Category: Unit 8

I work in a non-profit organization with a team that serves Vancouver’s downtown east side community around the clock throughout the week. Considering the nature of the team, I identified three problems that could be addressed:

1. On-call workers staff care – Our on-call workers require great flexibility as they fill gaps due to predictable circumstances such as leave requests, and unpredictable circumstances such as illness on the team or emergencies with our clients. The flexibility required can mean sacrifice in sleep for overnight shifts, sudden shifts that interrupt their evening plans, working understaffed, or quick turnovers between shifts. I greatly appreciate our on-call team, but it can be difficult to thank them appropriately and meaningfully. Due to their erratic schedules, there are few opportunities to connect with each on-call worker. While pizza parties were held in the past to thank them, we question whether this is the best way to thank them. What is an adequate way of expressing gratitude to an on-call team that have no set schedule?
2. Meetings in a 24/7 team – Whether held in the morning, afternoon, evening, or midnight, any team meetings or activities our team plans will exclude someone. Because someone is always on site working, our team can never fully meet together. This can cause feelings of exclusion, a gap in communication for all team members, and a lack of unity amongst the entire team. Our day team may go weeks without seeing our overnight team. What are the best practices of planning team activities for a 24/7 team?
3. Unmotivated to learn – Some team members have worked in the downtown east side community for over 20 years and have lived in the community for even longer. While still fully capable of serving our guests with the skills they have, there is a lack of motivation to learn new skills to supplement their current ones. Due to their rich personal experience in their field, there is a lack of motivation and desire to acknowledge the training offered is useful. How can leaders motivate well seasoned staff members to take interest in new training?

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