Celebrating our Staff on Employee Recognition Week

From February 26 to March 3, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) and Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute (TBRHRI) celebrated Employee Recognition Week. This week was dedicated to celebrating the people —medical staff, employees, teams, volunteers, and Patient Family Advisors ­who are making a difference for patients and families in Northwestern Ontario through their outstanding service and dedication.

This initiative aligns with our Hospital and Health Research Institute’s strategic priority of Staff Experience, by recognizing and celebrating the work that our staff are doing every day. Last year, TBRHSC and TBRHRI launched Strategic Plan 2026, identifying Staff Experience as one of the four key priorities. Improving staff experience includes taking action to retain, recruit and support staff.

This Employee Recognition Week focused on kindness, celebrating the kind acts that happen every day at the Hospital and ensuring that extra kindness was spread throughout, to recognize and celebrate our staff.

During the week, Kindness Carts circulated throughout the Hospital with snacks for staff to enjoy, with special deliveries occurring to offsite staff. Other activities included daily trivia and daily prize draws. In the style of random acts of kindness, free coffee cards and shortbread cookies brightened staff’s day. There were also events for staff to participate in, including a virtual yoga class presented by the Wellness Committee and an Open House of the Ibn Sina Simulation Lab for all staff, learners and volunteers, to see the Sim Lab in action. Managers, Coordinators, and Supervisors took part in Fostering Well-Being through Leadership training, a course that provides leaders with a foundation for applying Psychological Health and Safety in the workplace. The goals of the training are to increase confidence in supporting staff who may be experiencing mental health challenges, and to present strategies for how leaders can take care of their own health and well-being.

There was also the opportunity for peer-to-peer recognition, where staff could order pens with custom messages for their colleagues, submit a Thumbs Up post, which are positive messages posted on our corporate intranet and internal daily newsletter for the organization to view, or via Recognition e-Cards, which were delivered right to their colleague’s email address. Publication of 2022 retirees, as well as our 2023 Long Service recipients were circulated for recognition during the week.

Though this week is set aside every year to celebrate the team at TBRHSC and TBRHRI through small expressions of thanks, we are grateful each and everyday for the people who play a vital role in keeping our community safe and providing exceptional care for patients and families every single day.