Benefits Canada: Employers can help gen Z workers feel less isolated through social activities, mentoring: Experts

This article was originally published in Benefits Canada – written by Sadie Janes.

Generation Z workers may be feeling more disconnected or isolated due to the effects of remote work, but employers can help by providing opportunities for connectivity, says Alexandra Duba, people experience advisor at Xero Ltd.

“It has so much to do with how the [coronavirus] pandemic impacted in-person connection, as well as the impact technology has had on in-person connection over the last decade. Even though we can feel like we’re more connected because of technology, sometimes I think it also inhibits us from feeling a genuine sense of connectivity. And the younger generation seems to be impacted the most.”

Janet Candido, founder and principal at Candido Consulting Group, agrees young workers may be at a social disadvantage due to the effects of the pandemic and remote work. “Older generations have pre-pandemic experience of working in the office, so they had the ability to hone their social skills. A lot of gen Z workers were hired during the pandemic, so they started off working remotely and many still are. Because of this, many don’t have that exposure to know how to read social cues and interact with a colleague. It sounds pretty basic, but it [can lead to feelings of isolation].”

Duba recognizes gen Z workers are more technologically savvy, which can help them adjust in a new work environment, but if they haven’t had much organic in-person experience working with others, it can feel unsettling.

The best way to overcome these feelings is through practice, she adds, noting employers can help by creating platforms for connectivity through in-person meetings and social activities. “When you’re in a remote or hybrid setting . . . it’s on the employer to build programs and engagement opportunities. But when you have a mix of workers at home and in the office, it can be hard to coordinate that. I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all solution, but it’s mainly about trying to create opportunities for people to have those moments of connectivity.”

If employers have concerns, Candido suggests they try to bring younger workers into the office periodically, even those who are fully remote. Also, it would help if they ensured the trip to the office is worthwhile for these employees so they’re not just heading straight to their desks to work with their head down, she adds.

“[Foster] those social connections by having group meetings or brainstorming sessions. Get them all together for lunch or something that allows employees to mingle so they can develop the social skills needed at work. General social awareness . . . can be improved [through] coaching and mentoring [as well].”

Does Ontario's paid sick leave go far enough? – Interview in HRD Canada

This article was originally published by HRD Canada.

The plan may be great for overall wellbeing, but what about employees who fall through the cracks?

Late last month, the Government of Ontario announced an extension to their paid sick leave program – applicable to March 2023. And while it’s good news for employees worried about picking between their income and their wellbeing, does the proposed scheme really go far enough?

“The government will reimburse the employer for three days but the mandatory isolation period is five days – furthermore, it’s possible for an individual to catch COVID more than once,” explained Janet Candido, founder of Candido Consulting Group. “Under these scenarios, employers may have an individual coming to work while still sick because they can’t afford to lose the wages.

“A bigger issue with the program is that employees (or their families) get other illnesses that they should stay home for, however the government won’t reimburse the employer for an employee staying home with a cold, for example. This means that the employee will go into work and spread that virus around to their colleagues. The pandemic really made the public conscientious of spreading viruses and illnesses to others, so it’s important to continue with this mentality and provide alternative solutions for sick employees so they don’t have to choose between not getting paid or going into the office sick and getting others ill.”

And COVID isn’t employers’ only concern right now. The recent rise of hybrid colds are having a knock-on effect on employees and their work attendance. With Ontario gearing up for the winter months, and with them the inevitable peak in illnesses, employers really need to start considering upping their game when it comes to wellbeing leave.

“Many employees don’t have the luxury of paid sick days from their employer, so if they don’t work, they don’t get paid,” added Candido. “The lack of a paid sick day program disproportionately affects low-income workers. As many of these employees can’t afford to lose one or more days of pay, this will result in them going to work, risking the spread of the virus to their colleagues.

“When looking back to pre-pandemic days, there was one year throughout the winter where a cold virus made its rounds in my office. Most of us caught it two or three times that year. A reason being that many people didn't have enough sick days and couldn’t afford to have unpaid days while they were sick.”

