Only a few weeks after moving to Vancouver from Casablanca, Morocco in 2018, Afaf secured a position with the PHSA Supply Chain team as a buyer. With no prior experience in health care, Afaf was about to embark on a journey that would spark a new passion. Today, Afaf is the Supply Chain employee engagement lead and, in this new role, she works to create a better workplace experience for Supply Chain by listening, identifying gaps and building solutions to address various challenges.
“I’m inspired mostly by three things: people, ideas and problem-solving. I’m very fortunate to be able to work with such great people and I take pride in being able to implement solutions that can improve the lives of the patients we serve and the employees we work with. What I find most rewarding about my job is the ability to watch people grow. I believe that every one of us has infinite potential and by creating a great working environment, we can help people be their best. Imagine the impact it would make if every employee felt supported, recognized and cared for.”
As a team leader, Afaf feels a sense of pride to be able to see her team members flourish, be promoted and make bigger contributions to the health care system over the years. It comes as no surprise that the PHSA value that resonates most deeply for her is “be compassionate”, adding that mentorship and trust are also key components of a striving workplace.
For Afaf, receiving a PHSA+ award is a truly meaningful recognition—especially among a number of nominees who are making incredible contributions to PHSA.
“Changing the culture requires a team effort and it’s so great to see our leaders prioritizing this at PHSA.”
Outside of work, Afaf feels grateful to have travelled the world meeting all kinds of people and learning from their beliefs and values. She has also been involved in a lot of volunteer work. Some of her favourite volunteer experiences include feeding alpacas on a farm in Argentina, building a house using natural materials in Ecuador, and painting, cooking and farming in Brazil.
Afaf building a house in Ecuador.
The PHSA+ Awards are part of an internal recognition program that celebrates teams and individuals who bring our PHSA values to life in the workplace. They go above and beyond to serve patients and families across B.C. Read about the other PHSA+ award recipients for 2022.
