Today is Pink Shirt Day.
Pink Shirt Day is a powerful outcome of a stand against bullying in 2007 when two grade 12 school kids in Nova Scotia made a bold statement after a new classmate was bullied for wearing pink. The two school kids showed up the following day with pink shirts for others to wear in support for the bullied kid. Many classmates wore the pink shirts and the movement was born. Pink Shirt Day is celebrated every year to pay tribute to this act of solidarity, reminding us all to choose kindness.
You can support Pink Shirt Day by wearing pink and showing some kindness to a co-worker through your actions or words! Keep up the momentum, to maintain a culture that is kind to one another.
Snap a photo of you (and your team) wearing your pink shirts and send it to connect@providencehealth.bc.ca to be included in the Life at PHC Photo Gallery.
At Providence, we take incidences of bullying very seriously. Here are some steps that you can take if you experience instances of disrespect/bullying/harassment/racism.
- Address the behavior
- This can be difficult to do, but the recommended first step
- Ask to speak to the person privately
- If you are feeling emotionally charged, take a moment to pause and reflect before initiating the conversation
- Describe what you saw/heard them do and/or say
- Explain the impact this had on you e.g., did it hurt, or make you feel angry?
- Specify the change you want to see e.g., ask them not to repeat the behavior
- Ask a manager to speak to the person, or request a mediated conversation
- If confronting the person is too difficult for you, ask that your manager address this on your behalf
- If you’d like to be supported in a conversation with the person, ask your manager to be the mediator
- If this person is your manager or supervisor, you may wish to involve Human Resources or speak to the next level of leadership
- If you have attempted the above and are still experiencing the disrespectful behavior/bullying/harassment/racism, or the above steps are not feasible for your situation, you may log a formal complaint.
- Formal complaints can be reported to the Provincial Workplace Health Contact Centre by calling number 1-866-922-9464 7 days a week, 7am – 6pm, or via Human Resources
At any stage, you may email phcnobully@providencehealth.bc.ca to discuss your options. Formal complaints are not logged via the PHC No Bully email, but you may reach out for assistance on how to move forward.
If you are in need of wellness supports, you can find the PHC Staff and Medical Staff Wellness Resource list at PHC Thrives.
More information around PHC Respect at Work:
Providing the best care to the people we serve is dependent on our own health and wellness. We are working to deliver a comprehensive Staff and Medical Staff Wellness Action Plan, to help us create a healthy and safe work environment where everyone can flourish. If you have a wellness idea that could make a big difference to you and your colleagues, please send it to Ideas: Forward. If you have 2 minutes, we would so value your feedback on current wellness resources. If you have questions about this plan or feedback on wellness at PHC, please be in touch: wellness@providencehealth.bc.ca.
