Source: hbr.org With critical thinking ranking among the most in-demand skills for job candidates, you would think that educational institutions would prepare candidates well to be exceptional thinkers, and employers would be adept at developing such skills in existing employees. Unfortunately, both are largely untrue.
Source: hrreporter.com ‘Many are feeling rudderless when it comes to managing finances’ People in Canada spend an average of two hours per day worrying about their finances, with 18- to 35-year-olds worrying the most, finds a new survey from Scotiabank. This age group worries about finances 2.4 hours a day, while those 55 and up worry an average of 1.4 hours a day and those 35 to 54 worry two hours a day, found the survey of 1,520 Canadians.
Source: hrreporter.com 47 per cent say technology has blurred boundary between professional, personal life The advent of technology and the modern work-from-home setup have allowed parents to earn money in their homes, but they also have negative effects on family relations, wellbeing and work-life balance, according to a new report.
Source: hrreporter.com About 3,000 workers lost jobs due to manufacturer shuttering long-running assembly plant A new centre to support auto parts workers affected by the assembly line closure at the General Motors (GM) Oshawa plant with skills retraining and employment services is set to open. In October, Unifor and the Ontario government announced the opening of an action centre for GM employees.
Source: business2community.com Effective leadership skills don’t happen by accident. They’re cultivated through hard work, strategic focus, and consistency. And, no matter how advanced you are in your career, there’s always room to hone your leadership skills, becoming a more effective motivator and change agent.
Source: hrreporter.com ‘Like all workers, we deserve the right to form a union and bargain collectively’ The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union Canada has applied to the Ontario Labour Relations Board to unionize more than 300 Uber Black limousine and SUV drivers in Toronto. With the application, the drivers could become the first ride-sharing workers in Canada to gain union representation. The drivers are hoping to be paid for all hours worked and have a guaranteed hourly wage. They also want to secure just cause protection and a legally binding grievance procedure, and to compel Uber to abide by Ontario’s Employment Standards Act and recognize drivers as employees rather than independent contractors.
Source: hrreporter.com Greenery ‘can reduce psychological, physiological stress’ A new study has found that the presence of small plants at work can help boost the mental health of employees. “Having opportunities to gaze intentionally at nearby plants on a daily basis in the work environment can reduce the psychological and physiological stress of office workers,” says the study done by Masahiro Toyoda, Yuko Yokota, Marni Barnes and Midori Kaneko of the Graduate School of Landscape Design and Management at the University of Hyogo, in Awaji, Japan.
Source: hrreporter.com But says he’s not going to second-guess staff’s decision The CEO of a U.S.-based company that fired a Canadian employee who complained on Twitter about the company’s Christmas gift admitted that his staff may have overreacted — but he stands with their decision, according to the Star Tribune. Dan Florness, CEO of industrial supplies company Fastenal based in Winona, Minn. said his company fired 27-year-old Hussien Mehaidi from Burnaby, B.C. after the latter tweeted his outrage at receiving a bottle of barbecue sauce and a wooden scraper from his employer. Mehaidi was working as a branch manager at the company.
Source: hrreporter.com ‘It’s vitally important that support is available to those who need it’ Nova Scotia is partnering with Morneau Shepell to open a confidential, toll-free helpline for those affected by the pending closure of the Northern Pulp mill in Ambercrombie. “The impact of this situation reaches beyond those directly employed in the forestry sector and it’s vitally important that support is available to all those who need it,” says Premier Stephen McNeil. “This dedicated line is one place people can turn to for support.” Callers will receive professional counselling support or a referral to resources in their community, says the government.
Source: hrreporter.com ‘Eliminating the mental health stigma is about more than just starting the conversation’ Starbucks is now providing Canadian employees with a free subscription to the meditation app Headspace. The tool offers guided meditations, informative videos, articles and animations on topics such as sleep, focus and anxiety to help users “live a happier, healthier life, more restful life.” The announcement came after the coffee chain brought together 12,000 store leaders for a session on mental well-being and emotional first aid last fall.
Source: hrreporter.com ‘Rainy-day savings arrangements at the workplace could help attract and retain valuable employees’ Automatically enrolling workers into an employer-sponsored payroll deduction rainy-day or emergency savings account could be a cost-effective means of helping people accumulate liquid savings to meet urgent pre-retirement expenditure needs, according to a new study.
Source: www.orilliamatters.com Over one-third of Canadians have completely switched their career at some point in their life, says a recent survey by Indeed Over one-third of Canadians have completely switched their career at some point in their life. According to a recent survey by job search website Indeed, 38 per cent have made the jump to a different field of work, and another 35 per cent have considered it.
Source: cbc.ca Better pay is a major motivator, but so is opportunity for growth Nearly nine out of 10 Canadians who have made a career change say they’re happier since switching paths, a new survey has found. Conducted on behalf of job site Indeed Canada, the research polled 1,023 randomly selected full-time workers from a variety of industries and education levels and found that 38 per cent had made a complete career change at some point.
Source: hbr.org Back when our Facebook design team still fit around a conference table, a new designer joining our merry band was a momentous event. Everyone loved sitting down and showing her how we worked —where we kept our design files, what tools to download, which meetings to attend. We were grateful that someone else had come to help us accomplish more together. Two pizzas were still enough to feed everyone.
Source: hbr.org An inflection point is often thought of as the biggest disruption an industry can face. One might occur, for example, when incumbents get rattled by competitors exploiting new technologies. Andy Grove first introduced the term to business strategy as “an event that changes the way we think and act.”