“Don’t judge the picture by the frame, every man is not the same.”
Elton John, “Understanding Women”
10 New Year’s Resolutions for Employers
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
It’s a new year and with anything new comes a time for change. What changes will you make to better yourself as an employer, your employees and the overall culture of the business you run?
Here are some reflective personal suggestions from one business owner to another:
1. Boost your biggest asset – your employees: It’s better for business, and the bottom line, to retain talent instead of having to replace this with new hires. Putting a focus on the mental and physical health of your employees will help to ensure lower rates of absenteeism and higher satisfaction, allowing you to retain your talent long term. How you do this will depend on of course the type of business you run, the nature of your culture, and the size of your organization. But in the end, remember that people are just that – people – and they have wants, needs, ideas, interests, struggles…take an interest in them and this will help them to shine.
2. Wellness is key: The term “wellness” was all over the news in 2014 and seems to be a continuing trend. However, do you really know how to create “wellness” at your business? If not, seek the assistance of a professional, like a wellness specialist or occupational therapist, to help you to evaluate your current situation, to put a plan in place to increase employee health (both mental and physical), and to implement this and evaluate its effectiveness over the long term.
3. Model the behaviours you want to see: How do you implement change? Your employees won’t create the positive changes you want themselves! Modelling the behaviours and activities you wish to see from the top down will help employees to take part themselves. Practice what you preach and lead by example. If you are grumpy, miserable, unapproachable and difficult to talk to, your employees will be the same. Yet, if you are enthusiastic, engaging, caring and productive, their behavior too should follow.
4. Cultivate a better culture: For anything to become commonplace in the long term, it needs to be fully integrated into your corporate culture. Think strategically about how the changes you seek can be part of your long term business plan and can become ingrained in your daily work life.
5. Show gratitude: Don’t take anything for granted. If an employee is going above and beyond take time to sincerely thank them for all they’ve done. The same is especially true for clients, suppliers and referral sources — make sure you know you are thankful for their support and business!
6. Focus on flexibility: Offering flexible arrangements for workers, such as telecommuting and flex hours can increase employee satisfaction, reduce stress, help you attract top talent and to retain your staff long term!
7. Listen Carefully (to your staff): Do you take the time to actually listen to what your staff has to say? Setting aside time to check in, hold brainstorming sessions and solicit suggestions from your employees will help them to feel more empowered and could lead to your next big product or service!
8. Plan for the future: When running a successful business it’s important to ensure you think both in the short and long term when looking to make change. Take time to regularly plan, evaluate and revisit goals to ensure your short term actions will lead to long term success.
9. Take time for team-building: How well do you know your staff and how well do they know each other? Studies show that employees who feel they belong to a team are more loyal and dedicated to their work. It’s important to schedule regular team building activities, both inside and outside of work hours and that you get involved in these yourself.
10. Make time for yourself: Running a business is no easy task and it’s definitely not a 9-5 job! I often find myself working in the evenings, on weekends and checking email during time when I should be focused on myself or my family. Resolve to give yourself some daily “me time” so you too can enjoy life outside of work. Taking time for yourself will help keep you focused, reduce stress and actually increase your productivity, patience and is another way to lead by example. No one wants to come into the office at 8:30am to 10 emails from the boss that were sent the night before. Discipline yourself to not add to the chaos by structuring your own time accordingly.
Creating change is not easy. Remember to start small and build overtime for success! Whatever your choice of resolution I wish you the best of luck for success in 2015!
Inspired
Hope…
Read Those Labels
Yes, reading food labels can be confusing and overwhelming, but it is an important practice in understand what nutrients and additives you and your family are consuming. To help make this easier, check out this interactive tool from Healthy Canadians which helps to educate consumers on how to properly read these important labels so you can make informed food choices.
Inspired
“It is always much better to try your best and fail, than not trying at all.”
Ingrid Holm-Garibay
New Year… New You! We Want You To Be a QUITTER!
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
National Non-Smoking week aside, are you ready to butt out? According to Smoke Free Ontario, smoking takes approximately 13000 lives in Ontario each and every year. However, the good news is that the number of smokers continues to decrease yearly, and is currently at 18.1%. Are you in for reducing this number further?
Apparently, quitting smoking is extremely difficult and many need to try different approaches before finally kicking the habit. For many smokers it becomes more about the habit and the behavior, than the nicotine itself. So how can you butt out? Our team of experienced Occupational Therapists have some great solutions for you to try:
1. Make Your Intentions Public: The decision to quit takes a great deal of courage and should be celebrated. Make your intentions public within your family or friends, or by using social media for a larger reach. By making your goal to quit public it will help hold you accountable and to draw on those close to you to lean on for support.
