Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1272398
20 POPULATION HEALTH 20 CEO / STRATEGY Teamsters union targets Tenet CEO's pay package By Ayla Ellison T he International Brotherhood of Teamsters sent a letter in April to other Tenet Healthcare sharehold- ers urging them to reject a $24 million pay package for Tenet Chairman and CEO Ronald Rittenmeyer. e Teamsters, whose pension and ben- efit funds invest in Dallas-based Ten- et, said time-vesting awards for Mr. Rittenmeyer and Tenet President and COO Saum Sutaria, MD, have made the two executives "the least exposed to corporate performance." "We appreciate Tenet's board has a lot on its plate at the moment, but that does not justify giving a free pass to a pay structure that reserves the least accountability for the highest paid individuals," states the letter Teamsters General Secretary-Trea- surer Ken Hall sent to Tenet shareholders. e union, which represents more than 300 Tenet workers, criticized the com- pany's decision to furlough 10 percent of its workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic without reining in executive compensation. e Teamsters said it also is introducing a proposal to have independent board lead- ership and separate the functions of CEO and chair of the board. Regarding the letter sent by Teamsters, Tenet released the following statement to Becker's Hospital Review. "We are engaged in a continuing dialogue with our shareholders on all aspects of what it takes to maintain Tenet's posi- tion as a leader in healthcare. Recently, those discussions have centered on the extraordinary efforts being made across the organization to respond to the on- going public health emergency. Once we are through this crisis we expect the main topic of shareholder conversations will be the management team's success in turning Tenet around and the imple- mentation of the company's long-term strategic goals." n How to support employees during, after furloughs: 3 imperatives By Morgan Haefner D ozens of hospitals nationwide have decided to furlough employees as a result of lost revenue from suspending nonemergent procedures and other pandemic-related expenses. In an April 24 article for the Harvard Business Review, Sandra Sucher, a professor at Harvard Business School, and Shalene Gupta, a research associate at Harvard Business School, outlined strategies for managers to implement during and after the furlough period. Three key takeaways: 1. Managers should be thinking about how to make a "good" furlough. The authors said although employees aren't coming into work, that doesn't mean they don't exist. Managers should ensure furloughs are fair, like not pressuring employees to continue working, and that leadership tries to boost morale when- ever possible. 2. Early and frequent communication is recommended. Even if managers don't have an answer to specific questions, the authors say it's more reassuring to hear leadership doesn't have an answer but that the issue is top of mind than nothing at all. The information should come from a single, trusted source of authority. 3. Even after returning to work, furloughs will have long-lasting effects on employees. The researchers said difficulties that come with being fur- loughed, like living on unemployment benefits and seeking available re- placement jobs that come with a higher risk of COVID-19 exposure, will leave returning employees with complex feelings. Managers should not stop fre- quent and transparent communication once the furloughs end, but rather keep employees aware of how the recovery plan is progressing and provide reassurance about the future. n Haven CEO Dr. Atul Gawande steps down to focus on COVID-19 By Ayla Ellison A tul Gawande, MD, in May stepped down as CEO of Haven and took on a new role at the company, a healthcare venture formed by Amazon, Berk- shire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase. Dr. Gawande, a surgeon, writer and public health researcher, will serve as chair of Haven's board of directors after leaving his role as CEO. He said the switch will allow him to focus on policy work related to COVID-19. "This will elevate my focus from daily management to supporting Haven's strate- gy, board, and leadership," Dr. Gawande said in a May 13 statement. "It will also enable me to devote time to policy and activities addressing the immediate and long-term threats to health and health systems from COVID-19." Haven said a search for a new CEO is underway. Mitch Betses, the company's COO, is currently managing day-to-day operations. Haven, which launched two years ago, is focused on addressing problems in the healthcare system and lowering costs for employees of the trio of founding companies. n