Ideas worth talking about
We don’t hold the patent for great ideas.
Take Vancouver’s All-Staff Forum on July 16. Following an overview of our financial picture and strategic goals, we asked participants — almost 250 staff, physicians and leaders — for your savings ideas and feedback. As always, you delivered.
More than 100 savings ideas
First, we asked for ideas to improve our efficiency and effectiveness. The result is more than 100 saving ideas, which we’ve categorized into these broad themes:
- Updating and servicing of technology
- Redesigning administrative and other work processes
- Engaging with staff and team building
- Making better use of our space
- Making better use of our time
Barriers in your way
Next, we asked for the barriers you face in trying to create a more efficient and effective workplace. Here’s what you had to say:
- Outdated technology and lack of timely data
- Competing priorities
- Lack of clarity about roles and priorities
- Bureaucracy
- Resistance to change
Action with a difference
Finally, we asked what you could do differently to support our goals for creating a sustainable — quality-focused — health care system. We’re heartened by the response, which included:
- Serving as a role model and “walking the talk”
- Speaking up and sharing ideas and information about our goals and challenges
- Listening and learning from each other to identify solutions and put them into action
It’s never too late
We want you to know that your ideas won’t disappear into a “black hole”. While we won’t be able to act on all ideas, we will give each and every suggestion careful consideration. For every question, our next steps, we need to do our homework and prioritize the more than 100 suggestions to each question. We have our work cut out for us — and that’s a good thing.
Going forward, we’ll keep you informed of developments, and we’re still listening. It’s never too late for you to ask a question, share a concern or suggest a solution at OneVancouver@vch.ca — in fact, we’re counting on it.
Note: The July ASF webcast is available for viewing at your convenience, but please note that our brief survey on this forum closes August 16.
Maria McKay
I attended the staff forum in Richmond this morning. Our acting COO, Dermot Kelly, brought up the work-life balance and told us how important this concept is to “the organization.” This struck me as ironic, since this time last year, prior to the implementation of the new 37.5-hour/week schedule and the abolition of 9-day fortnights, we were told that work-life balance would not be considered as a reason to look at alternative schedules. And I said so. Mr. Kelly seemed shocked; clearly this issue is ancient history at the management level. However, everyone else in the room understood what I was talking about. There was applause.
At the end of the forum, Mr. Kelly invited me to stay and talk further with him. I opened that invitation up to others, and a number of us had a mini-forum. Mr. Kelly seemed genuinely interested and concerned, though admittedly doubtful that anything was likely to change. I share his doubt; the organization has a long way to go in convincing many of us that work-life balance is a priority and that staff wellness–apart from the bottom line–matters one iota.