Says Brother David:

“This one day is the gift you have right now and the . . . → Read More: How to feel grateful and inspired]]> In this inspirational moving Art original short, Brother David Steindl-Rast narrates a cinematically inspiring film that was well responded to at Ted conferences. Why not take 6 minutes right now to watch this and feel grateful for your life.

Says Brother David:

“This one day is the gift you have right now and the only appropriate response is gratefulness. if you do nothing else, you need to cultivate the response as if it were the first day of your life and the very last day and you will have spent this day very well.

Open you heart to the incredible gifts we receive every day. Let the gratefulness overflow into blessings all around you and then it will really be a good day.”

Want to more respect and civility at work? Want to prevent and reduce bullying in BC workplaces? There has been an important first step. Just this summer, there was the first reading of a proposed act in British Columbia to prevent workplace bullying. This is very good news. While at this . . . → Read More: Workplace Bullying Prevention Act – Respectful Workplaces coming to BC]]>

respectful workplace

Want to more respect and civility at work? Want to prevent and reduce bullying in BC workplaces? There has been an important first step. Just this summer, there was the first reading of a proposed act in British Columbia to prevent workplace bullying. This is very good news. While at this early stage, it is called the Workplace Bullying Prevention act, it only defines harassment in the prevention of workplace bullying. As you likely know, bullying is a form of Personal Harassment. The proposed bill defines harassment and will require employers to:

a) establish and implement a workplace harassment policy for reporting incidents, procedures for investigating incidents and complaints, and procedures to make workers accountable;
b) make a policy available to workers and
c) provide workers with information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure a harassment free workplace.

The proposed bill modifies the existing Worker’s Compensation Act to target the reduction and elimination of workplace bullying. It allows incidents of workplace harassment to be investigated, compensated, and dealt with in the same manner as workplace accidents. It outlines that it will provide less strenuous requirements for the award of compensation for mental stress in situations that involve harassment.

Ineterested in hearing what was actually said as it was presented in parliament? Here is Raj Chouhan introducing the bill where he refers to bullying, workplace harassment and harassment almost interchangeably:

R. Chouhan: We all know the negative impact of bullying on people. Victims of bullying have suffered severe trauma caused by harassment, and in some cases it has led people to commit suicide. Bullying does not stop on the playground. It can carry on to the workplace. Harassment causes psychological and physical harm. It includes wilful acts, patterns of behaviour, ignoring and isolating people. It is an act to humiliate and intimidate people. In a workplace victims of bullying are unable to work to their full capacity. This not only impacts individuals but also the business. Productivity is affected, and it becomes a financial loss for the business owners. This bill carefully defines “harassment” and provides measures and procedures for workers to report incidental workplace harassment. It provides sound policy for investigating incidents and making workers accountable for acts of harassment.

Other provinces such as Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba also have brought in similar laws. This is good news for preventing and responding to bullying in British Columbia workplaces.

In today’s text-driven, multi-tasking world you are most likely wondering how you will find time in your already packed schedule for holiday activities, your job, your family . . . → Read More: Five Holiday Stress Busters]]> The holiday season has kicked off in its usual high voltage style. What will you do to manage the demands of work, family and sometimes ‘impossible’ expectations?

In today’s text-driven, multi-tasking world you are most likely wondering how you will find time in your already packed schedule for holiday activities, your job, your family and yourself!

Take a breath and review these five stress-busters to help bring in the yuletide merriment.

1. Don’t buy gifts out of guilt and avoid overspending.
Be realistic about how much money you want to spend for the holidays, avoid running up a large credit card bill and stick to your plan. Recognize guilt and overspending for what they are, and if you feel tempted to splurge excessively, take a 24-hour moratorium from purchasing. Go home, think about the purchase, talk it over, and if you want to go back to the store later, you can, but don’t give into impulsive overspending right away.

