Free to Speak
If you work at Kaiser Permanente, your voice matters. Period.
Former Kaiser Permanente Chairman and CEO Bernard J. Tyson said so, repeatedly. In 2015, then-President Barack Obama praised KP for being an organization where union workers have a voice. (See videos of each below, under "See It in Action.")
Open communication leads to better patient outcomes, and there are surefire ways to build a culture where engaged employees feel safe speaking up. Use the tools here to help build a workplace culture at Kaiser Permanente where everyone is #FreeToSpeak and feels safe doing so. Our tools are designed to remind frontline workers and managers they have a right to speak up. They complement the messages of KP's Speak Up program, which underscores not just the right to speak up but the responsibility of workers, managers and caregivers to do so.
Share the posters in this how-to guide with your teammates and be inspired by our videos,which shows the impact that just a single empowered union worker has had on patients, including 8-year-old Lucy Scott.
If you already feel free to speak, keep on keeping on. If you've felt reluctant to share your ideas and concerns, the time to start is now.
For Frontline Staff
- Speak Out, Speak Up, Be Heard Be heard! Check out these tips.
- Free to Speak: Advice From an RN Words from an RN on KP's #FreeToSpeak culture.
- Free to Speak: A Union Worker Shows the Way Words from a union worker on KP's #FreeToSpeak culture.
- Free to Speak: Building Trust A #FreeToSpeak workplace builds trust and shared purpose.
For Managers
- Making It Safe to Speak Up Five tips for managers on how to help staff share ideas.
- Free to Speak Zone Poster Make it safe to share ideas.
- Free to Speak Zone Tabletop Tent Card A visual cue to remind team members they are free to speak.
- Why Speaking Up Matters: A Manager's Point of View Create a space where workers feel safe sharing ideas and concerns.
- Why Speaking Up Matters: Advice From a VP One leader shares why it's important to speak up.
- Free to Speak: Kaiser Permanente's Former CEO Shows the Way A poster with Bernard J. Tyson on our #FreeToSpeak culture.
For All
- Poster: Free to Speak Speak up in your workplace!
- Poster: Be Heard, Don't Be Written Off Are you a whiner or a problem solver?
- Infographic: Speak Up, Good Things Happen See how things improve when workers speak up.
- Why Speaking Up Matters: A Physician's Point of View How having a staff that feels free to speak up improves patient care.
- Free to Speak? An entire Hank issue on why creating a speak-up culture is crucial—and how to do it.
- Rounding for Results: Creating a Free-to-Speak Culture A simple tool makes peer rounding even more effective.
