IHR Newsletter - Issue No. 2, November 2005

By: Brenda Jean Lycett, President, Lycett 4Change & Associates

In This Issue

  1. Welcome
  2. Happenings
  3. Good Business Practices Award
  4. Managing My Life, Managing Stress Workshop
  5. Managing My Life TM
  6. You Asked
  7. Diversity Knews... What I thought I knew but didn't
  8. Confessions of a Bleeding Heart TM
  9. As A Matter of Fact
  10. Smile
  11. The Last Word

1. Welcome

The purpose of this newsletter is to keep you up-to-date with some of the changes in human resources practices/legislation; to acknowledge positive HR practices; to address stress to increase wellness; and to inspire thinking which results in continuous improvement in all of the above and more.

We are happy to include on-line registration for the IHR newsletter.

Our website has information on our products and services as well as "About Us". Please check it out and send us your comments.

2. Happenings

November 2005 is a busy month!

December 2005... even busier!

For events important for you and your employees go to CY2006 Ethnic and Religious Dates. This website includes a description of the event.

www3.kumc.edu/diversity/ethnic_relig/ethnic.html

The Canadian HR Institute, Canadian HR Press - Toronto

Holiday Inn, Woodbine and Steeles Avenues, $549.00 per course. Call Marion at 1-866-607-0876 or www.canadianhrpress.ca

3. Good Business Practices Award

It seems sometimes that the only news we hear about employers is bad news. To facilitate positive news and reward employers "In recognition of true commitment to practicing good business ethics that contribute positively to Canadian society", Lycett 4Change & Associates will be awarding employers with a "Good Practices Award".

We are honoured to present the Provincial Aboriginal Male Voices Advisory Group and the White Ribbon Campaign the second Good Business Practices Award for "Promoting healthy, equal relationships for generations of Aboriginal men and women by preventing violence against women."

"The Provincial Aboriginal Male Voices Advisory Group, consisting of Aboriginal youth and men across Ontario are overseeing the creation of two culturally unique resources that actively engage and involve Aboriginal men and boys, throughout the lifecycle, in ending violence against women."

For more information contact:

Terrellyn Fearn
Aboriginal Project Coordinator
White Ribbon Campaign
E-mail: tfearn@whiteribbon.ca
Tel: 1-800-328-2228
White Ribbon Campaign website: www.whiteribbon.ca

4. Managing My Life, Managing Stress Workshop

According to a new survey released today by Watson Wyatt "Employers are concerned about the cost of health-related absences from the workplace, but are not prepared to address the situation in a comprehensive, proactive manner." Footnote [1]

"Rising mental health claims, primarily related to stress, depression and anxiety disorders, were the top health and productivity-related concern for organizations, listed by 56 per cent of participants..."

As we continue to experience a considerable amount of change at work and in our personal life, we are also experiencing a considerable amount of stress. The more we manage our stress effectively, the more positive and enjoyable our life will be.

The Managing My Life, Managing Stress workshop is all about helping you to manage stress more effectively.

Workshops, which include CD's with relaxation exercises, may be scheduled as 3 or 6 hours, lunch and learns, as a teleclass or as a teleconference to meet your scheduling needs.

Be proactive - contact Brenda to discuss what works for you and improve the "wellness" of your organization.

5. Managing My Life TM

Do you know people who may be having difficulty managing their money? If so, the article "Life Planning-A Refreshing Approach to Thinking About Your Money Matters", by Steven Shagrin in the October Managing My Life newsletter will be of interest to you. George Beshara includes the following question:

My wife and I seem to always be arguing about money. I think it's important to save as much as we can because I don't want to work forever, the children are getting closer and closer to college age, and there are so many demands on our income that it's tough to stay on top of things, let alone think about which way to go first. She feels that if there is money in the bank account, it's OK to spend it on things that I feel are "expensive extras" for the children. She just doesn't get it - there's insurance, taxes, interest rates, market volatility - I just don't know which way to turn first. What do you suggest?

[Read answer and complete article]

6. You Asked

"Now that women have access to education/careers and have moved into management and professional positions, is the glass ceiling a thing of the past?"

The latest report from Catalyst Footnote [2] is that the glass ceiling still exists! According to the report, "women hold 50.3 per cent of all management and professional positions. Only 7.9 percent of Fortune 500 top earners and 1.4 per cent of Fortune 500 CEO's are women."

The report goes on to explain why this is: "Prior Catalyst research shows that senior women executives consistently point to gender based stereotyping as a top barrier to their advancement."

7. Diversity Knews... What I thought I knew but didn't

Dec. 3, 2005 is International Day of Disabled Persons. Check your local papers for events in your community. The theme this year is Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Action in Development. The aim is to highlight the interdependence between the rights of persons with disabilities and development.

8. Confessions of a Bleeding Heart TM

It is with a sense of horror and bewilderment that I watched the story of harassment of a young woman at a local school on the evening news this week. My heart aches for her, her family, her friends and all the people at the school. My heart aches for all of us.

I am familiar with situations of harassment in the workplace through my experience as advisor for preventing harassment and training facilitation. Yet I could not help but wonder "How could this be happening? How could this have gone on for a year without any adult noticing?"

A more important question I ask is "What can we do to stop it from happening again?" Here are some things to watch for to identify a child (applies to all ages) that may be experiencing bullying and harassment: Foootnote [3]

For more information on this article contact me.

To learn steps that you can take to help a child being bullied, check out www.bullying.org

Bullies at school become bullies in the workplace. Please feel free to offer any tips or comments you have on how we can prevent bullying and harassment in our schools, in our workplaces and eradicate the violence in our society.

9. As A Matter of Fact

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise. (That we know of so far...)

10. Smile

Do you want to make someone smile? How about offering them something that pleases their pallet and supports a good cause?

The Toronto Lung Transplant Civitan Club Inc. is a service club with the emphasis on helping pre and post Lung Transplant Patients. Although we help them throughout the year with the purchase of Spirometers, and other required medical equipment, our main goal is to build a residence for our-of-town Pre-Transplant Patients.

Patients accepted on the list have to live within 2 hours of Toronto, and many have found it a great hardship finding affordable accommodation in the Toronto area. We have had a few that actually had to refuse the transplant for financial reasons.

Claxton Christmas Cakes has become one of our biggest fundraisers and proceeds from these sales go toward our housing project. They come in light or dark, and are $6.00 a pound, or $15.00 for a three pound box - which can be mixed. We really appreciate your help, and if you wish to order you can do so through Linda Lycett at llycett@sympatico.ca, or Bosilka Paska at bosilka_paska@wsib.on,ca

11. The Last Word

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Footnotes

[1] Paths to Equal Opportunity: Staying@Work Canada, November 2005 [Back]

[2] Catalyst, www.catalyst.org, women "Take Care," Men "Take Charge:" Stereotyping of U.S. Business Leaders Exposed [Back]

[3] Pulse24-Toronto's News, www.pulse24.com, September 26, 2005. [Back]

Merry Christmas. Blessings to All In Your Holy and Cultural Celebrations

Make Poverty History