Work. Family. Life.

Video of new family friendly headquarters - Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers

From Vancouver Sun article

Facebook at work? Well, actually....yes!

From So You Recruited Me from Facebook, But I'm Not Allowed to Play with Facebook at Work? -

HR and IT pros both have struggled with the question of whether to allow access to or the use of social networks in the workplace. Let's come up with a policy and regulate use or ban it! But I'd argue that this isn't the appropriate response. More rules and policies won't fix the problem. And that is, if you consider this even being a problem. Are they getting the job done? If yes, well then... 

Besides, to recruit using social networks and then try to ban or reprimand the use of such during work hours? Well, that would make you a bit of a hypocrite. But hey, that's just my point of view and I'm a millennial, after all, so maybe my perspective is colored. You tell me what you think though and while you're doing that, I'll be over on FB checking to see what my friends are up to on the live feed. 

Putting culture in the hands of children

From Ottawa Citizen Article:

It is probably the only day care in Ottawa that encourages kids to play with knives.

The unique Tumiralaat Inuit Childcare Centre had its official opening Friday in an afternoon of Inuit culture, throat singing and thanksgiving.

The knives are ulus -- wooden-handled, semi-circular blades that are traditionally used to skin and dice fish. Here, they are blunted and children use them to sculpt modelling clay.

The Tumiralaat, or "Little Feet," centre, has been open since mid-July. Operated by the Ottawa Inuit Children's Centre, the day care, at 224 McArthur St., ensures that urban Inuit children don't lose touch with their cultural heritage.

It is the only day care of its kind in Canada.

Why work sucks...and by the way there are not enough skilled trades

Over my morning coffee and Globe & Mail review the following stories jumped out at me...

The Workplace is Broken by Rebecca Dube

Imagine a workplace with no rules. You can breeze in at noon and leave at 2, and no one gives you the stink-eye. Want to see a movie on Monday afternoon, or spend Tuesday morning at your kid's school? No problem. The only thing that matters in this workplace is that you get the job done.

It sounds impossibly idealistic. But it's really happening for 3,000 employees in the corporate offices of Richfield, Minn.-based Best Buy.

Two human-resources professionals, Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson, created what they call the Results-Only Work Environment, or ROWE. They're trying to spread the idea with their new book, Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It, published last week. In a nutshell, they want to abolish the notion of a 40-hour (or 50, 60 or god help us, 70-hour) workweek.

“People can do whatever they want, whenever they want, as long as their work gets done,” they write. “You get paid for a chunk of work, not for a chunk of time.”

Shortage of Skilled Tradespeople Near Crisis by Mike Holmes

It's not an overstatement to say we are facing a crisis. Most of Canada's skilled trades workers are expected to retire in the next 10 years, and not enough young people are entering these professions to make up for that.

In addition, tech programs are being cut, and schools have dropped shop classes and diverted money to other things.

Some of the tech courses that still exist are not even at capacity because our society doesn't encourage kids to study a trade. For years, it's been seen as less desirable to study a skilled trade, and parents, teachers and school guidance counsellors have encouraged kids to go to college or university instead.

But the fact is one out of every 16 Canadian workers earns a living in construction, and they do more than $150-billion worth of work every year. There are lots of jobs, and many skilled tradespeople make six-figure incomes with benefits.

Keynote Highlights - Cameron Herold, CEO BackPocket COO - WorkLife BC 2008

The following are notes that I took and live blogged from my Blackberry (given this, they may not be as complete as possible as my fingers could only type so fast!) during the WorkLife BC Forum that was held in BC earlier today.  This is from the presentation by Cameron Herold, Founder of BackPocket COO.

