CEO Message: Labor Day 2020

September 4, 2020 | By Bill Robertson
Note on clipboard saying thank you

Thank you!

There are many times that this column ends with a thank you, but on the Labor Day weekend it seems like it is a good idea to say it first — right at the top.

Thank you to our incredible MultiCare team — every single one of you! This weekend celebrates the fundamental relationship that we have with each other: we work together. I am thankful every day for the opportunity to be a part of this organization. I do not grow weary of telling people that the shared mission of everyone who makes up our team is that together we are partnering for healing and a healthy future and that our shared vision is that MultiCare will be the Pacific Northwest’s highest value system of health.

If you are working over this holiday weekend, please accept an extra measure of thanks from your colleagues who are able to enjoy an extra-long weekend because of you. That’s another way in which you take care of each other.

Thank you for being a part of this shared Labor Day in one of the most tumultuous times we’ve ever known or are likely to experience. I’ve seen how you have endeavored to take care of one another, even as you were focused on taking care of those in need. We each benefit from knowing that those we are working alongside “have our backs.” We echo the sentiments of French philosopher Simone Weil, who described the truest relationships as marked by simply “being able to say, ‘What are you going through?’” Thank you for how you’ve been concerned and watchful for your fellow team members.

Thank you for being the face of care and compassion for our patients and their families. Our work places us in relationship with people when they are experiencing some of the most significant things that ever happen to them. From the birth of a baby through all of life’s most emotionally charged circumstances, right to the end—we accompany our patients in times when compassion is essential. Thank you for taking this responsibility so seriously and for bringing helpfulness and kindness to every encounter.

This Labor Day, the message could not be more direct, plain, or important: Thank you!

CEO Perspective