Archive for November 2019
New research suggests daily cannabis use could be effective alternative to opioids for chronic pain
Don Durban has been using opioids for years to cope with chronic pain in his feet from diabetic swelling. He also once sought out the drugs to help with symptoms of pancreatitis.But the Vancouver man and many others are now using cannabis as an alternative means to alleviate symptoms. Mr. Durban, 66, said the herb…
Read MoreCanada’s nursing shortage unlikely to get better, report finds
Job vacancies for Canadian nurses have risen substantially in recent years, but employment growth has tapered off, resulting in a labour shortage that “shows no signs of easing” as the country gets older, a new report finds. The number of nurses per 10,000 Canadian adults has stagnated at roughly 113 since 2016, after a period…
Read MoreIt’s finally time to discuss the undiscussables of the workplace
We often speak of the elephant in the room – a metaphor for things everyone senses or knows but doesn’t talk about. There are actually many elephants in the room – undiscussables – and before addressing them it helps to create a topography. A recent article in Sloan Management Review by leadership professor Ginka Toegel…
Read MoreIt’s time to treat e-cigarettes like cigarettes
The debate over what to do about the rise in Canadian teens sucking nicotine-laced vapours into their lungs has reached a predictable impasse. On the one hand, you have health experts who say governments need to respond to the uptake in youth vaping with stricter enforcement of laws on how products are advertised and packaged,…
Read MoreHow to deal with misunderstandings quickly at work
The Globe and Mail and Morneau Shepell created the Employee Recommended Workplace Award to honour companies that put the health and total well-being of their employees first. Register for the 2020 Employee Recommended Workplace Award at: employeerecommended.com. This series of articles supports the award. At a team meeting, you shift your attention to a group at…
Read MoreThe beauty of sitting around and doing nothing
Jenny Morber is a science writer whose work has appeared in National Geographic, Slate and elsewhere Like most of us in 2019, I am busy. Days can feel like a race to complete an always-accumulating list of now, soon and must-do-sometime tasks for my business, my kids, my animals, my home, my relationships, my community,…
Read MoreTrees hold the answers to many of life’s problems
We find ourselves living in a special time. On the one hand, the climate crisis poses the most significant threat to our future that humanity has ever faced. On the other, we are better equipped than ever before to take on that challenge. To do so, though, we need to understand and respect the natural…
Read MoreHow to manage the expectations gap and avoid being disappointed in a new role
I recently read The Employee Experience, which focuses on attracting and retaining top performers. One of the most important lessons for me is the benefit for both employees and employers of paying attention to what the authors define as the expectations gap. An example of an expectations gap is starting a new job with a set…
Read MoreWhat does it (really) take to get promoted?
You’ve no doubt heard it said many a time by someone or another in your workplace: The only way to get ahead is to “suck up” to the boss. But is it possible that what some people call “sucking up” may simply be learning how to work with your specific supervisor or manager? In my…
Read MoreThe better way to deal with criticism at work
Criticism stings. Sure, it is sometimes couched as gentler “feedback,” or offered as “advice,” or even presented as a “pointer.” Yet criticism it is. And most of us respond with one or both of two reactions. First, we indignantly and completely discount both the message and the source. And second, we get upset and sometimes…
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