Leaders, in particular, are challenged right now. Sandwiched between supporting extra-vulnerable and less-resilient staff, and organizational pressures to boost productivity from a remote workforce while pulling back on spending. Trite advice encouraging people to be kind to themselves sometimes makes mental health feel like a luxury. Here are some practical mental health tips specifically for […]
What is the Public Interest Disclosure Act, and Why Should I Know About It?
As of December 1st, 2019, the Public Disclosure Act (PIDA) came into effect for employees of government ministries in British Columbia. This act was birthed by a desire to ensure the ethical running of the public sector. It seeks to allow current and past employees a safe way to report wrongdoing at their place of […]
What to do When Someone Says, “You’re a Terrible Boss!”
Have you ever been told, “you are a terrible boss!”? How did you respond? What emotions come up for you, and how do you handle those emotions? How do you react? It can be hard to maintain composure when a staff member or peer makes a critical statement directly to you about your abilities to […]
You’re Not as Effective as You Think You Are – Four Tips to Managing Remote Teams
The Covid pandemic has changed our lives in many ways. Not only have we had to adapt to how we interact socially, but many workplaces also had to pivot and ask many of their employees to work remotely. While this was a big adjustment for some, many organizations realized that adopting a remote working culture […]
The ABC’s of Blame-proofing Yourself
“It’s all their fault! I did nothing wrong! They’re the ones to blame!” When we feel wronged, it’s natural to focus on the responsibility of the other person who wronged us. Our own behaviours make perfect sense to us. Even if we did something minor to contribute to the conflict, it wasn’t nearly as bad […]
Being Mindful of Mindfulness
Let’s ensure we start on the same page and explain what we mean when we say mindfulness. “Mindfulness” has been around for centuries and arguably near-millennia. Taking roots from Buddhism and Transcendentalism, the practice of purposefully paying attention to one’s present state and environment without judgment has recently received tremendous accolades from the field of […]
Diversity and Inclusion Training is Failing – and it’s the Presenter’s Fault: Part II
Avoiding the 3 Training Mistakes Having attended and provided hundreds of DEI sessions over 20 years, we suggest the majority of DEI presenters make three common mistakes that can leave participants even more entrenched in their biases, regardless of how well-intentioned, thoughtful and expertly trained in our subject matter we presenters might be: Preaching to […]
Diversity and Inclusion Training is Failing – and it’s the Presenter’s Fault: Part I
Changing Bias: The 3-Legged Stool The middle-aged, white vice-president of human resources, tearfully finding out in an anti-bias workshop that she has “never” felt part of an out group; the middle-aged, white senior partner who had neglected to mute himself in the anti-bias webinar, sighing heavily: “Good lord, this is tedious!” These real-life examples give […]
Allyship in the Workplace
There are numerous descriptions and definitions related to ‘ally’ in the workplace and sometimes defining your role can be confusing. When you want to do the right thing but don’t know where to start, what do you do? KEEP IT SIMPLE TO START Until you gain a better understanding of marginalization and how you can […]
Facilitating a Smooth Return to the Office
Well, here we are. Getting ready to return to the office and get back to “normal.” Excited? Leaders, you have some work to do to ensure we all reintegrate in a positive way. Here are some tips to help you welcome back your team. Allow for opportunities to reconnect socially. Arrange some casual meeting times […]