Contributed by Monica Alves, Communications Intern

Did you know that 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February? At our core, posAbilities encourages innovation, learning, and growth in our services and relationships with our persons served, their families, and our team members. In fact, we have a variety of health and wellness initiatives to give our people of posAbilities a chance to reboot and focus on their personal development.

Our team members have participated in Not Myself Today, an evidence-informed workplace mental health campaign. They also join in on Wellness Wednesdays, in which we encourage our team to maintain or improve their personal wellness through helpful resources from our Employee Assistance Program, LifeWorks, and a monthly quiz to test their knowledge. iGrow is another amazing initiative that welcomes our employees to step outside of their comfort zones in the name of personal development.

“From a wellness perspective, we hope that by offering iGrow to our employees it will:

1. Contribute to a healthy work – life balance
2. Boost our physical and/or mental health by providing new learning and skills
3. Counteract daily stress by focusing on something completely different that we enjoy doing

Other than that, iGrow is also to thank our employees for all the hard work they are doing to make our organization successful!” – Bouwe Wierdsma, Director of HR and Labor Relations

Our full-time, part-time, and casual employees can qualify to receive the iGrow reimbursement, a financial incentive for learning new skills, gaining knowledge in a particular area of study, and engaging in new activities that contribute to one’s personal wellbeing. Team members can visit the HR Instruction Videos Link tab on ShareVision for step-by-step videos to walk you through ideas for activities that qualify and how to apply. Let’s take a look at how iGrow helped our team members explore something new!

Alysha Donko, Behaviour Consultant

When Alysha first heard about iGrow, she was eager to look into different opportunities available in her community. “I’m very grateful to work for a company that cares so much about my personal wellbeing. Having the financial support from posAbilities pushed me to do something for myself.” After she used her iGrow for a French macaron baking class, Alysha got the baking bug! This year, she hopes to take a puff pastry class where she can learn to make cream puffs, profiteroles, and eclairs.

Judith Murphy, Shared Living Coordinator

Judith successfully made two beautiful pieces of jewelry, a one-of-a-kind silver ring and necklace. For anyone considering iGrow, she urges her colleagues to “Grasp the opportunity” and see what may happen. “I have always thought that what happens in our personal lives affects our workplace and vice versa.  I also think that we all have a part to play in what the outcome will be. The iGrow initiative provides incentive for us to learn or experience things that are important to us.”

Liane Lowden, Employment Specialist

Liane tested the waters outside of her comfort zone with a little help from iGrow. White Water Rafting was something that always intrigued her, but she struggled with some self-doubt. “My comfort zone is a place where I’m in complete control. During this activity, the water is in control and you have to learn to work with it.  I was able to let go and enjoy the beauty that the water offered.” Although not too keen on wearing a wetsuit in public, the first big wave sent her flying overboard. “I was glad to have the wetsuit on then!  Even after being thrown from the boat, I found a new sense of confidence.”

Sherry Nassrin, Behaviour Consultant

As a cake decorating enthusiast, Sherry was always interested in working with fondant, but wasn’t comfortable enough to try it on her own. That’s why when she saw the class ‘Holiday Baking with Fondant’ at Posh Pantry being offered, she just couldn’t resist! “I’m happy I took this hands on class. Not only did I make new connections with people, but I learned that working with fondant is pretty easy. I’m glad posAbilities is offering a program like this. It encourages us to try new things, take a moment to treat ourselves, and to make new connections.”

Helena Wong, Residential Care Worker

Helena was excited to use her iGrow to sign up for an income tax course offered by H & R Block in September.  “I wanted to challenge myself to deal with numbers and figures, as I struggled with math in school.” Upon passing her exam and completing the course in December, Helena is officially a certified tax preparer! She now has a much better understanding of and faith in our tax system. “This gesture from posAbilities makes me feel like they really care about their staff. They truly want us to explore some kind of personal growth to enrich our lives.”

Interested joining our team? We offer a competitive salary with excellent benefits after probationary period! Explore your possibilities here.