Your digest

Update on Concourse Gate facility in Ottawa:  

Yesterday, you received an email from our CEO thanking teams in Ottawa and around the country for their incredible support during the controlled shutdown of our Concourse Gate production and distribution facility.  

We will be resuming all normal supply chain and stem cell operations at our Concourse Gate facility effective Monday, Feb. 15.  This includes all scheduled activities for collections, production, distribution, logistics, the cord blood bank and stem cell manufacturing planned prior to the controlled shut down. Blood collections in Ottawa, Kingston and surrounding areas will also resume Feb. 15, as will cord blood collections at our partnering hospitals in Ottawa and Brampton. To learn more, read the following note to employees from our CEO, Dr. Graham Sher  

The latest from our CEO’s blog: Enjoy this special heartfelt vlog from Graham. In this video he shares some messages of gratitude from donors who are so appreciative of all of your efforts to make donating a safe, enjoyable and rewarding experience. From the frontlines to your home offices — all of your hard work is recognized. In honour of Valentine’s Day, we’re happy to share a bit of admiration for your commitment to Canadian Blood Services. 

‘Every step forward is a good sign’: Karl Kuate, a procurement category manager in Ottawa, remembers a day he felt truly supported at work. At a virtual townhall meeting for all employees, our CEO directly acknowledged anti-Black racism and systemic racism within the organization. “He actually addressed it, he brought it forward and reassured his employees of colour — not just Black employees but all employees of colour — that he understands our frustration,” says Karl. Living our values of integrity, collaboration, adaptability, respect and excellence is second nature for Karl. He brings these ideals to life every day through his work and as a brand ambassador. Knowing his employer is also living its values while working to remove barriers and develop equitable opportunities for everyone, is a step he appreciates. Read more on Connect.  

New step at employee wellness checkpoints in Ontario: On Feb. 16, we will begin implementing a new step at employee wellness checkpoints in Ontario, with national rollout to follow at a later date. After successfully completing the wellness check, employees will be required to swipe their Canadian Blood Services ID card as a declaration of completion. This new measure will allow us to comply with government of Ontario requirements to track successful completion of employee wellness checks. If you are affected, please speak with your manager for more information.  

Question of the day: Given the amount of change, grief and moral distress our teams have been subjected to, would we ever consider supporting not just individuals and their "self-support" but providing "team-based" supports?  

There are a few options available to support teams who have experienced stressful situations:  

• Our EAP provider  can provide onsite or virtual workshops on a variety of topics or provide Critical Incident Stress Management where needed. Critical Incident Stress Management is a group meeting organized for employees affected by a critical or traumatic event or experience. The intent is to reduce the probability that employees experience long-term emotional and/or psychological consequences. The sessions offer support, normalizes commonly experienced reactions and provides the team with skills to cope and manage the physical, behavioural or psychological reactions related to traumatic events.  

• Our EAP provider also offers workshops designed by psychologists and adult learn experts can help support your team on a number of related topics. Each informative program is 45 – 60 minutes long so it can be incorporated into your team’s workday. 

• In addition, we have internal capacity to support team conversations on mental health. For questions, or guidance on how to navigate these services, please email thrive@blood.ca or visit your employee wellness portal.

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About your digest

This digest will highlight the latest policy and employee support measures, resources to help you manage our new reality and original content like articles and videos to remind us that what we do matters. No access to email? No problem — all this information and more can be found on blood.ca/employees from any device, no login required.    

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