Employee Appreciation
Regular check-ins, productive feedback, schedule flexibility, and professional growth opportunities are a few simple ways to express gratitude to your employees. Research has shown that when employees feel appreciated, they are more productive. Similarly, teams perform better when members believe their colleagues respect and appreciate them.
Unconscious Bias
Unconscious biases, based on mistaken, inaccurate or incomplete information, affect our behaviour or decisions without us realizing. The first step to interrupting bias is awareness. This Catalyst blog discusses the most common types of unconscious bias (e.g. affinity bias, confirmation bias, name bias), and provides tactics to ensure they are not negatively influencing the workplace.
4-Day Work Week
Could a four-day work week be the future for Canada’s workforce? Research has shown employees can be as productive in 30 hours as they are in 40, because they waste less time and are better-rested.
Employee Appreciation
Want to show staff and volunteers they are appreciated? Common mistakes include expressions of gratitude that are inauthentic or sweeping generalizations; neglecting standard company procedures such as annual reviews; letting employees feel isolated from coworkers or the larger organization; and sudden or unexplained shifts in your appreciation practices.
WFH Communication
Under normal circumstances, the commonly cited rule of thumb for remote teams/workers is that the leader may need to communicate, in an intentional way, twice as much as they would were the team situated together in an office space. But these are not normal circumstances. Communication practices with staff should consider current working from home…
Physical Activity & Well-being
With many Canadians continuing to work from home, finding ways to “detach” from work are increasingly difficult. But according to a recent study, engaging in regular physical activity can improve mood and enhance life satisfaction, both of which contribute to subjective well-being on the job (even if it’s in your home).
COVID Communication Fatigue: Before you add another online meeting, stop and reconsider
As the COVID-19 crisis continues, complaints of meeting fatigue are on the rise. Have you found your day filled with back-to-back Zoom calls, where you stare blankly at the poorly lit face of a colleague on the computer screen, as s/he provides a daily update, or report? “I hop from Zoom call to Zoom call…
Sitting All Day
Sitting all day can have short- and long-term health implications, from neck and back pain and mental fogginess, to increased risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Whether it’s a quick morning stretch with the kids, a lunch-time workout, a mid-afternoon walk with the dog, find ways to increase movement throughout the day. Read…
Videoconferencing
Feeling anxious? New research has shown that eye contact during interactions on video conferencing platforms has the same impact on our nervous system as in-person eye contact – helping us feel calm and connected. So turn on the video and adjust your camera to look directly at your family, friends and colleagues.
Home Office Ergonomics
Is your at-home office literally a pain in the neck? University of Alberta ergonomics expert Linda Miller offers advice to help maintain good posture while working in less than ideal settings during COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to adding movement into your day, Miller suggests supporting your feet and back, using an external keyboard, and minimizing…