December 1, 2014

One morning, Chantal comes to the union office, very upset. She says that the situation on her unit has become absolutely intolerable. The work climate has seriously deteriorated since the employer announced he intends to abolish several positions of the healthcare professionals in the institution. Everyone is worried about the impacts that this announcement will have on the distribution of personnel and on organization of work. The stress is palpable, relations are strained and teamwork is disrupted.

Sincerely believing that she would not be affected by the closure of positions, Chantal was not immediately disturbed by the news. After all, she thought, I have a position on a department where there is no lack of work. After having obtained more information on the announced job cuts, she learns that she is completely wrong: several positions on her department will be abolished, including her own position.

Chantal will therefore have to use the bumping procedure stipulated in her collective agreement, which should allow her to get another position. She is however aware of the fact that her choices will be limited. She only has a few years of seniority, and not all the positions that are currently vacant interest her or correspond to her career plan.

This situation, already stressful enough, becomes more difficult when Chantal realizes that the only position that she can get under this procedure is the one that her friend Annie presently has. Chantal then goes through a whole range of emotions, going so far as losing sleep over it. What will happen? Should she put friendship first over her job and her professional career path?

Chantal also mentions to the members of the union team who listened to her that morning that relations with a number of her colleagues have deteriorated. Indeed, several have started making remarks to her making her feel anxious and more guilty in an alarming way. They have openly stated that they do not agree with her bumping her friend. They have told her that she shouldn’t take the position as Annie needs it more than her, because she just had a child and in addition, her spouse recently lost his job. One colleague has even told her she is selfish, which sparked a squabble that the patients witnessed. The human resources service has informed her that they want to meet her about this subject. What sanctions could she receive? That incident is obviously unacceptable, but things have become so unbearable… Chantal was crying when she recounted all of this. She didn’t hide her feeling of helplessness, or the distress that she feels about the situation.

……………

Chantal’s story is a good example of what the consequences from decisions which rationalize the use of resources can be. Unfortunately, faced with the clear desire of the Government to promote austerity and cutbacks to relieve Québec’s budget impasse, these types of cases, where cuts of positions rife with stress and distress are likely, will occur more and more often. What can the healthcare professionals do to cope with these situations? Who can they go to for the necessary help and support, for themselves or for their colleagues? What can be done to preserve their psychological health as much as possible?

The first door on which you can knock is that of the office of your local union team. The latter will know how to welcome you and inform you about the actual situation. Indeed, the local teams will do everything within their power to obtain clear, precise, concrete and numbered staffing plans from human resources. You must also know that the union can sometimes agree with the employer on ways to proceed which can minimize the impacts from reducing staff. However, it is not uncommon that the employer “forgets” to inform the union and, for this reason, it must never be taken for granted that all the information is circulating correctly.  Therefore, it becomes even more important for you to speak to your local union team to find out more and to take the opportunity to give them the information that you have on your end, the conclusions you have drawn, etc. The fact that they are aware of the different viewpoints of the situation, the conflicts that emerge or the distress that some people are feeling is one more tool to use in intervening effectively.

In addition, it is important that you demand that a union representative be present to advise you at any meeting with the employer, particularly when it concerns the bumping procedure. The union will thus ensure that the collective agreement is applied and that your rights are respected, and it will guide you throughout the process.

Despite everything, it is possible that you will not be able to adequately manage your stress. If you feel that your psychological health or even your physical health is affected, do not hesitate to get help. There are various resources to provide you with the necessary help. For example, you can call the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) in your institution, or call outside professional services. You never know: your situation could be recognized as an occupational injury by the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST).

The experiences of position cuts and all types of reorganizations can be stressful. Often, emotions prevail over reason, more or less safely guiding choices and ways of acting. When a person is plagued with anxiety, stress or anger, she can easily get carried away. Then one talks without thinking, conflicts arise and solidarity and support are no longer forthcoming. And yet, good relationships can have such a beneficial effect on health! The team might not prevent the position cuts, but it is certainly a powerful antidote to stress and distress.

Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the people around us, to concentrate on the things we have control over: working in collaboration with our colleagues, our union team, our loved ones and our family.

And don’t forget that your union team is always there for you. Don’t wait for the situation to deteriorate before calling on their services.

Do you know ?

You must contact your union if you receive a letter from the employer regarding any abolition, merger or closure of a position or unit even if the letter indicates that a copy has been sent to the union.

Although more difficult to demonstrate, psychological injuries are now recognized by the CSST as being an occupational disease. The way of writing and describing in detail the events that occur at work is however, critical in order to establish their probable relationship to the psychological injury. Your local union team can advise you and guide you in this regard.

You can obtain the necessary information on the Employee Assistance Programme in your institution from your union or from your employer’s Employee Health Services. The EAP is completely confidential and the personnel will guide you to the services best suited to you, free of charge.