We Are Family: Sister Act

10/26/2011 5:29 PM

CHG is sometimes referred to as a "big, happy family." For some employees, however, that phrase rings very true -- they work each day with their family, whether it be a spouse, sibling, son, daughter, mother or father. Get to know our real-life CHG families in this series of weekly stories, We Are Family!

We Are Family: Sister Act

Despite being the only children in their family, Nicole Shields and Natalie Petersen weren't always close -- but they cherish the time they now have to work together on the CompHealth locum tenens hospitalist team in Salt Lake City.

"My sister and I come from a very hard-working family. We both have worked with my mom and my dad at some point, so it makes perfect sense that we now get to work with each other," Natalie, a staffing consultant, shares. "Nicole is an awesome colleague, but she is also my best friend. We focus when we need to focus, and we cut loose when we need a little break. She is hilarious!"

Nicole, left, and Natalie pose for a photo outside the Salt Lake City office.

Nicole, a staffing specialist, says the decision to apply at CHG four years ago was an easy one.

"Nat had worked here for a few years and had nothing but great things to say about the company and the people she worked with," Nicole says. "And I would get to work with my sister. How cool is that!"

Shortly after Nicole started at CHG, however, the sisters faced an unexpected separation.

"My husband was offered a position in Portland, Ore., three-and-a-half years ago, and I was not ready to quit my job and leave the company," Natalie recalls. "I talked with my managers and because they knew my work ethic and valued what I contributed to the team, they gave me the opportunity to work as a full-time remote employee. I make sure I prove to them every day that they made a good decision."

Though they now live hundreds of miles away from each other, Nicole and Natalie still manage to have a strong relationship and enjoy their work at CHG.

"I get to talk to my sister every day, which is the next best thing to her actually being in the office. CHG really does care about making sure that we are happy employees," Nicole says. "They also show that they want to retain their employees by being supportive and having other options available if those employees are faced with life changes that require working from home or changing schedules. I really love that because my sister was able to benefit from that directly."

Nicole also notes that she enjoys hearing co-workers say she and Natalie sound exactly alike on the phone and sharing funny and embarrassing stories from their childhood with their team. Even though she's now miles away in Portland, Nicole and the other hospitalist team members make sure Natalie still feels like a part of the group.

"My teammates and managers are the best of the best! They make me feel as if I am in the cubicle next to them," Natalie expresses. "My manager even sends me 7-11 gift cards when they have 'slurpee runs.' HOS is BOSS!"

Natalie and Nicole still make time to get together when they can. Their most recent adventure was Oct. 18, when Natalie and her two boys flew to Salt Lake City to surprise Nicole for her 40th birthday and "kidnap" her for the day.

"Nicole's husband and I plotted for months to give her the best birthday yet," Natalie shares. "She loves my boys more than anything on the face of the planet -- nothing but a very expensive handbag comes close. My whole team and managers had to play along and keep the secret to ensure she didn’t find out. They did a great job!"