Celebrating courage on Pink Shirt Day!

Thank you to the many staff and physicians that made a personal commitment to respect on Pink Shirt Day, February 22, and wore their VCH pink bracelet and shirt to show your support for a

respectful workplace.

“We’ve seen a gradual decrease in the number of staff reporting bullying and disruptive behaviour since the Respectful Workplace program launched in 2014. This shift tells us something important – that your courage to speak up and report bullying is making a real difference and we are seeing less bullying because of it. I wish to thank those of you who have paved the way for creating a culture of respect at VCH,” said Anne Harvey, VP of Employee Engagement.

Photo gallery

Click on the photo below to view the gallery!

: VCH regional timekeeping.

: Workforce Scheduling, VGH

: Workforce Scheduling, VGH

: VGH MDRD staff.

: UBCH OR staff.

: Workforce scheduling staff (l – r): Jessica Bonnici, Katerina Iliakis, David Hall.

: LGH perioperative leads (L-R): Olivia Shi, Suzanne Perri, Corrie Irwin and Jessica Foster Knape.

: LGH Pink Booth.

: LGH Pink Booth.

: Employee Engagment staff: Nina Paauwe, Kathleen Daluz, Eli Williams (l-r)

: Thomas, Communications and Public Affairs.

: VGH OR staff.

: LGH staff.

: Joan Madden, OR Booking/Slating, VGH (L) and Kathleen Daluz, HR Advisor Lead

: Mary Pack Arthritis Centre.

Your stories

A Staffing employee at VGH commented on her experience in the bracelet entry form: “I’ve noticed a huge difference on a lot of people in their attitude towards each other now – like having respect and empathy, thinking before speaking so not to hurt someone, steering toward helping instead of judging, plus the whispering has died down significantly. I am so thankful that RESPECTFUL WORKPLACE Policy was launched and is now a REALITY,” she said.

A support services employee says both staff and managers are more aware of their behaviour. “I have noticed that staff are more polite and respectful even in stressful situations. I have also noticed that this has made management more aware and thoughtful towards all staff members regardless of title, gender or sexual orientation.”

A Vancouver Community employee said she has noticed staff addressing disrespectful behaviour directly. “I have seen the openness from staff to talk about and act on disrespectful behaviour, knowing they have the support of their peers, management and the organisation. It is no longer tolerated or expected.”

We hope these stories inspire others to find the courage to speak up against bullying when they need to, and know the VCH is here to support you each step of the way.

Winners announced

Thank you to the 1500 staff who completed the online form and shared their respect stories with Employee Engagement. Congratulations to the following staff who won the pink gift basket prize draw:

Cathy Richards, Mental Health Clinician, Richmond Mental Health Services
Maria Samonte, Portfolio Clerk, Vancouver Staffing
Linda Magdall, Renal Technician, VGH Renal-Haemodialysis Unit
Evelyn Narcise-Revilla, Booking Clerk, LGH Medical Imaging
Lillian Millican, Care Coordinator/Hospital Liaison, Sechelt Community Health

Thank you

Over 4000 staff proudly wore their VCH pink bracelet and made a personal commitment to showing respect in the workplace. We encourage each of you to sustain your respect commitment throughout the year; respect doesn’t go out of style! Thank you to all our staff for another successful Pink Shirt Day campaign.

If you see or experience bullying, report your concern to your manger or call VCH’s confidential No-bully line at 1 844 NO BULLY (662-8559).

More information

More information on workplace bullying is available on the Employee Relations section of VCH Connect.

For more information contact: Nina Paauwe, Communications Leader, Employee Engagement

Nikki Zawadzki

Hi there- I replied to this thread last week and I noticed that my comment still has not been posted. Has it been censored? If so, why?

March 2, 2017
Tracy

I am always happy to see Pink Day recognized by employers and schools nationwide. Thank you, VCH, for your commitment to bringing attention to bullying, especially against the glbtq2si community.

I am confused, however, by the VCH News headline that suggests wearing pink this week was a sign of courage among staff. ‘Courage’ is not what Pink Shirt Day/Anti-Bullying Day is about.

The history of Pink Shirt Day dates back to 2007 when a grade 9 student showed up for his first day of school in rural Nova Scoeita wearing a pink polo shirt. He was teased, bullied and called ‘fag’ and ‘gay’ by his classmates. In response, other students wore pink shirts to school. Pink Shirt day was born.

Pink Shirt day is historcally about homophobia and transphobia. It’s about solidarity, support, awareness and the need for education, understanding, inclusion and kindness. It’s become an opportunity for aware folks to send a message that they are against bullying in all it’s forms. But, we must never lose sight of the fact that it came from an incident of homophboia and transphobia. And, this battle rages on today.

Who is courageous? The gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and genderqueer kids who go to school every day and face bullying, ignorance, hate and possible violence.

Wearing pink on Pink Shirt Day at a workplace or school that is holding Pink Shirt Day does not make an employee courageous. Organizing Pink Shirt Day does not make an employer or school couragous. It makes them an ally in the fight against homophobia and transphobia first, and against all bullying second.

February 23, 2017
- Nikki Zawadzki
  
  I’m so glad that you posted this Tracy. I think that what we are missing here in this VCH ‘anti-bullying’ initiative is precisely what you’ve outlined; the history of pink shirt day and the fact that it is a response to homophobia and transphobia. In recent years, since VCH has shifted their language and policy around harassment and discrimination, I’ve noticed that this language has been absent.
  
  Our VCH anti-harassment policy used to clearly spell out the grounds on which discrimination was prohibited (gender, sexuality, ability, race, age, gender identity and expression, etc) but a few years ago this was written out of the policy. By not explicitly naming the types of harassment and discrimination that folks experience (i.e. racism, transphobia, etc). We are ‘pinkwashing’ over things and making these very real experiences invisible.
  
  In order to move forward in allyship, it is key to be explicit about the types of harassment and discrimination that is not acceptable. Otherwise, wearing a pink shirt becomes an empty gesture (although well intentioned) in order to make folks feel good about themselves without having to actually risk a difficult conversation or intervention in allyship.
  
  February 27, 2017
  - Nina Paauwe
    
    Hello,
    Thank you for your comments and insight. You are absolutely correct on the origin of Pink Shirt Day, and we absolutely support and recognize this. Courage was one of the themes of this year’s campaign to encourage staff to speak up against all forms of bullying, including discrimination and harassment.
    
    VCH does not tolerate any form of discrimination including homophobia and transphobia; however, our policy is structured in such a way that recognizes “all protected grounds as per the human rights code.” We welcome any feedback you may have on how we can better integrate this important issue into the policy, education or future communications. Please contact me directly at your convenience: 604-875-4047
    
    Thank you,
    Nina Paauwe, Employee Engagement
    
    March 3, 2017