WHO- The target audience for the retreat is health care providers at the frontlines, administration, research, and/or in academia. However, kindly note that anyone in agreement can sign regardless of industry, discipline, employment status, and phase in life.

WHAT- Workplace bullying, harassment, and burnout have been prevalent among health care providers (HCP) prior to the COVID 19 pandemic. COVID 19 has heightened the frequency of these destructive behaviours and phenomenon respectively. Workplace bullying and harassment are more rampant than reported and can be covert depending on the observer and/or the level of the knowledge of the phenomena of the recipients. Which came first burnout or the workplace bullying and harassment? The question is reminiscent of the old adage of “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” I have experienced at least two, if not more of the afore-mentioned phenomena at some point in time in my career. I, therefore, have used the experiences as both a catalyst and springboard to empower and advocate for individuals regardless of industry. I can truly empathize as I have experienced the same, hence my passion and work in empowering employees to have healthy workplaces. To you who have experienced workplace bullying, harassment, or burnout, I say “You are needed in this world to be a solution. Be the best that you can and do not rob the world of a precious gem, YOU” (Dr. Cheryl Okoli, DHA). 

Workplace Bullying (WPB): WPB is described as repeated unreasonable or offensive behaviours or actions, that demonstrates disrespect and/or unfair behaviours toward an individual in the workplace (Weuve, Mazerolle, Pitney, & Martin, 2013).The exact incidence of WPB is debatable but ranges from single digits to about 30% (Rousseau, Eddleston, Patel, & Kellermanns, 2014).  According to a 2007 study conducted by the Workplace Bullying Institute (2018), 37% of workers have been bullied, 72% of the perpetrators are bosses, 62% of employers ignore the problem, 40% of employees do not report it, and about 57% of the targets are women. According to the Canadian Safety Council, one person in six has been bullied and one in five has witnessed a co-worker being bullied in Canada (Government of Alberta, 2018).

Most Canadian provinces had anti-bullying legislation, for years except for Alberta.  Alberta recently passed a legislation for workplace bullying under the Occupational and Health Safety Act (Government of Alberta, 2018).  The sequalae of WPB can be classified into physiological, psychological, and organizational effects (Qureshi et al., 2015). The physiological and psychological effects of WPB include but not limited to headaches, muscle pain, stomach upset, anxiety, irritability, depression, and stress (Qureshi et al., 2015; Rousseau et al., 2014). The aggregate cost per annum, of depression associated with presenteeism, of the total labour force for Canada and the U.S., in American dollars, were $6,813,417,981 and $ 79,583,601,461 (Evans-Lacko & Knapp, 2016).  

Harassment:   According to Statistics Canada (2018), “harassment in the workplace has far-reaching effects on the health and well-being of workers, as well as on their job tenure, job stability and job satisfaction. It may also have an impact on the overall economy resulting from costs associated with absenteeism, lost productivity and job turnover” (para. 8) and

·         “Overall, 19% of women and 13% of men reported that they had experienced harassment in their workplace in the past year. Workplace harassment includes verbal abuse, humiliating behaviour, threats to persons, physical violence, and unwanted sexual attention or sexual harassment.

·         The most common type of workplace harassment was verbal abuse—13% of women and 10% of men reported having experienced it in the past year. The next most common type was humiliating behaviour—6% of women and 5% of men reported having experienced it, while about 3% of each said they had experienced threats” (para. 2 &3).

Burnout: Burnout is defined as a “persistent, negative, work-related state of mind in normal individuals that is primarily characterized by exhaustion, which is accompanied by distress, a sense of reduced effectiveness, decreased motivation, and the development of dysfunctional attitudes and behaviors at work” (Ventura, Salanova, & Llorens, 2015, p. 282).  Another definition of burnout encompasses three dimensions of exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy (Mäkikangas, Feldt, Kinnunen, & Tolvanen, 2012).  Mäkikangas et al. (2012) also concluded that it is unclear if burnout and engagement are opposite ends of occupational well-being.

Perhaps, the stigma associated with confiding about and exploring burnout in health care organizations can be alleviated with the recent revision by WHO (2020) of the classification of burnout as an occupational phenomenon and not a medical condition in 2019. 

 HOW- Leaders, managers, policy makers, professional regulators, and the judicial parties regardless of levels of an organization/government continue to look for innovative ways to tackle the issues of workplace bullying, harassment, and burnout. A gap in care in my humble opinion is the following question "How do we  address these issues effectively and timely from enforcement and maintenance/sustainability (assisting recipients of workplace bullying, harassment, and burnout- be it short term or long term) perspectives in the workplace? Perhaps, it is time to think outside of the box and have a new and innovative strategic solution(s) that caters to the health care providers' needs to enhance holistic healing for such traumatic issues. The fourth component of the Quintuple Aim goals as reported by Epperson, Childs, & Wilhoit (2016) addresses care of the health care provider and burnout. One of the strategies to enhance holistic healing, in my humble opinion, is a wellness retreat specifically for health care providers that are recipients of workplace bullying, harassment, and burnout. 

Outcomes of the services (evidence-based and recreational) provided at the retreat:

·         Healthy employees

·         Increased employee satisfaction

·         Enhanced positive interpersonal relationships

·         Enhanced client/patient outcomes

·         Enhanced organizational productivity

·         Healthy families

MY ASK

1-         Please sign and disseminate this petition and respond to the questions below:

2-         Would you consider attending or referring someone to a holistic retreat, a safe place for health care providers that have experienced workplace bullying/harassment and/or burnout?

3-         Would you like to work and/or volunteer at such a retreat?

4-         Kindly state the rationale for your responses above.

5-         Respond and clearly state if you are either a health care provider, family member of a health care provider, or a member of the public that is an advocate for this petition.

6-         Would you consider sponsoring or being a benefactor for such a retreat?

Thank you very much for your time � Please feel free to contact me at

info@renata.care or at (403)837-9209 if you have any additional questions.

https://www.shalomeagleswings.care/

Retreat to Tackle Burnout | Renata Wellness And Recreation Retreat | Cochrane

WIN/LOSE- Regardless of the outcome of this petition, I deem it a win-win. Why? The public’s, individuals in official leadership/management/administrative roles, professional regulators, and policy makers’ awareness of these issues has been raised and brought to the forefront through this act of advocacy. In addition, they are also alerted to the fact that there are interested parties/change agents/champions that have a plan to tackle such sensitive issues that have a ripple effect on health care providers, their families, and ultimately, society at large! I will continue my efforts to enhance healthy workplaces, regardless of industry, and the outcome of this petition, D.V.