Your Digest

New Give 3 in 2023 holiday campaign launches

The season of giving is upon us! This is a time of year when people around the world are eager to find new ways to give to others. In that spirit, we are launching the Give 3 in 2023 campaign, encouraging current and new donors to commit to three ways they will support Canada’s Lifeline next year. We are inviting everyone to participate in Give 3 in 2023 and create lifesaving habits. Please help us spread the word and inspire others this holiday season by sharing your commitments on Yammer or on your own social media using the hashtag #3In2023. You can learn more about the campaign and further ways to support on Connect or by visiting our new Give 3 in 2023 page.

Recognizing World Cord Blood Day

Today, Nov. 15, we recognize those donors and patients who make all the difference in their own ways. Stem cell donors and tiny cord blood donors, like Cameryn Slack, help save lives. After a birth, the blood left in the umbilical cord is rich in stem cells, and Cameryn’s parents donated her cord blood to our national public bank. Her stem cells deliver huge hope to families, especially those of mixed race. A patient’s best hope of a match is typically with a donor of similar ethnic background, and donors of mixed race and many other ethnic backgrounds are currently underrepresented on registries worldwide. More than 1,000 people in Canada are currently waiting for a stem cell transplant. Find out more on Connect about Cameryn and how cord blood donors save lives.

Celebrating philanthropic supporters on National Philanthropy Day

Today is National Philanthropy Day! Taking place on November 15 every year, it’s an opportunity to celebrate the incredible impact philanthropic giving has on Canada’s Lifeline. This year, Canadian Blood Services supporters received a special video message from Trish Ganam. Trish has been supported by blood and plasma donors, as well as a stem cell donor, and she has given back to Canada’s Lifeline by launching a fundraiser and recruiting people to join the stem cell registry. Watch Trish’s video message on Connect and check out our Connect poll to see some of the cool things we’re able to do because of our financial donors.

Making our corporate privacy policies easier to navigate

Canadian Blood Services has streamlined its corporate privacy policies into one document for easier reference and navigation.  The updated Protection of Personal Information Policy (POL012) is available on our policies page and provides information related to personal information protection, privacy risk assessments and privacy incident management. All employees are encouraged to review this new document and Protection of Employee Personal Information document. We all have a shared responsibility to safeguard personal and private information at Canadian Blood Services. Read more about these policies on Connect.

Question of the day

I am having performance discussions with my manager. What can I expect and what kinds of resources are available to help me prepare?

Ongoing, two-way conversations with their team members are how managers support the critical link between your work and the impact of our organization and its mission. These conversations focus on:

• aligning individual goals to team/department and corporate goals;
• setting clear performance goals;
• providing meaningful performance feedback and coaching, and continuously assessing progress;
• delivering results in a way that is consistent with our values and leadership commitments.

The performance management page has resources for both managers and employees. There are ‘Related links’ to lead you through the union and non-union performance management processes and further resources to help you engage in effective performance conversations.

You can also access career development tools such as assessments to help you identify your strengths and opportunities for development, a career development toolkit to help you take charge of your career and plan your development and on-demand digital learning, such as your free LinkedIn Learning subscription.

For employees, engaging in performance conversations with your manager allows you to:

• understand what is expected of you and how your performance is assessed;
• see how your individual goals support team and corporate goals;
• get feedback and coaching to support the achievement of your goals;
• increase your awareness of your strengths and gaps.

For more support with the performance management process, please contact your human resources representative.