The Task Force has created a draft Diversity and Inclusion Plan for this fiscal year and is presently interviewing candidates for the Director of Diversity and Inclusion position within our Human Resources Department.
It is often said that an organization cannot achieve its vision without a fully engaged workforce. To get everyone fully engaged, everyone must feel included. You will hear more as we find our new Director and begin acting on the plan over the next few months.
We get what we tolerate.
I threw a temper tantrum on Monday morning. I was walking down the hall to our first stop in Lean Daily Management when I came upon a stained floor where something had clearly dripped from a trash bag or trash cart from Unit 38 all the way to a closet outside of Radiology. Many GBMC employees were walking on the dirty floor (and had walked on it for a number of hours from the looks of the stain). I was upset for two reasons: the first was that we have not learned to get rid of trash carts with holes in the bottom - or we were still transporting bags not in carts; and the second (and more concerning thing) was that many of my wonderful GBMC colleagues had walked on the floor after the spill but had not taken action to get the mess cleaned up. What if your mother was sick and you were escorting her to Radiology along that corridor and she had seen the filthy floor? How would you feel? How would she feel?
Whose job is it to get the floor cleaned up?
I went and found an environmental services worker who gave me a mop and I began to mop the floor. Within minutes many people came and told me that I should not have to clean the floor and an environmental services crew took over and made the floor look beautiful. I have no problem cleaning the floor and I don’t mind pitching in when everyone is busy. That is not the point. The point is that no one should walk by a dirty floor. The first action is to call housekeeping and expect that the floor is cleaned expeditiously. If it cannot be cleaned by EVS quickly, then I believe that everyone should be ready to grab a mop. If we look the other way when we find things that are not the way we want for our own loved ones, then we will get more of what we tolerate – in this case dirty floors. What do you think?
2015 Employee Engagement and Safety Survey
Please complete our annual Employee Engagement and Safety Survey. The survey is open through Monday, Aug. 31 and can easily be accessed through the icon on any GBMC desktop computer (see pic on right) or by clicking on this link http://survey.confirmit.com/wix/p3074660416.aspx And, if you want to be included in a weekly drawing for a $100 prize, be sure to enter your name after you complete the survey.
Identifying yourself is important to ensure that your responses are appropriately linked to your department. The survey is completely CONFIDENTIAL, and your individual responses to the questions will not be shared! If you do, however, choose to include additional comments, these will be shared with your manager but your name will not be given.
Please complete the survey so that we can learn what we can do to make GBMC an even better place to work. Thanks!
Since we are doing diversity inclusion, why was it that only African Americans were given a month of recognition? As a Native American i find it to be both exclusive and disrespectful to acknowledge only one race out of the many that make America a melting pot. In doing so almost every other ethnic group was left out creating resentment.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anonymous. I don't think that we can have a special time for each and every race and ethnicity, but, I do think that we can have more celebrations of our diversity and work hard to make everyone feel valued and welcomed.
DeleteI agree that maintaining a clean and safe environment is everyone's duty. Dr. Chessare mentioned our mothers, and as it so happens, my mother has doctor appointments here at GBMC. Nursing was part of her career, so she would insist I was gloved before handling trash with unknown history or content. People can be excited and willing to do most things, but without the proper tools, those things may not get "done." Perhaps participation would increase if glove stations were in more areas. I know I'd be happy to clean if given a pair of gloves.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anonymous. I pick up trash routinely without gloves. If your skin is intact and you wash your hands after disposing of the trash, you are not putting yourself at risk. I don't believe that gloves are required to mop a floor. I agree that we should have gloves available when we are at significant risk of body fluid exposure.
DeleteA comment or two regarding "Whose job is it to get the floor cleaned up?" I feel that most employees would not hesitate to "grab a mop" to help clean up a soiled floor. The question to ponder is...where is the mop? What if a sick patient or visitor becomes ill in a restroom...where are the cleaning supplies? There should be marked locations throughout the hospital and pavillions where employees can access a mop, sponges, cleaning supplies and even a vacuum cleaner should the need arise. The supply locations would only be badge access only.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, thanks for your comment. I agree with you wholeheartedly that we need to make cleaning supplies more accessible.
DeleteIf I see a spill or mess on the floor and mop it up, will Dr. Chessare personally provide protection from a union grievance or lawsuit arising from not having "wet floor" signs that housekeeping provides?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, all GBMC employees have the responsibility to our patients, and to their loved ones, to provide a clean and safe environment. For this reason, I expect all of our employees to do their part, even if it is just notifying environmental services, to ensure that our hospital is as clean as possible. Also, please know that all GBMC employees are covered by our insurance for good faith actions.
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