Staff at Swift Current hospital combat post-pandemic tension with holiday decorating

The maintenance department isn't usually a must-see destination in a hospital.

But in Swift Current, Sask., the repairmen have transformed a hallway deep inside Cypress Regional Hospital with scenes from the Christmas classic Home Alone.

Staff from other departments drop by to chuckle at the sight of the Wet Bandits stepping on broken ornaments and getting covered in feathers.

One floor up, the women and children's ward features a Baby Express train leaving the "Dilation Station" on its way to the North Pole.

The holiday decorating contest has injected some joy into a workplace not usually known for its fun factor. It's all part of a recent effort to make the hospital a happier place.

Chantal Henderson has been a critical care nurse in the hospital's emergency department and intensive care unit for more than a decade.

She went on maternity leave in August 2022. When she returned a year later, she was struck by the tension, even toxicity, in the workplace.

"The animosity between wards had increased," she said.

While some of the issues were the culmination of three years of pandemic pressures, including depleted resources and burned-out staff, she said communication breakdowns in the fast-paced, high-stress hospital setting can often lead to disagreements between departments.

"There was kind of a dark cloud over the building and it was hard to be your best when that's there," she said.

Henderson realized she had two choices: help boost staff morale or quit her job.

"I felt that if I wanted to keep working in the department that I love, I had to make some changes."

She met with her manager and the hospital director and settled on the idea of starting a workplace engagement committee. More than a dozen staff members who shared her concerns showed up to the first meeting and brainstormed ways to improve staff relations and mental health.

They started by renting a gym for a dodge ball game. Next, about 30 hospital employees went to a WHL game with tickets donated by the Swift Current Broncos. From there, the new committee organized a staff barbecue, a cookbook with recipes from 300 employees, and a Halloween-themed decorating contest and bowling party.