As the past two years brought us the harsh reality of the global impact of a virus, it’s crucial to have a permanent sick day program to avoid spreading these viruses further and risk severe viral outbreaks such as COVID, where it brings on additional challenges such as business closures and travel disruptions.

Return to work policies

For HR leaders, the issue is less about ‘policy’ and more about overall wellbeing. If the pandemic taught us anything it’s that, in order to retain top talent, organizations need to be sincere in their health offerings. One-size-fits-all approaches aren’t enough for tired employees – and they certainly won’t help employers win candidates in the Great Reengagement. Flexibility is key here – as Candido suggests asking yourself these very important questions before blanket recalling staff;

• Do employees really need to be in the office?

• Do they need to be in the office full time? If not, can a hybrid approach work? 

• How can we successfully implement a hybrid approach? I.e., assign in-office days, in-office by team or let employees choose.

• What can you do to support employees returning to work?

“Employers need to remember that this has been a long period of disruption,” she explained. “Mentalities have changed so it’s a good idea to consider a staged return to the office to allow employees to build confidence and get them comfortable. Also, ask employees what it will take to make them comfortable coming back to the office and be flexible and prepared to make accommodations throughout.”

Making accommodations

If an employee is genuinely uncomfortable about return to the office, HR leaders should look at making some sort of accommodation. Look at rolling out flexible working schedules, take note of commuting fears, allow for more remote models – and most of all ensure that your workplace is up to health and safety codes.

“HR and employers can implement a transition period that allows employees to ease back to the office,” Candido told HRD. “It’s also important to be completely open and transparent so employees trust you have their health and safety in mind. This means, continue to be diligent in enforcing the COVID protocols in place – be visible with the extra cleaning and masking requirements – and track the cases of employees who have tested positive and advise anyone who was in the office at the same time to self-monitor or test.”

Not like 'the before times': what work could look like for Edmontonians returning to the office

This article was originally published in the Edmonton Journal.

As COVID-19 vaccination numbers ramp up and the Alberta government considers its economic reopening plan, many Edmonton workers returning to the office, in the coming months, may find it has changed since the pandemic.

Janet Candido, founder and principal of human resources firm Candido Consulting Group, said those who have been working from home likely won’t be returning to the same work environment or nine-to-five routine they remember from 14 or 15 months ago.

“I don’t think we’re going to be going back to the office the way we were doing it in the before times,” said Candido.

While the idea of working from home might have been popular in the beginning, it’s left many workers exhausted and disengaged, she said.

A recent survey conducted by Angus Reid for ADP Canada reported that 44 per cent of remote employees are working longer hours, and stress levels are also on the rise, hitting 41 per cent, up from 34 per cent in April 2020.

It also found that 46 per cent of remote workers surveyed were feeling less engaged with their work since the start of the pandemic.

“I did hear from a lot of people, ‘well you know, I don’t have anything else to do so I might as well do the work.’ But it’s gone on for a long time, and they’re a little sick of not having anything else to do. The other problem is that their employer has gotten used to an increased volume of productivity, creating expectations that are not necessarily well received,” said Candido.

Of those who spend an increased amount of time working, paying a kind of “COVID-19 tax,” one in 10 reported working an additional eight hours or more per week.

But many Canadians see the perks of continuing to work virtually, at least for some of the time.

A recent survey from KPMG found that most Canadian workers want to get back to the office, but about three-quarters prefer a “hybrid” model that allows some flexibility to work remotely.

“I think we’re going to see more flexibility and more hybrid situations. Some people really enjoy working remotely and would rather continue to do that, some people really hate it, and then there’s a whole bunch of people that say, ‘well, I’d like to come into the office a few days and work at home a few days,'” Candido said.

She added the challenge will be for employers to figure out how they’re going to accommodate that.

Felicia Mutheardy, Edmonton’s acting chief corporate economist, said in an email the return to work may be industry-dependent, with some in the professional services, finance and insurance industries more likely than others to permanently offer employees the possibility of remote work after the pandemic.

Candido said after months of working in relatively isolated spaces, workers value in-person social interaction and the opportunity for group work even more – which could change the way office space looks.