• Focus on creating an amazing culture.
  Think three years out. Write down your painted picture. Let people know where you are going. Describe everything how you see it in the future.
  Read The Secret this quarter.
  Like attracts like. Like repels the opposite of like.
  Some people won't get your vision. Good let them go.
  Elder care is critical and looming.
  Create alignment to your painted picture. Everyone is clear where you are going.
  People need time to refuel. Give them downtime and flexibility. Vacation is good.
  The Duck - figure out the decoy to attract people.
  Recruit people who have the same vision and values.
  Challenge the status quo. Create change.
  Look for the sparkle in people's eyes.
  Let go people who are not in alignment.
  Good to Great - Get the right people on the bus.
  Workaholics can have balance.
  Culture needs to attract employees. Bring the bees to the honey.
  Get rid of private offices. Get out of your office. Be approachable.
  Interaction is key.
  Think about the values you raised your 20 something children. They were raised to challenge authority. Embrace that.
  Hit people with your culture.
  Create a blue sky room.
  Think about the work environment. - Connect your senior staff to employees. This builds great culture.
  Who says you cannot have fun? - Look at companies where no one quits.
  It is not a tight labour force. Take the employees away from the companies that don't get it.
  Borrow from other companies....look at what they are doing to solve your problems.
  Let people go who are right but in the wrong set. Let them go with respect.
  Allow employees to be themselves.
  101 Goals from the Dream Manager. Help your employees achieve their dreams and they will never leave. We will help you make it come true.
  Give employees their bonus now. Mentor employees. Care about people's lives.
  Hire a dream manager. Help people move on to other organizations to meet their dreams.
  MEW - management by walking around. You don't need to be in a suit.
  First date dress code
  Don't shoot the messenger. Listen, Listen, ask questions. Don't shut people down.
  Huddle - seven minutes to connect. What's broken, not working. Same time every day.
  Go for lunch and don't talk business.
  Run and play while you work.
  Booze fairy. One drink. Put some rules in place.
  Look for little things. Recognize the right stuff. Random acts of kindness.
  Random celebrations.
  Drink the cultural koolaid. Add drops everyday.
  That's it!

89 Years Strong...

My Dad, Harry Hargreaves, has worked for Watson Gloves for at least 30 (or more) years now.  Watson's is a 3rd generation family run company who recently moved, after 89 years in the same Vancouver location, to a wonderful new facility in Burnaby.  Watson's are the top distributor of gloves in Western Canada.   

This past weekend, I attended their Grand Opening party.  What an evening it was.  A truly well deserved celebration of their great new digs at 7955 North Fraser Way, Burnaby.

Watson Gloves is owned by Barrie Moore, Chairman (retired) and is headed up by his son Martin (Marty) Moore, President.  In addition Michele Moore, Barrie's daughter, is also an important part of the company working as their Marketing Manager and North Shore Sales Rep.  Together, they and their great team of employees, have built a truly successful family run business.  Along the way, Watson's have always been very good to their employees and their friends. 

At 89 years of age, one could say that the company has truly come into itself. Watson's have a unique corporate culture, one that has and continues to serve it well. They are fun, they are caring and sometimes they are slightly on the edge, but mostly they are simply committed to quality products and great customer service. 

Family run businesses are hard work.  They take passion, energy and a lifetime of commitment. In fact, they take generations of commitment. They are often not successful.  For example, who can forget Eaton's and Woodwards?  Certainly there have been bumps in the road, major hurdles to overcome and challenges along the way.  However,  thanks to the leadership and dedication of the Moore family, Watson Gloves continue to be a vibrant and successful family run company.

I am proud to say that, because of my Dad's work there, I have had the honour of being connected to the many people who are (and have been) a part of the Watson Gloves family.  He has made many, many good friends along the way, as have I and the rest of my family. I know that our lives have been enriched because of it.  Congratulations Watson Gloves!  I'm looking forward to coming to your 100th birthday...which is not really that far down the road.  All the best.

To learn more about Watson Gloves...check out their recent coverage on Breakfast Television.

Envision Financial is WorkLife BC's Employer of Choice

Here is the link to Envision's Press Release about being BC's Employer of Choice.

Envision Financial is WorkLife BC's Employer of Choice

Today was a great day for Envision Financial! This afternoon, they were the recipient of WorkLife BC's Employer of Choice at the WorkLife BC Awards Presentation & Forum held at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue.  In addition, they received an Award of Excellence as an employer in The Frasers region of British Columbia.

Envision Financial have been a client of mine since before their very beginning (they are the result of a merger between Delta Credit Union and First Heritage Credit Union) and throughout this time they have never lost sight of their people.  They truly believe that it is their people who are their greatest asset.  Envision are an excellent example of an organization who simply get it.  They understand the critical importance of addressing work-life flexibility issues in their organization and are truly raising the bar for others to follow.  Simply put, they are a leader.

