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Our #1 Most Frequently Asked Question:
A: Every year, we hold long service celebrations to honour employees who reached a long service milestone in the previous year. For example, for this year's events, an individual who reached a 15-year milestone in 2010 will be receive an invitation in mid-December, inviting them to select a gift and attend an recognition ceremony.
Missed Recipients
A: If you have read and understood FAQ #1 and you feel that you have been missed, please notify us at LongService@viha.ca. Be sure to include the following in your email.
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Your employee number
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First and Last name
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Any previous names that you have used
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A list of years worked on Vancouver Island including breaks in service that you may have had (Month and year). (Example: terminations, leaves, etc.)
A: There are a few explanations for why some employees have not received their long service recognition with VIHA.
- Long Service Recognition was formerly organized by different people/departments at each individual health care site/facility. This recognition was not done in a consistent manner and some sites did not have recognition at all.
- VIHA started the Long Service Committee in 2003 to ensure that all employees received the same recognition across all sites. We have not backtracked to compensate missed recognition for milestones that were reached before 2003.
- In the South Island, individuals have been missed. Individuals that are often missed include:
- Staff who have had a break in service of more than 6 months.
- Staff who have performed a legal name change since your employment in health care on Vancouver Island.
- Staff who transferred to the South Island following years of service in the Central or North regions of the island (Central/North years are often excluded).
- Staff who have been employed in one of the following departments/sites since your employment in health care on Vancouver Island:
- Community Health Sites
- Mental Health & Addictions Services
- Saanich Peninsula Hospital
- Lady Minto Hospital
If you fit into one of these categories and believe that you have been missed, please contact us at LongService@viha.ca.
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Events
A: In the past, the celebrations were held in the late fall. Because of feedback and the successful pilot last year, events will be held this year in February and March 2012.
A: Milestone recipients and Retirees will receive an invitation in the December of the year following the anniversary of their long service milestone.
A: The events are held in a variety of venues in the North, Central and South Island (approx. 12 event/venues to choose from) and a recipient can choose to attend any one event. These venues are chosen based on proximity to the year’s recognition recipient groups.
A: Yes – you and a guest are invited to attend at no cost.
A: Each event has a different standard of dress, but generally most people dress in semi-formal clothes. We suggest that people wear whatever they feel comfortable being recognized in.
A: There are buffet style appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages served at all events. The appetizer format was chosen instead of a full meal service for two reasons. First, a full meal would require longer events and we received feedback that events longer than 3 hours would not be desirable. Second, appetizers cater to a variety of food preferences and allergies. A sit down meal restricts guests to a choice of 3 meal types (example: chicken, beef or vegetarian).
A: These are work related events and there is a liability to the organization when alcohol is served at a work function.
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Gifts
A: No - The long service committee has modified the recognition policy to exclude gift certificates. This is due to the limitations created by federal income taxation legislation. We have now limited our recognition items to gifts chosen from our online catalogue.
A: Yes – you can donate the gift itself to a hospital organization of your choice. Because of verification complications we cannot offer to donate your gift to an external charitable organization, but this does not limit you from doing so yourself.
A: No - Unfortunately we cannot make cash donations to a hospital foundation in your name. This is due to the limitations created by federal income taxation legislation. We suggest that you select a gift from the catalogue and have us donate the gift to the foundation in your name. This allows the foundation to display or sell the gift in order to create proceeds for their cause.
A: The VIHA Long Service Committee advertised a request for tender of a gift supplier in 2009. The responding vendors were considered using a comprehensive qualification system. Williams Recognition was chosen as the most appropriate vendor.
If you have read our FA's and would still like more information please contact us by email at LongService@viha.ca or by phone at 1-888-98 VALUE
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