “I was also eligible for short term disability, which I didn’t realize. This allowed me to go back to my doctor and tell her I wasn’t ready to go back to work. I could take the time I needed to grieve and recover from surgery.”
Rebekah said Mindy stayed in constant contact with her and Cheri to ensure questions were answered, forms were filled out and time cards were accurate.
“I didn’t realize everything HR did, and this meant I didn’t have to worry about anything while I was out,” Rebekah said. “In corporate health, sometimes a policy is a policy, but I wasn’t treated like a policy. I was treated like a person.”
“Some things were handled by her leader, but I took the reins on working with our benefits partner so she didn’t have to keep making calls. That makes things much more stressful, so we took on that piece and made sure she was getting what she needed,” Mindy explained.
While Mindy underscored that this wasn’t an unusual thing for her or the HR team to do, she admitted she took her own experiences into consideration.
“I know where team members are because I’ve been there too,” she said. “However, our team can help you – that’s what we’re here for. Our team members are here to serve our patients, so we want them to be well and healthy so they can do that.”
For Rebekah, Mindy’s support was above and beyond what she expected, and it made a difference in her recovery. “HR isn’t often recognized, but Mindy was an angel. You just don’t know what she did for me and my family. I was so worried about paying the bills and I didn’t know I had options. Mindy helped with that. Her compassion made me feel like she was there to help.”
All of this happened virtually; Rebekah never worked with Mindy in person. As luck would have it, after Rebekah returned to work, she attended a Resource Fair and visited the HR booth.
“I was standing there and Cheri introduced me to another person. Then I heard a voice say, ‘Hey Rebekah, I’m Mindy.’ I had never met her before; she had just been a name in emails. I started crying and asked her if I could give her a hug because she and my leader were my biggest advocates. She reminded me I was going to survive this.”
Mindy said it was gratifying to help Rebekah. “To know I’ve helped someone with the tools I have available to me makes me personally happy, but also proud of the organization,” Mindy said. “I’m not better at this than anyone else. It’s hard to hear the sad stories and to know what some of our team members are going through. I am so glad I was given the opportunity to help Rebekah.”
There are many options for team members experiencing difficult situations, and both Mindy and Rebekah highlighted the services ECU Health offers.
“We just launched the new ECU Health Service Center Portal, and many people wonder if the responses are from real people. They are! Our team members can reach out with questions about benefits, leave, accommodations and much more. We’re here to serve our team members,” Mindy shared.
“Life happens,” Rebekah added. “When you’re experiencing something catastrophic, the last thing you’re thinking about is HR. A lot of people don’t realize that we have these services available to us.”
Even more importantly, Rebekah said, is the support and kindness she received – not only from Mindy – but also from her leader and her team. “When you realize someone took the time to be kind to you, it means so much,” she said. “If Cheri or my team hadn’t donated PTO, and if Mindy hadn’t helped me navigate this system, I wouldn’t be here. I’m a walking testimony that it works. This experience has made me double down on my commitment to ECU Health.”