Your Digest

Quality mindset employee survey launching Monday

As the nationwide system of life essentials for transfusion and transplantation, our ultimate priority is the health of our patients and for this, we are all responsible. That’s why you will receive an invitation on Monday, June 20 to participate in our 2022 Quality Mindset employee survey. This brief and anonymous survey will provide valuable insights into what we’re doing well — and what can be improved — to instill an understanding and drive for quality in all that we do. Visit Connect to learn more and see how some of our employees keep quality top of mind in their jobs.

Special Pride Day event on June 28

Join us on Pride Day, June 28, from 1–2 p.m. ET, for a special employee “fireside chat” featuring several of our 2SLGBTQIA+ colleagues from across the organization. This event will serve as the finale to our Pride Month celebrations. It will feature discussions on topics ranging from personal stories to gender identity, psychological safety, visibility and representation, allyship and the significance of the forthcoming sexual behaviour-based screening criteria change. We look forward to celebrating the valuable contributions and diversity of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community during this event and learning from our colleagues’ unique experiences and perspectives. Register here for the June 28 event.

Banking of cord blood for transplant temporarily on hold

Beginning next week, Canadian Blood Services will temporarily suspend processing and banking of new cord blood donations for approximately three months. This difficult decision is the result of a global shortage of cord blood processing kits. This critical product is used to separate and process stem cells in cord blood units before they are stored in our national public cord blood bank. We will continue to collect cord blood during this temporary period for quality assurance activities such as training, validation and product/process improvement, and for our Cord Blood for Research program. Based on the information available to us, we expect to be able to resume regular processing and banking by September 2022. Read more about this news on blood.ca.

Returning to workspaces in the office

Now that all 18 Canadian Blood Services office sites are open to employees who choose to transition back into that environment, there are lots of questions about how to book your workspace. While this is an exciting phase of returning back to normal, we should keep in mind that the sites are open at 50 per cent capacity. This will allow for physical distancing, safe air flow and ensure a positive experience for all those on-site. Visit Connect for detailed, step-by-step instructions for our new booking system, Condeco, that allows employees to easily book a work or meeting space. If you missed it, read “Easing back in – two employees share their return-to-office experience”.

National Blood Donation Week sees many successes

As we close out National Blood Donation Week, here are a few of our successes. Many employees did their part to shine a light on our dedicated donors and spread the message to ask folks to join Canada’s Lifeline. The number of appointments booked for whole blood donations has gone up 70 per cent in the last five days. Our social media channels were busy with well-known public figures like Andrew Phung and mayors from across the country posting their blood donation successes and encouraging followers to book appointments. Employees have also been busy making appointments to donate blood and plasma and filling out their Employee BINGO Challenge cards. Thank you to every one of you who have supported our efforts this week! Please visit Connect to read inspirational stories from the past week.

Question of the day

The DEI employee survey we conducted in 2020 revealed that many trans employees have felt unwelcome at work and worry that their career opportunities might be impacted by others’ understanding of gender and sexual orientation. What have we been doing as an organization since then to create more inclusive workplaces for trans and gender diverse employees?

In the employee survey on diversity, equity and inclusion mentioned above, many trans employees also said they are feeling safer and more comfortable since they began working from home regularly. Many have expressed they would like more support for mental health and taking time off.

When it comes to trans and gender diverse employees — or those from any other marginalized group — true inclusion isn’t just about hiring and numbers. It is also about fostering a psychologically safe and empowering employee experience. That’s why our organization is committed to creating more equitable work environments and policies that go beyond the basics.

We’re seeking to ensure the full inclusion of all individuals whose gender identity or personal experiences of gender may be different from their sex assigned at birth. Though we still have significant work to do, we have already taken several steps to foster a culture that allows every individual to feel safe to bring their whole selves to work. These steps include:

• Adding pronouns to signatures and name badges
• Removing physical barriers through universal design
• Increasing visibility of trans and non-binary employees
• Delivering trans-specific diversity training
• Evolving IT processes and internal policies to support trans and gender diverse employees
• Making the donation experience more inclusive for trans and non-binary donors

For more information about the work we’re doing — and to access key resources — visit Connect.

About Your Digest

This digest highlights the latest policy and employee support measures, resources to help you manage our new reality and original content to remind us that what we do matters. This information can be found on blood.ca/employees from any device, no login required.

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Have questions? Check out blood.ca/employees or email us at communications@blood.ca.