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  • Service Excellence Recognition Awards Program 2020 – Nominations Now Closed

    Nominations Now Closed!
    Nominations for the Service Excellence Recognition Awards have now closed. We would like to thank all those who submitted their nominations. A complete list of this year’s nominees will be coming soon.

    At Bethany, we action our values each and every day. Once again it’s time we recognize one another for our “best of the best” efforts!

    Our Service Excellence Recognition Awards program lets us acknowledge the very best efforts from across Bethany! Efforts that soar far above the average, taking our people-centered work to brand new heights. By nominating your most excellent co-worker(s), you validate their best efforts to champion our Standards for Service Excellence.

     

    Click Here to learn more and nominate a colleague.
     
    Join us in celebrating Bethany’s “best of the best” in Service Excellence! Hurry…your opportunity to nominate closes March 6th, 2020!
     
    Award Categories:
     
    • Board of Trustee Mission
    • Service Excellence
    • New Employee Mentor
    • Engagement Excellence
    • Innovation Excellence
    • Rising Star
    • Leadership
    • And new this year… Health and Safety

  • Safety Bulletin March 2020

    March is Nutrition Month—a great time to focus on making healthy food choices that contribute to your overall health and well-being.

    One easy concept to follow is what some experts refer to as the “80/20 rule.” If 80 percent of what you eat is healthy—with a nutritious mix of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, then you can eat what you crave for the other 20 percent. Here are some additional tips.

    Try to fit in two to three nutritious snacks throughout the day in addition to well-balanced main meals. This will give you energy throughout the day, even during a mid-shift slump.

    Drink water throughout the day. Avoid soda and sports drinks, which are often high in sugar. Limit caffeinated beverages. Sugar and caffeine may make you feel great for a little while, but when they wear off, you may feel even worse than before consuming them.

    Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and include some fish into your diet. Try to build fruits and vegetables into your diet every day. Snack on apples, oranges, berries, dried fruit, carrot sticks, and other fruits and vegetables.

    Keep an eye on portion size. Research has found large portions cause people to keep eating after they’re full. Using a smaller plate for meals will help to curb your food intake.

    If junk food is your downfall, don’t buy it. Shop with a list to avoid impulsive buys. The healthiest foods are usually around the outer perimeter of the grocery store, so stay away from the aisles where the processed foods tend to be.

    Track your intake. When you keep a food diary (whether on paper or through an app), you will think twice about eating and snacking. Make yourself accountable for all that you eat.

    For more information, please contact:

    Lesley MacKinnon
    Manager, Safety
    Lesley.Mackinnon@BethanySeniors.com

    Or

    Site OHS Committee Chair or RepresentativeFood brings people together in community. Start a Bethany Healthy Eating Challenge this month with your co-workers to foster community amongst your team.

    There is a different theme each week that you can choose from to help you build healthy habits. Below is a theme for each week of March.

    WEEK ONE
    Paint your plate with vegetables

    WEEK TWO
    Fill up on fibre

    WEEK THREE
    Re-think your drink

    WEEK FOUR
    Hold the saltLifeWorks supports employee health and well-being.

    Bethany employees have access to a wide range of resources such as:

    • LifeWorks Blog
    • Webinars and Events
    • 24/7 Specialist Counselling

    Link:
    Bethanycaresociety.lifeworks.com
    username: bcs
    Password: eap
    Phone: 1-877-207-8833
    Phone App: LifeWorks WorkAngel

     

    Other helpful links:

    Alberta Health Services

    Continuing Care Safety Association

  • Update Newsletter — January/February 2020 Issue

    Stay up-to-date on Bethany’s progress with our January/February newsletter!

    From the 2019 Founders’ Bursary Awards Winners to our Alberta’s Top 75 Employer announcement, you’ll find it here in Bethany’s January/February Update!
    Click Here to view the PDF version.

  • Q3 Survey Results – Employee Pulse Survey FY2020

    Bethany conducts a quarterly employee Pulse Survey to capture a snapshot of employee engagement throughout our organization. 595 employees were randomly selected to participate in anonymously. The Q3 Survey for FY2020 took place October 1 — December 31, 2019.

    Highlights from the Q3 Survey:If you have any thoughts or comments on the Q3 Survey results, I welcome you to share them with me.

    Please contact me directly at lisa.watson@bethanyseniors.com

    Thanks for helping us to ensure that Bethany is a great place to work!

    Lisa Watson
    Vice President & Chief People Officer

  • Bethany Recognized as one of Alberta’s Top 75 Employers 2020

    I am pleased to announce that Bethany Care Society has once again been recognized as one of Alberta’s Top Employers! This marks the 13th consecutive year that we have been awarded this special designation that acknowledges Bethany as a truly exceptional place to work.

    Top Employer is an accolade given to only 75 organizations across Alberta. It is an endorsement of our organization’s efforts to attract, retain and develop the very best talent. It also acknowledges the dedicated professionals within Bethany who show that anyone can make a difference.