At Envision Financial, their vision is to be:

• The best place our staff have ever worked
• The best place our member-owners have ever dealt
• The industry leader in financial performance
• The industry leader in corporate citizenship

I wish to offer everyone (Gordon Huston, CEO, the Board of Directors, the Executive Team, the Human Resources Department lead by Fred Bobye and the many employees in the Administration Centre and throughout the Branches) at Envision Financial my warmest congratulations on receiving this great honour.  You have all worked hard to make your organization the best place your employees have ever worked and it shows!

Click HERE to see a case study on some of the wonderful ways Envision Financial is addressing the worklife flexibility issues and employee wellbeing.  In addition, it is worth noting that Envision Financial was also ranked for the fifth year running as one of the 50 Best Employers in Canada, this year placing number 7 overall.

Congratulations Envision Financial!

PS - If you would like to apply for a job at Envision Financial HERE is the place to do it!

WorkLife BC Forum a Great Success!

Today was the WorkLife BC Forum at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue in Vancouver.  This event was a true success with a record number of attendees, many great sessions and the presentation of the WorkLife BC 2007 Awards.

In the morning, we heard from Dr. Linda Duxbury, Professor, Carelton School of Business and Work-Life Expert and from Gordon Huston, CEO Envision Financial.  The title of their presentation was Getting It Together: Attracting and Retaining the Workforce of the Future Through Work-Life Balance.  If anyone in the room was doubting the impact of work-life issues on today's workplaces both Linda and Gordon put these doubts to rest!  The basic reality is that if organizations want to succeed over the next decade and beyond they will need to do everything possible to attract and retain their talent.  We are now in a sellers market for labour and this is not going to change anytime soon. Dr. Duxbury told us that we are facing at least 25 years of labour force shortages.

After lunch, we saw the presentation of the 2007 WorkLife BC Awards my Minister Linda Reid.  There were Awards of Merit and Excellence given to organizations from each region of the Province.  In addition, two additional Awards were given - the Innovation Award and the WorkLife BC Employer of Choice. Below is a list of the 2007 Recipients.  Further information on each of these organizations is posted here.

The North

• Award of Excellence - The Exploration Place
• Award of Merit - Chetwynd Public Library

Vancouver Island

• Award of Excellence - Level Ground Trading Ltd.
• Award of Merit - M.M. Johnson Ltd. and Smart Dolphins IT Solutions Inc.

The Interior

• Award of Excellence - Advanced Safety Management Ltd.
• Award of Merit - Salmon Arm Savings and Credit Union and NRI Distribution

Vancouver-Coastal

• Award of Excellence and Innovation Award - Next Level Games Inc.
• Award of Merit - Ernst & Young LLP and Business Objects and MacKay LLP

The Frasers

• Award of Excellence and WorkLife BC Employer of Choice - Envision Financial
• Award of Merit - Advance Corporate Training Ltd, HWW Conference Inc. and TELUS Communications

In the afternoon, there were four breakout workshops designed to help bring practical tools and ideas to the forum attendees.  The sessions included:

• Thinking Big but Starting Small: How to Get Going in Your Workplace
• Small and Medium Size Business Savy: Thinking Outside the Box Really Works
• What Exactly is Work-Life Balance and How Can We Get It?
• What's Their Secret? How Work-Life Balance Options Can Help You Deal With the Labour Crunch

In the coming days much more information, videos and resources will be posted on the WorkLife BC website from this Forum.  Please visit it so that you can learn more about the many great initiatives that are happening in organizations throughout BC and review many of super  presentations that were made.

Google is No. 1 Place to Work

According to Fortune Magazine, Google is the Number 1 company to work for on the 2007 100 Best Companies to Work For List.

Register Now for the WorkLife BC Forum on February 9, 2007

Come to a one-day WorkLife BC Forum at the Morris J. Work Centre in downtown Vancouver on February 9, 2007.  The forum will be of interest to employers of all sizes, and in all sectors.

You'll learn from the experts - employers who have done it - how work-life balance and a flexible workplace can help employees and your bottom line, too.

For further information on the Forum and on registration please click on the link below.

Download wlbc_bulletin__3.pdf

Best Companies to Work for In BC

The December 2006 edition of BC Business Magazine has a list of the Best Companies to Work for in BC.  So who rates as the best?  Here are the top 25...

