Perry Work Report for the week of September 28, 2009

September 28, 2009

Canadian Labour Board Law Conference & Bora Laskin Award Dinner

This Friday, October 2, is the early bird deadline to register for the Canadian Labour Board Law Conference, presented by Lancaster House and the University of Toronto, Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources. The conference will be held on October 20 and 21, 2009, at The Sutton Place Hotel. The Bora Laskin Award dinner will also be held on the evening of October 21, 2009.

Register before October 2, 2009, and save $100 off the regular price of the conference and $50 off the price of the workshop.

The CIRHR is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2009 Bora Laskin Award for Outstanding Contributions to Labour Law in Canada is Arbitrator Michel Picher.

Conference website

 

Work-Sharing on the Rise

According to a recent article in the Globe and Mail the number of workers under the Canadian Federal Government’swork-sharing program has increased from covering 27,000 workers to 165,104 workers since January 2009 (the article incorrectly uses the term “job-sharing”). In an earlier Globe and Mail article Tavia Grant answers questions about work-sharing.

Globe and Mail, September 29, 2009: Canadian workers cozy up to job-sharing: Number of employees taking part in federal program up more than sixfold to 165,104 in just eight months

Globe and Mail, June 23, 2009: How to make work-sharing work for you: Senior HR consultant Colleen Coates and workplace reporter Tavia Grant took your questions

Canada's Economic Action Plan helps Canadians through Work-Sharing, June 20, 2009

 

Ivey Business Journal Feature on Leadership

The Ivey Business Journal has released their new issue focusing on leadership. The September/October issue looks at types of leadership and effective management practices in the workplace, while also spotlighting individuals who have had a profound influence on management – specifically, Edgar Schein, a pioneer in the field of organizational behavior and design, who also happens to be the author of this issue’s feature article.

Feature Article, Helping: An Urgent New Role for Leaders, by: Edgar Schein

For more articles on leadership, please see the September/October issue.

 

Generations in the Workplace

The September issue of Benefits Canada Magazine features an article titled, “Generation Grasp,” which looks at issues in managing a multi-generational workforce.

Benefits Canada Magazine, September 1, 2009(3 pages, PDF)

 

Best Cities for Young Professionals

Next Generation Consulting has released publication titled, Next Cities 2009-2010: Canada Version. It is a list of the 27 best cities to work and live in for younger workers aged 20-40 years. The results are based upon an index that rates what is valued by next gen workers. The seven indexes of a “Next City” are: earning, learning, vitality, around Town, after Hours, cost of lifestyle, and social capital. The rankings are based on a city's total score in all seven indexes.

Press release

List, July 28, 2009(8 pages, PDF)

FQA about the survey

 

Economic Growth and Community Loyalty Linked

Gallup and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation launched the Soul of the Community Study in 2008, looking at what makes a community a desirable place to live. The study found a significant relationship between local economic growth and how passionate and loyal people are to their communities -- the most attached communities had the highest local GDP growth.

“A final survey in 2010, will analyze the trends to determine whether emotional connection drives economic growth, or the other way around. Within a smaller microcosm, such as a company, Gallup has been able to show that increasing employee emotional connection will indeed lead to improved financial performance of the company.”

Overall Findings

Soul of the Community, September 2009 (22 pages, PDF)

Globe and Mail, September 29, 2009: Home is where the heart is – and the money, too Citizens' love for their city can boost its economy, research suggests, Jessica Leeder

 

How do Canada and the U.S. Measure Up?

Measuring Labour Markets in Canada and the United States: 2009 Report is the fifth installment in the Fraser Institute’s ongoing research to “assess the performance of labour markets and explain why results differ among jurisdictions.” This study assesses both Canadian provincial and US state labour market performance, examining a series of measures such as job creation, unemployment, and productivity.

Report, September 3, 2009 (96 pages, PDF)

 

Canada Ranks 9th in Global Competitiveness Report

The World Economic Forum, in partnership with the Institute for Competiveness and Prosperity, has released the Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010, which provides a detailed profile of 133 economies, summarizing the competitive advantages and disadvantages of each country. The report indicated positive results for Canada which has moved up from 10th place in 2008 to 9th place on the Forum’s “Global Competiveness Index”. As the report notes, the index is based on 12 pillars, “providing a comprehensive picture of the competitiveness landscape in countries around the world at all stages of development.”

Press Release, September 8, 2009

Browse the report by Country

Full Report (492 pages, PDF)

 

Health and Employment

The September issue of Perspectives on Labour and Income, the monthly publication from Statistics Canada, focuses on health and work. Poor mental and physical health were found to decrease the probability of being employed, particularly among men. For women, mental health problems were also associated with working fewer hours.

Highlights

September 2009 Issue (9 pages, PDF)

 

Aging Trend in Nursing

A recent study titled, Review of Nursing Education Data in Ontario 1990-2004 by the Nursing Health Services Research Unit, Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto has found that career longevity, student mobility, program availability and an aging pool of students are some of the challenges facing the management of nursing human resources in Ontario.

News@the University of Toronto, June 30, 2009: Aging trend in nursing has serious implications for nurses' career longevity and the availability of nurse educators, study reports, by Julie Hiroz

Study, May 2009 (76 pages, PDF)

 

Leave Policies Around the World

The Department for Business Innovation and Skills, a United Kingdom government agency, has released a report titledInternational Review of Leave Policies and Related Research 2009, which focuses on leave policies in 27 countries, including an analysis of Canadian policies. The four main areas in which policies are analyzed include: maternity, paternity, parental, care for sick dependants, and flexible work arrangements. Countries analyzed range from the United States, Estonia, South Africa, and Portugal, among many others.

Report, September 2009 (375 pages, PDF)

 

Book of the Week

Y in the Workplace: Managing the "Me First" Generation, by Nicole A. Lipkin and April J. Perrymore. Franklin Lakes, N.J. : Career Press, 2009. 224 p. ISBN 978-1-60163-071-1

Flip-flops, iPods, MySpace, “Dude,” Instant Messaging. 
Whatever happened to dress shoes, sir/ma’am, in-person meetings, and traditional work etiquette?

A workplace revolution is underway, one that is stimulating new methods of thinking, behaving, communicating, and doing business as Generation Y continues to infiltrate the workplace and influence corporate culture. This revolution is lead by approximately 60 million Gen Yers, the largest bloc to hit the workforce since the 72 million baby boomers. Company owners and managers are worried, because this generation has created its own unique culture...and demands.

Y in the Workplace illustrates how the values, attitudes, and expectations of Generation Y have had an impact on corporate environments, intergenerational functioning, and management strategies. To help this generation successfully transition into the workplace while creating a shared vision, authors Lipkin and Perrymore provide you, the manager, with: Psychological insight into the character of this generation. Strengths and challenges that Generation Y is bringing to the workplace. Coaching strategies and ways to harness their strengths, minimize their weaknesses, and illuminate their talents. Hope about their abilities as supervisors and managers, and about their positive impact on the future of your company.

About the Authors:

Nicole A. Lipkin, PsyD, MBA, is the owner of Equilibria Psychological and Consultation Services, LLC, a group psychology practice. Her personal practice includes executive and leadership coaching and assessment, team-building services, and coaching and training services for Generation Y employees and those who manage them.

April J. Perrymore, PsyD, owns an independent psychological practice. She specializes in working with small-business owners and entrepreneurs. Previously, she was an assistant professor of psychology, teaching and advising Generation Y.

 

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Questions or Comments: contact us at cirhr.library@utoronto.ca.

Editor: Vicki Skelton
Designer: Nick Strupat

Copyright © 2008 Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources, University of Toronto. All rights reserved.

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