    Being recognized as one of Alberta’s Top Employers would not be possible without each of you, our exceptional People of Bethany. Here are just a few of the reasons why we were selected as one of Alberta’s Top Employers for 2020:

    • Bethany encourages employees to practice self-care and adopt healthy habits with internal campaigns and resources on wellness, mental health, and building resilience — additionally, the organization ensures that onsite bistros and cafeterias have healthy meal options and snacks
    • Bethany helps employees plan for the longer term with retirement planning assistance and employer contributions to savings plans such as defined benefit, defined contribution and matching RSPs
    • Bethany supports new mothers with maternity leave top-up payments to 100 per cent of salary ranging from six to eight weeks

    Thank you for all your hard work and dedication.

    With appreciation,

    Jennifer

  • A Message from the Executive Leadership Team – #1 Organizational Excellence

    The next series of messages will come from the ELT team rather than individual members. We will be focusing on the successes of Vision 2020, Bethany’s current strategic plan that was initiated in 2015 and will draw to a conclusion at the end of March 2020. We will be dedicating a message each week to one of the four strategic initiatives of Vision 2020; Organizational Excellence, Innovative Leadership, Community Engagement and Strategic Growth.

    Organizational Excellence

    As part of our commitment to Vision 2020 and our pillar of Organizational Excellence, our goals were to foster a culture of service excellence, attract and retain talent, implement high performance HR practices and develop succession plans for a number of key roles at Bethany. Some of the highlights in this focus area are explored below.

    We were able to develop an organization-wide Sensory Program Framework thanks to donations to the Bethany Care Foundation.

    The Sensory Framework includes programs that appeal to the senses, and the integration of sensory stimulation in a day to day care is particularly effective in stimulating emotional wellbeing and promoting engagement of those living with dementia. The goal of sensory integration is to understand the right level and type of intervention that will allow an individual to be more engaged and participate at an optimal level. When sensory stimulation is at the right level, it can have a significant impact in reducing challenging behaviours such as agitation, anxiety and depression that often manifest in individuals with dementia.

    There are a number of programs that are now offered across the organization that provide sensory stimulation for our residents, such as music and art programs, pet therapy, equine therapy, and various programs that engage our residents. The Framework will allow us to plan for an even greater impact in this important area. We have also implemented a technology-based program called iN2L (It’s Never Too Late) at two of our sites. These interactive systems empower our residents to connect, engage and enjoy life. The impact has been phenomenal.

    We embraced technology to enhance quality of life for our residents and achieve efficiencies in our business processes. We laid the foundation using technology as an enabler to provide extraordinary person-centered care through Electronic Health Records (EHR), as well as the electronic Medication Administration Record (eMAR) at our three central sites. As we move into Focus 2025, we will continue to build upon this foundation.

    To attract, retain and develop talent we focused on creating a strong and positive workplace culture. Over the past five years, we have implemented, quarterly leader & employee pulse surveys, performance management and the LEADS leadership development program. We also redesigned our benefits program and prioritized the awareness and education of employee psychological health and safety in the workplace.

    Another theme of Vision 2020 was to embed Service Excellence throughout the organization, bringing everyday excellence into daily practices and routines. We established Service Excellence Standards, WAVE recognition boards and developed the Service Excellence Recognition Awards to celebrate our employee achievements.

    Finally, as part of our succession plan for identifying key leadership positions and developing the next layer of leadership across Bethany, we created the Directors Leadership Team (DLT). The DLT manages the day to day operations and execution of the business plan, enabling ELT to focus on the strategic growth of the organization.

    No matter where you work at Bethany, you’ve been a part of moving us forward at Bethany on our strategic theme of Organizational Excellence. In next week’s message, we will turn our attention to the work we have done in being innovative leaders in our sector such as our work in palliative.

    As ever, please get in touch if you have any questions, ideas or comments. We are happy to hear them!

    If you have any questions, or would simply like to share your ideas, please contact us at Marketing.Communication@BethanySeniors.com

    Kind regards,
    – The Executive Leadership Team
    Jennifer, Nancy, Doreen, Lisa, Gail and Dana

  • Social Media Guidelines

    Download a printable version of this poster here: SocialMediaCheatSheet2020Final

    For the full policy, please click the link below.
    Policy Tech: Email and Social Media Guidelines

  • Safety Bulletin February 2020

    On February 26, 2020, organizations around the world will be celebrating Pink Shirt Day.

    At Bethany, our key values focus on being caring, showing respect, acting responsibly and embracing diversity. Pink Shirt Day is a great reminder about our organizational values and how we act on them.

    Make the focus of Pink Shirt Day about kindness. Small acts of kindness not only benefit the receiver, but also the giver and the whole organization, thereby creating a positive workplace culture.