2. Don’t feel like you have to keep up with everyone else.
Fortunately for all of us, the holidays are not a rat race with a cosmic judge doling out awards for who “does” the best in the maze. But sometimes it feels like we are competing in a contest, doesn’t it? It can be deceptively easy to talk yourself into buying one more decoration for the yard because a neighbour has new ones, one more gift for a child because someone else bought it, and baking a batch of cookies like someone else’s mom. Be content with the plans you’ve made and don’t let others make you feel inadequate.

3. Hold on to your health and fitness regimes.
The holidays are a time to celebrate, and boy, do we make the most of it. We eat, we drink, we indulge and then we end up feeling like bloated whales by the time it’s all over. It’s almost an unspoken rule that, with the holidays, comes unlimited eating and missed workouts, but this year, you have a choice.
You don’t have to let every party become your own personal eating contest, and you don’t have to let shopping take the place of your usual exercise routine. All it takes is flexibility, creativity and a new way of defining exercise.

Exercise will help you deal with added stress and give you energy for everything you need to accomplish. It will also help you manage your weight through the maze of parties and gatherings you’ll be attending. If you have trouble sticking with your usual routine this time of year, come up with a new one. Forget the rules, lower your standards and do whatever you need to do to keep moving.

4. Avoid toxicity.
Don’t let the unexpected ruin your attitude. We are bombarded with media images of perfect holidays and perfect families. But truly, what is ever ‘perfect’? All families argue, all families are unique in their own way and this is and always has been the norm. Inevitably, something will happen to you this holiday season that is taxing and unexpected or someone will say something. Don’t let it rattle you – get through it and move on.
If you need to count to ten, vent, or go to your room and take a time out, do it. Don’t let your bad mood rain down on everyone else’s parade and ruin their holiday. Likewise, beware the toxic people you interact with who carry gloom and doom like a badge of honor during the holidays.

5. Focus on people and having quality experiences.
It can be very easy to rush through the holiday season. Find ways to deliberately spend time with your family and build traditions together. Old holiday stand-bys like making ornaments, baking, preparing a meal, or going carolling can help build traditions and a shared family history.
Extend your focus on people to others around you who need some holiday cheer. Think about the sales clerk behind a register all day who appreciates a kind word, the elderly lady next door who needs help shovelling her sidewalk, or the couple down the street with the new baby who’ll appreciate a few of your Christmas cookies.

You can avoid stress and have a joyous holiday season. And you might even make it to New Year’s with your sanity intact.

A respectful workplace is one where we treat each other with respect and dignity and protect each other from unwelcome behaviour like bullying and harassment.  We know through studies that demonstrating compassionate behaviour on its own accounts for improvements of productivity up to 30%.  Why is this?  We seem to know intuitively . . . → Read More: What is a Respectful Workplace?]]>

A respectful workplace is one where we treat each other with respect and dignity and protect each other from unwelcome behaviour like bullying and harassment.  We know through studies that demonstrating compassionate behaviour on its own accounts for improvements of productivity up to 30%.  Why is this?  We seem to know intuitively that if someone is compassionate and treats us respectfully, we feel more able to focus on getting our work done, as we have our other needs for safety, esteem and belonging met.  The relationship needs are met so we can focus on the outcomes that are important to us.

There is also considerable research showing the impact of positivity in the workplace on productivity in that up to a certain point, the more positive interactions we have with each other, the more productive we become.  Fredericson and Losada’s research has indicated a balance that they call’s the Positivity Index, where high performance teams have about 5 positive interactions to 1 negative interaction.  This is sort of like what Steven Covey calls putting some deposits into the emotional bank account before making a withdrawal.  Positive interactions can be as basic as showing interest, or acknowledging another’s point of view, even if you have a different perspective.

Respect is a soft skill that has a big impact on keeping our best people in a team or an organization. Without it, people compete agressively with one another or passively give each other the cold shoulder.  Productive and quality suffer.  We lose good people.  With respectful behaviour, we retain our people and motivate them  to pull for each other.  Which would you rather have?

For some practical tips on creating a respectful workplace, see some of our other articles on ways to connect respectfully with each other here:

Respectful Workplace Tips