Canadian Blood Services is experiencing a huge decline in donations, leading to inventory challenges for this life-saving resource. I’m proud to work at a company that’s doing its part by encouraging and supporting D2Lers to fill the gap.
While I started donating blood in 2012, I’ve felt more supported in making this a priority since joining D2L. This encouragement comes straight from the top and is backed by our company policies, including Volunteer Time Off (VTO). This gives D2Lers paid days for volunteering, and it has allowed me to donate more consistently than ever. I just hit my 25th donation.
Taking paid time off without disrupting your personal life is a huge support in donating regularly. D2L recognizes that we’re all busy outside of work and puts its money where its mouth is by encouraging us to use this benefit. While we focus on transforming the way the world learns through our work, D2L also focuses on transforming our local communities through active engagement. People around the company use VTO for causes like assisting at food banks and participating in Earth Day initiatives.
This is just another part of D2L’s focus on wellbeing. We want D2Lers to be able to do the best work of their lives, and I feel D2L recognizes this requires people take care of themselves, their families and their communities. This is supported through our monthly wellness theme, Employee Assistance Program, wellness re-imbursement benefit, the Not Myself Today initiative and more. I’ve felt since day one that D2L supports me as an entire person, not just as an employee.
For me personally, using this paid time to donate blood has been a meaningful way to give back to my community. Like many others, I have family and friends who’ve relied on blood donations. Knowing that I’m helping people in my community navigate their own health challenges fills me with great pride.
I feel the same sense of pride watching other D2Lers support Canada’s lifeline and co-organizing this effort along with Christin Wallace. Since 2010, D2Lers have donated an inspiring 1,745 times. On top of VTO, D2L partners with Canadian Blood Services to organize taxi rides, buy lunches, and of course hand out Lego bricks as recognition.
1 in 2 people in Canada are eligible to donate, yet only 1 in 81 does. If more workplaces supported their employees like D2L does, I think we could start to turn this around. If you have an hour to spare, please consider taking the time to donate blood. You can easily book appointments by visiting www.blood.ca or by downloading the GiveBlood app. Your community will thank you, and it’s a great excuse to sample the tasty post-donation snacks.
If you’re looking for a company that supports wellbeing activities like blood donation, you should look at our open roles at D2L’s career page.
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