Lisa Ross leading an exercise session.
The work day is now livelier, and healthier, for Call Center agents at the Mount Sinai Ambulatory Care Access Center on East 94th Street. That is because once an hour, they perform a few minutes of aerobic exercises at their stations, led by Administrative Manager Lisa Ross.
Lisa came up with the “Up and Out” program after an agent mentioned that she sometimes felt her attention drifting.
Lisa had begun a personal exercise program years earlier, after the death of her husband, as a way to combat grief and get in better shape. At the Call Center, she started by working with just a handful of interested agents.
Now the program has become so popular that Lisa instructs from the middle of the floor, focusing on a different body part each day.
“The team has started to research new exercises,” she says. “They are motivated to do more.” Claudio Pugliese, Director of the Call Center, has seen a dramatic effect.
“Thanks to Lisa’s creativity, we have a program that re-energizes agents’ efforts to consistently deliver a great experience to each patient,” he says. “There are more smiles and laughter, which translates into improved employee and patient interactions.”