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Wayne Strelioff

During his 16 years serving as Auditor General of British Columbia and Provincial Auditor of Saskatchewan, Wayne Strelioff was struck by a recurring pattern as part of his work analyzing what makes an organization perform successfully.

“I kept on discovering that organizations with significant performance problems also had unhealthy work environments,” he says. “I also found that people in unhealthy workplaces are less likely to be engaged, less likely to be committed to the success of their organization, and less likely to be able or willing to provide quality service.”

It’s no surprise then that in 2005 when a collaborative of over 45 health system experts asked him to chair their efforts to work together to change the face of health workplace culture, Mr. Strelioff jumped at the opportunity to make a difference.

That group became today’s Quality Worklife Quality Healthcare Collaborative (QWQHC), spearheaded by Mr. Strelioff and the leaders of a diverse range of national health organizations who realized that concentrated action was required to build a stronger workplace for Canada’s health care providers.

As someone with a financial background, Mr. Strelioff was able to provide a unique ‘numbers’ perspective regarding the issues plaguing our nation’s healthcare landscape.

“I know that our public health system is a key competitive advantage with our main trading partner, the United States, because our system costs nearly 40 per cent less as a percentage of gross domestic product, has better health outcomes and is universally available to all citizens,” he says. “But I also know our health system is struggling and it can be much better.”

He has seen first-hand how organizations with unhealthy work environments waste talent, expertise and scarce resources, resulting in sagging recruitment coupled with high turnover and absenteeism costs.

His philosophy as Chair of the QWQHC is that successful organizations must make a healthy workplace both a strategic priority and a competitive advantage.

The timing of the QWQHC’s evolution was ripe, for the Collaborative recognized that healthcare governors and senior management groups urgently needed sage advice because they are too focused on meeting budget targets and explaining issues of the day to elected officials, ultimately losing sight of their most valuable resource – the over 1 million Canadians who provide and support the delivery of healthcare.

“Without a healthier workplace for health providers, we will not make the hoped for progress to reduce waiting times or infection rates,” explains Mr. Strelioff. “We will not be able to provide the labour-intensive care required for the increasing numbers of Canadians with chronic disease, and we will not be able to recruit sufficient numbers of new health providers or retain our current providers beyond their early retirement dates.”

As a first key step on the long road of changing workplace culture in Canada, the QWQHC decided to develop a pan-Canadian action strategy to help focus attention and work together.

With Mr. Strelioff at the helm as Chair, and McGill nurse educator Melanie Lavoie-Tremblay serving as Deputy Chair, 45 health system experts from across the country rolled up their sleeves and published a landmark report in May 2007 entitled, ‘Within Our Grasp: A Healthy Workplace Strategy for Success and Sustainability in Canada’s Healthcare System’.

“The framework of action strategies set out in our report is based on our shared belief that a fundamental way to better healthcare is through healthier health workplaces and that it is unacceptable to work in, receive care, govern, manage and fund unhealthy workplaces,” stresses Mr. Strelioff.

The report has been instrumental in explaining and promoting commitment to vital quality worklife strategies, and funding has recently been secured from Health Canada and the 13 QWQHC national health partner organizations to continue the work of the Collaborative.

One of the key objectives is to create a pan-Canadian database of quality worklife indicators to link management practice to changes in overtime, absenteeism, vacancies and other key indicators. Another key thrust will be to build capacity to share knowledge and experience across Canada.

Leading the Collaborative into the future as a former Auditor General and concerned Canadian citizen, Mr. Strelioff says he envisions a day when:

Management and accountability practices are evidence-informed;
The quality of health workplaces is viewed as critical to the success of our health system and integral to all key decisions;
There is mutual respect for the skills and contributions of every health provider; and
The standards of practice within health organizations are consistent with the personal values and expectations of all health providers.

“Together, let’s ensure our healthcare organizations are places where our health providers want to work and want to stay – a place that will attract the new generation of professionals we require,” he emphasizes.

“Canadians need to know and believe quality healthcare will be available when required and will be provided in a safe and cost-effective manner – Canadians deserve no less.”

For more information on Wayne Strelioff and his role leading the QWQHC, please see the full text of a speech he gave at the Western Nurses Forum in October 2007.