1. Great Little Box Co. 2. 1-800-GOT-JUNK 3. Odlum Brown 4. WCG International 5. Aritzia 6. OpenRoad Auto Group 7. Salmon Arm Savings and Credit Union 8. Flight Centre North America 9. Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle (Downtown) 10. Deloitte & Touche 11. Pacific Insight Electronics Corp. 12. Bull, Housser & Tupper 13. Edward Jones Investments 14. Cintas Canada 15. Coastal Pacific Xpress Inc. 16. Joe Fortes Seafood & Chophouse 17. The Personnel Department 18. Teldon International 19. Concert Properties 20. Norco Performance Bikes 21. Delta Vancouver Airport 22. The Old Spaghetti Factory 23. Cactus Club Cafe 24. Provident Security & Event Management Corp. 25. International Language Schools of Canada

Healthy Workplace Week

Canada's Healthy Workplace Week is a yearly celebration of workplace health in Canadian organizations.

A specific week is set aside each year to increase awareness about the importance of workplace health to personal and organizational performance.

It is Healthy Workplace Week from October 23 to October 29, 2006.

What is your organization doing to celebrate this week?

"Conquering the Chaos"

This is the theme for the 2007 Health, Work & Wellness Conference - October 17 - 20, 2007. 

Here is an excerpt from the conference promo documents:

"Which one of us is not feeling the crunch of greater work-life conflict?  In order to deal with the competing demands of the 24/7 workplace along with childcare and eldercare issues for many, we've begun to rely on timesaving technological devices.  At first it was a godsend, a time-saver, a way to speed up and streamline how we worked and what we acheived in a busy business day.  It gave us instant access to phone calls and emails, wireless connections for our laptops and PDA's, anywhere, any time of the day or night, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year in and year out...it became a nightmare.  Conference 2007 will tackle this issue.  We will explore the research,  trends and solutions surrounding the 24/7 work-life conflict and the blessing and curse of technology."

Health, Work & Wellness is planning for conference presentations in the streams of - Getting Smart, Working Smart, Growing Smart, Leading Smart and Personal Smarts.  (The main focus of the streams ranging from research to leadership to policy and practice to personal strategies.) Further information can be found in the Call for Proposals document.

Do you know an individual, organization, researcher or initiative that would make a great session?  Please encourage them to apply to present at this great conference.

My Queen Street Commons Experience

Though I am a bit delayed in posting this, I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude to all who make up the Queen Street Commons in Charlottetown, PEI.  On a recent business trip to PEI, I had the good fortune of accessing the QSC for the week that I was in town.

What Is Queen Street Commons?

In simple terms, the QSC is a fully equipped type of business centre that you can use if you happen to be in Charlottetown on business or if you reside on the Island.  However, in broader terms it is so much more than that.  You see QSC is located in a totally refurbished home that is in the downtown core of Charlottetown.  It is a short walk from all of the major places one would want to go in the City - for business or pleasure.  It is fully equipped with pretty much everything you could need for  short (or longer) term business needs.  Meeting space, desks, a kitchen, a board room and a comfortable living room where you can sit and relax, chat or blue sky.  In addition, there is wireless internet available throughout the building.  The price to access all of this is totally affordable for any small business person and one can come and go from the space 24/7 once set up with a key pass.  Users of the space are totally trusted and all are expected to abide by an excerpt of "rules" from Robert Fulghum's book "All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten".  Certainly, it is comfortable physical space that more than meets the business needs of the range of people who come and go from it throughout the day.  In addition, the atmosphere within the space is warm and welcoming.

"Feeling" The Potential

One thing that I think is important to note about QSC is the huge potential that it holds for all who access it.  I could just tell during the short amount of time I was there, that within the walls of the Commons there are great discussions taking place, interesting social solutions being developed and exciting new business ventures that are underway! Further, there are simple human connections, strong relationships and business/personal supports being nurtured on a daily basis among the various members.  To me, this was the most rewarding part of finding and working at the Commons for the time that I was on the Island.  Despite being from "Away", I was quickly welcomed and easily able to "feel" the potential that the space holds.  For this, I was most appreciative.

Thank You

My post would not be complete if I didn't take a moment to acknowledge the hard work of Robert Paterson, Cynthia Dunsford and Dan James, the founders of Queen Street Commons.  While I have not yet met Dan, both Rob and Cyn spent time meeting and chatting with me while I was there.  I think QSC is an amazingly, cool concept and I feel honoured that I was able to experience it in person.  It is very unique  space and a trusted environment.  I look forward to my next business (or pleasure) trip to PEI and to once again visiting and working at the Commons.

Thanks again!