Global-Watch news


Launch of a new tool to tackle ecoanxiety

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new tool entitled Managing Ecoanxiety: Mobilizing employees for action. The tool is now available to all Global-Watch affiliated employers, and contains practical tips for acting on your employees’ ecoanxiety.

Guide Bien-être en télétravail

Properly prepare for your day working remotely

We present this guide on well-being while working remotely, which, we hope, will help you better manage your time, the boundaries between your personal life and your professional life and the use of diverse technologies, with the goal of helping you take care of your physical and mental health.

Worker

Free videos – Thematic dossier: New workplace realities: organizational initiatives and management practices that promote mental health

Video presentations available for free : The contents of this thematic dossier present organizational initiatives to be deployed or management practices to be implemented in your companies to promote mental health and well-being at work. The following topics will be explored in the form of reference guides, tools for your managers and videos: disconnection, peer support programs, daily management practices and recognition at work.

Worker

Thematic dossier: New workplace realities: organizational initiatives and management practices that promote mental health

The contents of this thematic dossier present organizational initiatives to be deployed or management practices to be implemented in your companies to promote mental health and well-being at work. The following topics will be explored in the form of reference guides, tools for your managers and videos: disconnection, peer support programs, daily management practices and recognition at work.

Bourses GW

Global-Watch – Fonds de recherche du Québec Fellowships

The Global-Watch – Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) fellowships aim to reward the high-quality work of doctoral students who joined forces at the start of the pandemic to offer organizations, in the form of Scientific Newsflashes, accessible scientific knowledge and concrete action steps to minimize the effects of the pandemic on workers’ health and well-being.

Our 1st anniversary was celebrated with affiliates!

During the Global-Watch Morning held in Montreal on December 4, which brought together 30 large employers for the presentation of the workplace bullying toolkit and the second phase of development of the docket on strategy measurement indicators for workplace health and well-being, we celebrated Global-Watch’s first anniversary.

Second edition of the bi-annual Global-Watch Meetings in Paris : workplace harassment and indicators of health and well-being at work

This second Global-Watch Meetings event, held at the Orange offices in Paris, brought together representatives of French and Canadian companies. The standardization of indicators on the global level and the preserving of the uniqueness of each country’s local context contributed to the success of initiatives in workplace health and well-being.

Pointless and unreasonable: tasks that spoil work

Assigning tasks in a company is a management practice that is so common and routine, we rarely question our ways of doing it. It generally doesn’t pose a problem, since employees are hired based on their skills, and their work revolves around these. It gets tricky, however, when employees are assigned tasks that fall outside their expertise or tasks that seem… pointless.

Financial health of millennials: A cry for help!

The arrival of millennials (those born between 1980 and 2000) in the workplace has caused its share of upheaval. They bring with them a certain number of changes in ways of working, especially through their increased use of technology. They differ on several points from previous generations: their style of consumption, which happens more online, their greater difficulty in separating personal life and professional life, as well as the issue of their personal finances. The latter is a major source of stress, exacerbated by the combined accumulation of student debt and credit. Despite this financial stress, millennials often hesitate to ask for help in managing their finances.

Workplace bullying: Understanding it and reducing it

Although researchers have been interested in workplace bullying for several years, it remains largely misunderstood and is a challenge for organizations. Confusion around even the definition of bullying makes it more difficult to detect and, as a result, to reduce how often it occurs. This scientific interpretation aims to narrow down the concept of workplace bullying, to identify the main risk factors and to suggest prevention and intervention measures to deal with it, while taking into account the cultural context of organizations.

GLOBAL-WATCH SUMMER MISSION IN IVORY COAST

The president and founder of Global-Watch, Marie-Claude Pelletier, and the director of scientific monitoring and professor France St-Hilaire, Director of Équipe sur les organisations en santé (ÉOS) at the Université de Sherbrooke, undertook a summer mission in Ivory Coast to give presentations on workplace health and well-being during an international event, to meet workplace health and well-being representatives from Orange and to discuss possible collaborations between Ivory Coast and Québec on issues related to workplace health and well-being.

When technology and personal life are not necessarily compatible!

In modern societies, the way of working is constantly evolving. Some of this change is facilitated by communication technologies which allow connectivity, immediacy and, in the process, permeability of the boundaries that once separated work from private life. It would be wrong, however, to blame technology by itself for these developments: electronic devices can be disabled, emails can be filtered and incoming (telephone) calls can be directed to voice mail. Nevertheless, hyperconnectivity makes individuals more accessible and implicitly requires them to be available online at all times. What is the impact on employees?

Older workers: adding value

Due to the aging of today’s workers, many organizations will experience major demographic declines over the next 20 years, which could create a labour shortage. Because of an increase in life expectancy, combined with a gradual extension to what was traditionally considered the age of retirement at 65, older workers are a growing proportion of the current labour force.