    You can start practicing kindness and encourage connection with others at work by carrying out random acts of kindness during your day.

    • Invite a co-worker you don’t normally socialize with to sit with you at lunch
    • Learn something new about someone you work with
    • Say “thank you” in person
    • Admit when you’re in the wrong (it helps other people feel better about their mistakes!)
    • Hold the door open for the person behind you
    • Give a glowing recommendation

    Kindness should be something we practice every day. If we perform one act of kindness every day, our workforce will be a healthier place for us and those we serve and care for.

    Don’t forget to practice self kindness and recharge your batteries. Exercise and eat a healthy diet. Find ways to relax, such as meditation, yoga, listening to music or practicing deep-breathing exercises. Do these regularly!

    So on February 26th what will you do to practice kindness? Will you do something for someone in your life, someone you care for, or yourself? Let’s show our support by wearing pink shirts and participating in the Pink Shirt Day social media contest at Bethany. Click here for full Contest Details.

    And always remember, if you or someone you know needs assistance, check out our Employee Assistance Program, LifeWorks.

    For more information, please contact:

    Lesley MacKinnon
    Manager, Safety & Disability Management
    Lesley.Mackinnon@Bethanyseniors.com

    Or

    Site OHS Committee Chair or RepresentativeLifeWorks supports employee health and well-being.

    Bethany employees have access to a wide range of resources such as:

    • LifeWorks Blog
    • Webinars and Events
    • 24/7 Specialist Counselling

    Link:
    Bethanycaresociety.lifeworks.com
    username: bcs
    Password: eap
    Phone: 1-877-207-8833
    Phone App: LifeWorks WorkAngel

  • A Message from the Executive Director, Clinical Operations

    It’s 3 am…again

    Do you often wake up in the middle of the night and start thinking about the following day? It is usually around 3:00am that I often will wake up and inevitably start thinking about work or other things I need to do at home. This can sometimes make me feel anxious, often unable to fall back asleep and before I know it, the alarm goes off. Not the best way to start one’s day!

    A recent Harvard Business Review article by Rebecca Zucker offers some helpful strategies to manage this issue. They include:

    • Make a to-do-list. Research shows that making a to-do-list before bed for the following day helps you fall asleep faster and wake up less often during the night. Keep a pen and notepad beside your bed so that if you do wake-up, you can write your thoughts down and go back to sleep.
    • Keep a journal. Writing down your thoughts and feelings helps process emotions and reduce stress and anxiety.
    • Exercise self-compassion. Often we repeatedly play-back experiences in our mind that did not unfold as we had hoped; causing us to lose sleep. Practicing self-compassion and recognizing that no one is perfect can help break the cycle of negative thoughts and result in better sleep.
    • Engage in physical activity. As little as 30 minutes of aerobic exercise per day can decrease rumination of thoughts at night helping us to fall asleep faster and enjoy greater sleep quality.
    • Practice meditation. Researchers found even 10 minutes of mindful meditation helped in calming racing thoughts and improved quality of sleep.

    It is not always possible to avoid the things that cause us stress and worry in our daily lives. However, if we get a good sleep, it is much easier to successfully take on the next day’s challenges.If you have any feedback, questions or ideas you would like to share, I welcome you to send them to me at: dana.penner@bethanyseniors.com

    Regards,
    — Dana

  • Safety Bulletin January 2020

    Code White – Violence /Aggression

    Bethany Care Society is committed to ensuring the protection of the physical and psychological health and safety of all Bethany employees.

    Each month in 2020, we will be reviewing a particular code as part of our emergency preparedness procedures and emergency response training. We will start off the year with a review of Code White – Violence/Aggression in the Workplace.

    The emergency response Code White is the designated phrase we use to alert staff if there is an incident of violence or aggression. The goal of alerting others is to address the potential escalation of behaviours in a safe and appropriate manner, and to remove persons who may be at risk from the immediate situation.

    Beginning the week of January 3rd, all employees will have received notification to complete a Policy Tech reading assignment and quiz for both Code White – Violence/Aggression and the Psychological Health & Safety in the Workplace policy. In addition, employees will be asked to review and discuss with your teams what you would do in the scenario provided. These discussions will be reviewed the following month at each of the February OHS Committee meetings.

    The purpose is to ensure Bethany employees:

    • Review and recognize the definitions of workplace harassment, bullying and violence and when it occurs
    • Are familiar with the procedures to follow when you witness or observe a situation of violence or aggression in the workplace
    • Know how to summon help should your or our residents safety be at risk

    It is essential that you are familiar with the procedures used with respect to Code White to ensure you can Recognize, Respond and Report incidents witnessed in the workplace.

    For more information, please contact:

    Lesley MacKinnon
    Manager, Safety & Disability Management
    Lesley.Mackinnon@Bethanyseniors.com

    Or

    Site OHS Committee Chair or RepresentativeADDITIONAL LINKS & RESOURCES