Hello,
I hope you are enjoying the summer and loosening COVID-19 restrictions. If you have not got your second dose of the vaccine, please do not hesitate to go to a vaccination center even if you do not have an appointment; I did so, and the process was very efficient. If you have an appointment for your second dose, you can always change your appointment on Clic Santé if your first dose was at least four weeks ago. Please do not forget to send Kayla Lachapelle your proof of vaccination at klachapalle@waleshome.ca.
As you will see in the numbers below, unfortunately we are not different from any other healthcare facility. There is a lot of pressure on Human Ressources concerning both clinical and non-clinical staff. We can see fatigue that may lead to disengagement and demobilization. Those feeling that way tend to isolate themselves and care less about other people or teamwork, which is normal.
In these difficult times, departments must work together more than ever. One positive aspect is that we do not necessarily feel fatigue or discouragement at the same time as our fellow coworkers. I would like to invite you to be attentive to your coworkers, no matter their department, and reach out to them if you are comfortable doing so. You would be surprised how kindness and compassion can make a difference to any human being, not only for the one receiving but also the one giving. The idea is to t ake care of each other, of our relationships, so the workplace can become a comfortable and even pleasant place to be. This goal will only be possible if each person contributes in their own unique way. From what I have seen since I started here, we have what we need to accomplish our objectives. We have wonderful people working at the Wales; we just must go back to our roots, individually and collectively.
STAFFING:
Staff Movement:
Employees hired between June 30th and July 28th | Departures between June 30th and July 28th | Employees on sick leave | Employes on maternity leave | Employees on CNESST (including reassigned pregnant employees) |
Three caregivers |
Two Food Services employees
|
One Housekeeping employee
|
Two Food Services employees
|
Three caregivers (two on light duty)
Preventative maternity leave due to COVID-19:
|
Three | Seven | Six | Nine | Eleven |
Employees in the process of joining the Wales team:
- Two caregivers waiting to finalize the foreign worker process. They should start soon.
- Two caregivers from Nigeria in the immigration process
- One Human Resources Officer
- One LPN who is supposed to start in August
- One summer student in Maintenance since the former candidate resigned
We will be able to count on these thirteen new employees in the coming weeks.
Globally, we have three new employees with thirteen more to come. On the other hand, we have thirty-three people who are not working. Keeping up with these changes is difficult and the lack of manpower puts us in a situation where we are not able to hire fast enough to keep up with the rate at which people are leaving. As stated earlier, these challenges put pressure on us, including HR. It explains the many schedule changes or delays in giving you access to your schedule.
OHS COMMITTEE AND ERC:
Regulations for Occupational Heath and Safety (OHS) committees changed, and trainings will be offered at the end of the summer and in the fall. I will attend this training so our OHS Committee fulfils the new law's expectations. This fall, we will be recruiting. The process will be shared with you and once we have sufficient members, the OHS Committee will resume its activities.
Recruitment will also take place for the Employee Relations Committee (ERC). We will keep you informed so this committee can continue its activities.
RESSOURCE NON-INSTITUTIONNELLE (rni) ON CENTRAL:
Central officially opened on Monday, July 26th and its first residents will move in on Wednesday, July 28th. The unit will be filled gradually over the next few weeks. I would like to thank you for your involvement on this project. I will not name each person implicated because I do not want to forget anyone. This unit's reopening was a team effort across the board, from clinical to non-clinical and administration. A lot of work has been done to be able to open the unit; the floor is a good example of the efficiency of teamwork. We could not have accomplished this feat alone. Thank you!
INTERNAL POSTINGS:
Starting this fall, postings will be done monthly instead of weekly and will be coordinated with the schedule. The postings' deadlines will follow the deadline to request days off.
FRIENDLY REMINDER:
I would like to remind you that when you are requesting days off, your completed form must be submitted to Human Resources one month prior to the dates and deadlines for schedules. The dates and deadlines for 2021 schedules are available on Public/Schedule/2021 Dates & Deadlines and on each break room's bulletin board. If you do not meet this deadline, our policy states that you must find your own replacement and that you must inform HR about the change so they can adjust the schedule accordingly. To do so, please use the request for shift change/replacement form. When you request a statutory holiday, you must fill out one sheet per holiday and note your top three choices for a day off.
activity department:
By the end of August, the Activity Department will be fully staffed, which is good news. Volunteers are back in our facility to support our proposed activities, and we are very grateful for their contribution. We are still adjusting to new COVID-19-related regulations which allow us to gradually return to normal. We invite you to help residents prepare for activities as the Activity Department cannot get each resident ready. In large group activities, we also invite you to assess residents' security because, with only two Activity Coordinators managing activities involving often more than fifty residents, security can become an issue, and we want to offer safe and secure activities to our residents. If many residents from a unit are attending, we invite you to consider having a member of your unit's clinical staff attend the activity with them.
TECHNOLOGY AT THE wALES:
The two new UPS were installed in the main Server Room, which will allow our server and network equipment to run for at least thirty minutes without electricity. The installation of the new call bell system should begin towards the end of August; we will keep you posted. We should be able to install the new SOFI nursing software this fall. Please keep in mind that we expect a three-month setup period once the installation begins.
SOCIAL WORK DEPARTMENT:
There has been some confusion regarding Zach Fry's schedule. He is here from Monday to Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m..
Chantal Richer
Director of Quality and Administrative Services
819-826-3266 extension 274