Pr. Kevin Kelloway : impact of leadership on the workplace health and well-being

Global-Watch a eu le privilège de recevoir le Pr. Kevin Kelloway le 29 mai 2018 à Montréal, lors de la 1re édition québécoise de ses Rendez-vous biannuels. Ce prestigieux professeur de la St-Mary’s University, titulaire de la Chaire de recherche du Canada sur la santé psychologique au travail, a présenté ses travaux sur l’incidence du leadership sur une culture positive de santé et bien-être au travail.

Job crafting and leisure crafting: creating meaning and fostering commitment to work

Working environments are both dynamic and evolving. They subject employees to performance and adaptation challenges which can negatively influence their commitment to work. Job crafting – shaping or determining how one’s time is spent at work – is becoming more and more widespread. Employees seek to create meaning in their work and professional occupations, and this generally increases their commitment to the work.

Sustainable return to work for individuals with common mental disorders: Building on available resources

When an employee/worker with a common mental disorder (CMD) returns to work after a period of absence, his or her continued employment – or sustainable return to work (SRTW) – is an important issue at both the individual and organizational levels. A comprehensive understanding of the various concerns relating to CMDs and the conditions which positively impact a return to work are fundamental to the achievement of a SRTW.

Are healthcare programs for Canadian workers worth it?

Sanofi Canada announced the results of the 21st edition of the Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey on June 14 in Montréal. The survey is broad and detailed. It assesses the health of Canadian workers (“members”) with employer-sponsored healthcare plans and the concerns of companies or employers (“sponsors”) offering healthcare plans to their employees.

Preparing your company for the legalization of cannabis in Canada (video)

Jacques Provencher, a partner at Le Corre, a law firm in Laval, Quebec, specialized in labor and employment law, summarizes the new legal framework regarding cannabis consumption in Canada coming into effect in october of 2018. He also speaks of the importance of a clear drug policy for businesses and what is allowed or not in terms of drug testing in Canada.

Integrate workplace health and well-being one step at a time

The transtheoretical model of the stages of change is based on the premise that not all employees are necessarily at the same stage, and that your tools and programs must take this into account. Global-Watch framework for intervention makes it possible to better understand the systemic dynamics of an organization when it wishes to put in place health and well-being actions.

Participatory change to reduce insecurity

All organizational change comes with a lot of fear and insecurity, for managers as well as employees. Although a number of studies have been done on the topic of change in recent years, its impact on employee insecurity has not received a lot of attention. How to manage this insecurity and reduce negative consequences on the organization?

Global-Watch Meetings: minutes from March 12, 2018

On March 12, a virtual Paris-Montréal meeting was held with Global-Watch affiliates via videoconference.
Thanks to Groupe Orange, CGI and Desjardins for sharing their approach and their lessons learned for the rollout of complex or international strategies and/or workplace health and well-being.

Australian workers ‘grin and bear’ it in silent workplace bullying epidemic

Traditionally, workplace safety campaigns have focused on preventing physical injuries or deaths in agricultural and blue-collar industries, like construction.

Safe Work Australia statistics show that workplace fatalities have dropped, from 259 in 2003 to 182 in 2016.

But experts say the focus needs to also be placed on the growing impact of workplace bullying and sexual harassment.

Retention of older workers: the case of Finland

Global-Watch shares this interesting 13 minute video (in French), produced by le Mag Avenue de l’Europe, presenting examples of Finnish companies integrating older people in employment (55 years and over) both on the philosophical, ergonomic, social, and economic aspects.

When work makes people sick, and sick people come to work

What do we know about presenteeism at work? We know that presenteeism is more costly than absenteeism for organizations. Yet it is rarely measured in workplaces, even though it is an important indicator of employees’ health. Presenteeism is the vicious work cycle that makes employees sick; these same employees who show up to work when they are sick are less productive.

Even a 10-minute break outdoors can reduce stress

Whether it’s meditation, breathing techniques or yoga, individual approaches to stress management are increasingly popular in organizations. Enjoying the outdoor environment to take breaks at work would be especially beneficial in reducing stress. What are the effects and how can you introduce them in your organization?

What if being fulfilled fathers meant that men could be satisfied employees?

Balancing work and family life is one of the current challenges for employees and organizations. Today, many working men want to be recognized and supported in their role as a parent. Being a fulfilled father also means being a more satisfied employee. All organizations have an interest in putting in place concrete ways to promote work–family balance and therefore improve work–family enrichment.

Putting Employee Wellness First : How The David Suzuki Foundation Does It

“Employers want all employees to come in and do their jobs, without being impacted by what could be going on at home or in their minds and bodies. But home life comes to work with us! That just isn’t a choice. So employers need flexible options for the individuals that make up their workforce; flexible policies are key to making that happen,” says Catherine Gordon, HR Director at the David Suzuki Foundation (DSF).

How to handle cancer in the workplace

Cancer, unfortunately, touches more and more people today, and therefore more and more employees. The good news is that current treatments allow us to envision a longer life expectancy. But this also means that employees who are sick can sometimes continue to work during their treatment, return to work after their illness, or even take on the role of caregiver. This leads to significant challenges for the workplace.

Pratt and Whitney Canada

It was at the request of managers that the company set up, around ten years ago, the Return to Work Protocol – a process that was put in place to support employees from the start of their disability leave until their return to work.