“I’ve been a housekeeper for 18 years. I’m now back in-house working for the health authority.
There is a big difference in salary, and we’ve hired more people which impacts the workload. I was able to get braces for my 16-year-old daughter. We couldn’t do it before, but now we have some coverage, which makes a big difference.
The hospital is like a second home for those of us who work here. Everyone is happy to have housekeepers because we provide them with a place that’s clean. I take pride in the quality of our work and in making people feel a bit better while they’re at the hospital.
When I came to work at the hospital, I didn’t know much English, but I had great managers who were very patient.
It was hard for me at the start. It was a different culture and people had different ways of doing things. And my manager would let me come into her office and cry if I needed it. I just needed someone to be there for me and it was my manager until I could recover and go back out onto the floor.
You need to love what you do, and teamwork is so important. I work with great people. Sometimes we laugh together, and sometimes we cry together. We all need to respect each other.
I want to thank all my colleagues and my family for their support.
At the end of the day, you need to be positive because this is what we’re doing for a living. You can’t expect every day to be perfect because we are on the front lines and working with the public. Start each new day with a fresh start.”
Fanta, Housekeeper, part of the health care team