Communication Strategy Counts During Labor Unrest

Featuring: Alan Shoebridge, AVP, National Communication, Providence

Alan leads a diverse, multi-state communication team responsible for internal communication, public relations, issues management, labor relations and DE&I initiatives. Alan has also held senior marketing and communication leadership roles at Kaiser Permanente and Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System.

Alan has more than 15 years of direct marketing and communication experience for healthcare and medical insurance organizations with a focus on marketing plan development, advertising, messaging, research and other areas. He has also worked as a newspaper reporter and in public relations. Alan earned his BA in English from the University of Oregon.

Alan shares his insights and experience with navigating the challenges and complexities of building and delivering a communication strategy during labor unrest.

5 Takeaways

1. Whatever situation your healthcare system is dealing with, it is crucial to communicate the facts to your staff and caregivers first. During negotiations between hospitals and unions, both sides of the story should be shared, including the true facts about what the union is being offered, or what’s on the table.
2. Through your communication, people should understand clearly what you’re doing. The principles of good communication are the same in any situation, including a contentious negotiation.
3. One good idea is to set expectations for how visible your communications are going to be. If negotiations are happening at a bargaining table, certain communications may not always be the most valuable to bring to the public.
4. Those stepping into a new communications role should establish their strategy with others right away. Are you going to focus on the internal audience or take things more public?
5. Don’t respond to accusations with a negative tone. You even have the option to not respond at all, if it doesn’t follow your strategy or help your organization with negotiations.

Alan Tam

Chief Marketing Officer at Actium Health
LinkedIn: Alan Tam

As the Podcast Host for Hello Healthcare and Chief Marketing Officer at Actium Health, Alan is on a mission to help healthcare accelerate their digital transformation and advancement of the healthcare consumer experience. Through story telling and sharing insights from innovative healthcare leaders, Alan is hoping to drive meaningful impact and change to healthcare one conversation at a time.

Consumer experiences, major disruptors, and AI tech are shaping healthcare for years to come. On Hello Healthcare, we dive deep on these issues with leaders who are driving change. We hope that their stories will drive you to demand or create a better future. Available to stream on all major listening platforms under Hello Healthcare Podcast and Healthcare NOW Radio.

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