2. Devise a Plan: Quitting cold turkey can be extremely difficult. We recommend that you create a monthly or weekly plan to reduce your intake and set you well on your way. This might be as simple as reducing one cigarette per day for a week or a month, then reducing again etc.
3. Identify Triggers: While working through your monthly or weekly plan to reduce the amount of cigarettes you consume, ensure you are keeping track of the amount you smoke each day, the times of day you smoke and what in your environment has triggered you to have a cigarette. Tracking any behavior is the best way to isolate it and is the first step to making improvements.
4. Modify your environment to help reduce these triggers: After conducting your research look closely at the time of day, environment, people, stressors or other triggers that promoted your need or wanting to smoke. Is it possible to change your situation or environment to avoid these triggers moving forward?
5. Work to reduce stress: Many smoke as a reaction to stress. Finding ways to reduce stress, such as meditation and mindfulness practice, taking a hot bath, or breathing exercises can help you to reduce this trigger.
6. Find a healthier habit: If it’s the “break” you find is your trigger try finding a different way to take 5 minutes to yourself. Take a quick walk, try yoga poses, grab a warm beverage, phone a friend or practice breathing exercises instead.
7. Seek Support: By making your intentions to quit public you have opened yourself up to a group of family and friends to rely on and assist you in your goal to quit. If these sources are not available, try phoning the Smokers Hotline or join a support group to speak with someone who can help you through your craving and keep you smoke free.
8. Seek an Alternative Solution: There are so many different products in the marketplace to assist you with quitting such as: gums, e-cigarettes, inhalers, and patches. Find which one works for you and rely on this to assist you along the way.
9. Speak to Your Doctor: Your family doctor is a great resource and will gladly support you in your quest to break the habit. Speak with your doctor about the alternative solutions and medications that exist that can help you quit. Your doctor may also connect you to OHIP-funded resources that you can access to support you in your quest.
10. Celebrate Your Success: Ensure that along the way you celebrate any milestones you have reached. If you’ve worked for a week or a month to cut your daily intake by 5 cigarettes, reward yourself and share your news with those you love. This will help to keep you focussed and lead to further success!
11. Reword the goal if needed: Yes “quitting smoking” might be the BIG goal, but under this there are layers of other goals that you can focus on that might seem less intimidating and are more fun to measure. Maybe your smaller goals include walking upstairs without becoming breathless, having whiter teeth, or not wanting your clothing or home to smell like cigarette smoke. Perhaps if you relate to a more practical goal that is tangible, measurable, and visible to others, your motivation might be enhanced.
12. Watch for other bad habits to surface: Sometimes when trying to move from one bad habit we pick up another. With any reduction in a negative behavior there will be withdrawal. Accept this and cope through it for the days it lasts, knowing that those symptoms too shall pass. But when struggling through withdrawal, try not to adopt another bad habit as a coping mechanism. Switching from smoking to eating unhealthy food or consuming more alcohol will not help you to achieve the ultimate result you want which is to improve your health.
13. Don’t just change your behavior, change your LIFESTYLE: Adopting a new way of living, and talking to others about this, is far more impactful and motivating then talking about a behavior change. When people say “I am trying to lose weight” it is not nearly as impactful as “I have a sugar-free lifestyle” or “I have changed my lifestyle to achieve my health goals”. Make a LIFESTYLE change to be healthy and let the behaviors follow.
14. If at first you don’t succeed… try try again!
For more resources and tips to help you along the way visit www.smokershelpline.ca or www.quitnow.ca. Also you can find some helpful apps by visiting checking out Healthline’s Top Smoking Cessation Apps.
We wish you the best of luck and encourage you to BE A QUITTER this 2015!
Laughter Therapy
Weekly Mind Bender
When one does not know what it is, then it is something; but when one knows what it is, then it is nothing.
A riddle.
Inspired
Check out this great reminder that we all need a little optimism in our lives…
Alzheimer’s Awareness: Recognize the Signs
Did you know that of the approximately 300 000 Canadians who suffer from Alzheimer’s 72% are women? See more on this shocking statistic in from Global News.
Global News: Women make up 72 per cent of Alzheimer’s patients
This January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and the message for 2015 is focussing on the 72% and how to recognize the early onset. Check out the following 10 Warning Signs from the Alzheimer’s Society Canada—knowing the signs may make a difference for someone you love.