HR and Communications Recognition Week: A Day in the Life of Mary Beth Corcoran
Effective communication in the workplace is about making connections with others in our organization and creating an environment where everyone feels included and heard.
At TransForm SSO, the communications team may be small, but it works hard to keep our employees informed of both key initiatives and fun, get-to-know-you type features on staff and departments through informative newsletters, communiqués and social media.
As a writer at TransForm SSO, Mary Beth Corcoran assists the team in drafting many different types of communication devices, from staff and department spotlights to Power Point presentation content to playing the ‘ghost writer’ for award nominations.
As a remote worker, Corcoran writes from a home office and starts each day at 8 a.m. the same way – sitting down with a vitally important cup of coffee and reviewing emails and Teams messages. From there, she will review her weekly to-do list, written old-school in a notebook, and send out interview or information asks of staff from various teams.
“As a writer, I am constantly sending out emails asking for information from subject matter experts, and they have been great at helping me get the details I need to complete writing tasks,” Corcoran explained. “I appreciate their patience with me as I work to understand the subject and then write it so others can understand it as well.”
On any given week, Corcoran assists with writing newsletter content, TransForm SSO’s corporate Annual Report and Town Hall scripts, writing or updating Power Point information for teams like RSOC and AID, interviewing for the Leadership Talks, researching information and assisting with communiques to keep staff informed of impactful developments.
Staying organized is an important element of staying on top of writing assignments and their due dates, and Corcoran makes good use of notebooks, as well as spreadsheets and folders in both Outlook and her personal drive. To share communication documents, the team sets up files in the X: drive to keep on top of initiatives such as Recognition Week content and photos.
Coming from a journalist background, Corcoran said since starting at TransForm SSO in July, 2022, she has enjoyed the variety of writing in her job and the opportunity to learn new things every day.
“Before starting at TransForm SSO, I had no idea of the depth and breadth of work done in this organization to support our member hospitals and community health organizations,” she said. “I learn something new about how TransForm SSO makes a difference in advancing health care for clinicians and patients in our community each day, and it makes me proud to be even a small part of it.”
Meetings are a small part of Corcoran’s day and as she completes a Teams interview, she noted that making people comfortable with sharing information is important – the more at ease they are, the better the flow of information. Getting to know people is a part of the job she particularly enjoys.
When it comes to challenges, she said some days, if the writing is particularly intense or a deadline is looming, she will get up and move around, or take a short walk to organize her thoughts before starting a piece. If that doesn’t work to bring focus, Corcoran said she will seek out her daughter’s cat, Bob, for a quick cuddle, to give her creativity a kick start.
When she doesn’t know where to start, Corcoran said all it takes is a quick call to her manager or teammate, who are always incredibly helpful in pointing her in the right direction.
“There is so much more for me learn about TransForm SSO and the services it provides, so I am particularly appreciative of the help I get from Michelle and Juhayna, and all the other staff I tap for info,” Corcoran said. “I always joke that people run when they see me coming with a camera, but honestly, everyone has been so helpful and encouraging, and it makes me love my job.”
Pressing send on an email to her boss with a finished assignment, Corcoran sat back and was surprised at the amount of time that had passed. When she is in a good writing groove, time passes much more quickly and that makes for a great day.
Shutting down her computer, Corcoran ends her days by marking completed items off her to-do list and heading to the kitchen for cooking therapy, a hobby she said provides her enjoyment and relaxation at the end of a day.