“Instead of individual offices you might have more communal spaces, you might reduce your footprint. You might even decide to make some changes to how you work together, like capitalizing on the in-person time for innovation and collaboration and, tapping into the collective brain of colleagues,” she said.

She added that she hopes the resources employers have put into mental health supports continue beyond stay-at-home orders.

“Up until now we’ve done little other than just pay lip service to mental health,” said Candido, adding she’s concerned about the number of people who have opted not to take time off, like a vacation, which can lead to burn out.

'Burning out': Remote workers report paying a price for increased productivity

This article was originally published by CTV News.

TORONTO -- Remote workers in Canada are logging more hours, experiencing more stress, and feeling less engaged with their work, according to a new survey.

The online survey, conducted by ADP Canada and Angus Reid, asked 1,501 Canadians working remotely and in person to evaluate their experience working during the pandemic, including their work hours, productivity, engagement, stress levels, and quality of their work.  

The survey found that 44 per cent of remote workers reported they were logging more hours of work than they were in pre-pandemic times. Of those, one in ten reported working an additional day, or more than eight extra hours per week.

In contrast, only 15 per cent reported working fewer hours and 38 per cent said there was no change in the hours they worked.

Janet Candido, a human resources professional of 20 years and founder and principal of Candido Consulting Group, said she thinks people are working longer hours because they’re not as busy in the evenings or on weekends due to pandemic-related restrictions.

“I heard this from my own team a year ago: ‘Well, I don't have anything else to do so I might as well get this done,’” she told CTVNews.ca during a telephone interview on Thursday.

Candido, who was not involved in the survey, said workers’ output is increasing as a result, and this increased productivity has almost become an expectation.

“I don’t think it’s an expectation so much in terms of companies saying, ‘Well, now you can work 10 hours a day.’ I think the expectation is around the production,” she said.

It seems employees agree their output has increased as a result of their long workdays with 42 per cent of remote workers reporting that they feel more productive and 37 per cent saying they have noticed an increase in the quality of their work.

While increased productivity sounds good on paper, the survey also showed that employees’ stress levels were on the rise and engagement with their work was down.

Stress levels rose seven per cent over the past year, from 34 per cent in April 2020 to 41 per cent in April 2021.

In terms of engagement, the survey reported that 46 per cent of remote workers said they felt less engaged with their work since the start of the pandemic.

Candido said these findings should be a cause for concern for employers.

“They’re burning out,” she said. “They’re exhausted.”

WHAT CAN EMPLOYERS DO

Candido said a lot of employees haven’t been taking their vacation days during the pandemic because they’re not able to travel or do a lot of the activities they would normally do.

“They can't go play golf, they can't travel, they can't go to a concert. So they kind of feel like it's a waste of their vacation,” she said.

This only adds to employee burnout and stress, according to Candido. To prevent this, she said employers should force their employees to take their vacation time so they can have a break.

And Candido says employers should strongly discourage workers from putting in longer hours on the job.

“[Say to them] ‘I don't want to hear from you after six o'clock, I don't want to hear from you on the weekend.’ If you don't reward it, the behaviour will stop eventually,” she said.

Candido also recommended that employers pay close attention to their remote-workers’ mental health and well-being by scheduling regular check-ins.

“Do you see signs of anxiety? Are they short-tempered? Do they appear to be really tired? Or, like, ridiculously awake? Are you seeing any signs that not all is well? And then you have to address it,” she said.

From her own experience, Candido said she’s had employees tell her they’ve really appreciated hearing from their manager or their supervisor while they’ve been working from home.

“They're not telling me that they're happy their manager called to find out if the report was done on time, they're happy the manager called just to check in on how they're doing,” she said.

Candido said it’s also important for companies to have mental health resources available to their workers, even when they’re not physically in the office.

“We all pay lip service to it, but it's not always effective,” she said. “So they have to put more effort into making those resources available and making it OK for employees to access them.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis, here are some resources that are available.

