How to embrace the struggle to juggle
Alright, maybe not embrace, but couldn’t we all use some advice, tools and techniques for work-life balance? At Vancouver’s All-Staff Forum (ASF) on October 29, more than 300 people attended for just that.
If you couldn’t join us, you can still watch the webcast, including a lively exchange of Q & As spanning a range of topics, including the 37.5-hour work week, displacements and EFAP services. Drs. Liz Bryce and Reka Gustafson were also on hand to answer questions about this year’s flu immunization and Ebola —and Dr. Gustafson confirmed that transmission of Ebola through indirect contact in the community (ie: touching a door knob versus touching a person ill with Ebola) is extremely rare.
Please note that Vancouver’s peer nurse immunizers will be available on numerous units starting November 3. For more information, including maps of VCH and public immunization clinics, visit our 2014 VCH Staff Flu Vaccine Information web page on www.vch.ca.
Balancing act
At Vancouver’s All-Staff Forum (l to r): Mary Ackenhusen, VCH president and CEO; Laura Case and Vivian Eliopoulos, Vancouver COOs; and Barbara Drake and Andrew Day, our forum emcees .
Special guest Mary Ackenhusen, VCH president and CEO, shared stories spanning her past 20 years as a wife, mother and professional. She recounted her time as a new mother struggling to fulfill her need for a meaningful career. She echoed Sheryl Sandberg’s recommendation to make your partner a real partner, and she confessed to breaking down in tears at a meeting.
“Work-life balance probably looks different for each one of us – and I am no expert,” she said. “I’m only sharing what I think has helped me in the hope that perhaps there’s something in my sharing that will have some meaning for you.”
And, so, Mary distilled her lessons in work-life balance to five points:
- Know what is important to making you happy, and pursue only those things with intention.
- Consider the mommy/daddy track.
- Make your partner a real partner, in the words of Sheryl Sandberg.
- Realize that juggling is a successful strategy.
- Take care of me.
For Mary’s stories and insights, watch the webcast.
Taking care of me
Simone Riml of EFAP (right) shares information about the suite of services available to VCH employees at the Wellness Fair.
Following Mary, Simone Riml of EFAP services provided an overview of our new “Taking Care of Me” workshops. These free and focused professional education and personal development sessions are available to all staff and cover topics in each of these categories:
- health and wellness
- relationships and family
- career and work
Our first Wellness Fair then carried the theme of the day and featured information tables hosted by:
- Commuter Centre
- EFAP (Employee & Family Assistance Program)
- Sodexo
- VGH Fitness & Wellness Centre
We value your feedback
ASF Ideas Lab members Haydee Mones (left) and Rian Dodds served as runners during the Q & A portion of the agenda.
Whether you attended the forum, plan on watching the webcast — or even registered but couldn’t attend — we want to hear from you. Here is a link to our brief and confidential survey.
Please complete the survey no later than November 14, 2014.
A special thank you
At VGH and all five of our satellite sites, the demand was high for the free samples of Sodexo’s new healthy menu.
Special thanks go to our ASF Ideas Lab, a mix of Vancouver Acute and Community staff who helped us develop this ASF. Many of them played an active role during the forum, too – at VGH and at our satellite locations. We look forward to working with this dynamic team and evolving the ASF into an even more inclusive and engaging experience.
Finally, we’d like to thank Sodexo and its team who so generously provided free samples of their new healthy menu at the Wellness Fair and at all five satellite sites.
Useful links
Webcast: Vancouver All-Staff Forum – October 29, 2014
Survey: Vancouver All-Staff Forum – October 29, 2014
2014 VCH Staff Flu Vaccine Information
Questions & Suggestions: onevancouver@vch.ca
S.A. McKay
Unfortunately from my VCH work computer I am unable access the webcast on Work/Life Balance .
hprime
So sorry to hear that you experienced technical difficulties. Does your computer have Classic Viewer installed? This is the webcast player software you need. If not, please contact the IMIS Service Desk. Once installed, you can still watch the forum in full. The link to the webcast is above under “Useful links”.