Canada Suicide Prevention Helpline (1-833-456-4566)

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (1-800-463-2338)

Crisis Services Canada (1-833-456-4566 or text 45645)

Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868)

If you need immediate assistance call 911 or go to the nearest hospital. 

Navigating a toxic workplace is a risky and lengthy process, experts say

This article was originally written by The Canadian Press and includes coverage in The Toronto Star

TORONTO - In the wake of Julie Payette’s resignation from the role of governor general on Thursday after an investigation into harassment allegations, some Canadian workers may find themselves relating to the rank and file at Rideau Hall.

In many cases however, workers who have the courage to complain about mistreatment from their managers find all too often that their boss doesn’t face any consequences, notes human resources consultant Janet Candido.

“If it’s somebody that nobody likes, or if it’s a fairly low-level person, companies are usually much more apt to take action,” says Candido, founder of Candido Consulting Group.

“The problem really comes in when the person is very senior, or popular, or a good producer. And then people turn a blind eye.”

Candido says that any employee experiencing bullying should take detailed notes about each clash, including the day, time and whether there were any witnesses. Workplaces should focus on anti-harassment training that empowers managers from other departments to step in when they see a fellow manager bully a subordinate, she says.

“Don’t expect a subordinate to be able to stand up to their boss and say, ‘You are harassing me and haven’t stopped,’ she says. ”They’re afraid of being ostracized. They’re afraid of their career being finished.“

Many workplace policies, however, do exactly that, says Fredericton employment lawyer Dan Leger. Most workplaces are required to have policies to deal with harassment, but many vary in how they define harassment or require employees to start with informal discussions.

“It all starts with confirming to the individual that behaviour is not welcomed,” says Leger. “We all know what it looks like, at the far end: If somebody’s making a sexual advance to a subordinate employee, that’s easy to classify. But what about the employer or the boss or the manager who decides to shun an individual in the copy room?”

Leger says workplace policies are often designed to mediate and diffuse disputes without ever reaching the point where investigators are called in. A good policy, Leger says, includes at least one backup mediator if an employee cannot safely complain to the manager.

“That’s not uncommon in workplaces: A boss might have an employee in the management team that they’ve worked with, that they go camping with, and employees know that,” says Leger. “If you can’t go to your immediate supervisor, then who is the default after that, and who was the default after that?”

Leger says any workplace policy should also have a clause that protects good-faith complainants from retaliation. If violated, that could be a violation of a work contract — and entitle the employee to monetary damages, Leger says.

Ottawa lawyer Yavar Hameed says more workers have reported feeling isolated and vulnerable to difficult employers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hameed says that there are several different routes of recourse for workers who are being bullied. For example, a unionized workplace may allow an employee to file a grievance.

If an employer request is unlawful, discriminatory or a threat to health and safety, Hameed says that merits workers raising an instant alarm, and can open the door to the province’s human rights tribunal or Ministry of Labour. A traumatic workplace incident that ends in a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder means that an employee now has a medical condition that must be accommodated by the employer, Hameed says.

On the other hand, if a workplace is proven to be so toxic that a worker is impeded in carrying out their duties, Hameed says an employee could try to build a legal case for constructive dismissal, sometimes called “quitting with cause.”

But each legal option has its risks, Hameed says, as does the option of “going public” with complaints without having a lawyer or union to advocate for you.

“The caveat for all of these kind of interventions is that legal processes are long and drawn out,” says Hameed.

“The danger of going public with something is ... you have to have the confidence that then you will be able to weather a vigorous response by the employer.”

When harassment is between two co-workers, the worker on the receiving end should make a complaint to management requesting protection, says Hameed.

“The liability of management is triggered when you let management know that this co-worker is harassing you, and they just condone that behaviour,” he says.

What’s tougher, he said, is when management is accused of abuses. Hameed says workplace complaints are more likely to be investigated if there are multiple employees willing to come forward with similar experiences — which, he admits, is easier said than done.

“Even if there’s a group of them, they may still not feel that they have that safety,” says Hameed. But, he adds, when it comes to a group complaint, “in most circumstances, it would be highly imprudent of management to just sort of whitewash that or dismiss that.”