Go-Getters and the Online Impact. How Much is Too Much?

Statutory Holidays

I like the idea of flexibility, but having days off that coincide with many people does make it easier to get together with friends. (It is nice to see everyone off at the same time, but it’s also nice to go the pool, movies, or park without a crowd sometimes.) I’m in favor of continued Statutory Holidays with the option to trade with others or time in lieu (also overtime pay). This would especially be respectful to people with different cultures and religions. Like Alison McMahon says, we need to start looking and paying attention to the multiculturalism in our society and ask how we can accommodate other holidays, seeing as how many Statutory Holidays are religious, traditional, Christian holidays.

Distrust in the Workplace

I’m hoping our stats may be a bit more favourable than those in America, but I think the trend probably holds—this is a big problem. Productivity goes way up and turnover, lost time, and poor morale go way down when workers feel respected and appreciated by their workplace. Obviously, honesty and trust are part of that. I completely agree with Wendy Giuffre when she says one significant way of maintaining trust between managers and employees is communication. The point is that creating an emotionally and psychologically healthy workplace is good for the bottom line and the health, well-being, and satisfaction of employees and managers. Of course managers are trying to do what’s best for the business and its survival, but it is important to not lose sight of what is best for employees, says Alison. The Psychologists Association of Alberta actually has a “psychologically healthy workplace award” at the provincial level as well as at the national and North American level. The good news is that people and organizations are becoming more aware of these issues and are doing more innovative things to support health and work-life balance: daycares in the workplace (or close by), subsidies for active lifestyles (gym memberships, et cetera), flexible hours, appreciation or recognition programs, et cetera.

One of the best things a company can do for their bottom line is create a safe respectful culture.
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Social Media and Work

It used to be that people were actually concerned about their reputations and so they would restrict themselves from behaviors that violated social or family norms. This was especially the case in small or close communities. These norms and the social consequences had their downsides of course (homophobia, racism, sexism were supported and entrenched to some extent by this fact), but they also served to help a civilization have structure, stability, and respect.

Character is what you do in the dark. With social media, there's not much dark left.
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So we should all me mindful of how we act even when we’re off the clock, especially when you’re in a position of leadership. The other side of being in a position of power is also shouldering the responsibility that comes with it. Lots of organizations have codes of conduct (of course, these can also be abused and unfair), so you should be familiar with them and make sure you can live up to them if you work for the organization. Employers don’t have to disclose their reasons for not hiring you or letting you go, so always ask yourself who you look like online. As an employer, a list of set expectations can never hurt—even a list of items you may consider to be common sense, says Alison. Not sure how this emerging situation will ultimately play out in terms of what employers can actually do, but we should all be aware that what we do and how we come across can have lasting consequences.

Go-Getter Woes

It’s great to be the go-to person at work, but there is an imbalance when workload and compensation and recognition don’t reflect this. It can cause resentment by that person and foster lack of engagement in everyone else. This can lead to poor morale and team functioning, which can put more pressure on being the effective person as the manager tries to keep productivity up. It’s a vicious cycle. Managers can deal with this by being conscious of how work is assigned and making sure rewards and compensations follow good performance and poor performance is dealt with early and consistency. Another suggestion from Alison is to communicate with team members and set goals with them in order to ensure everyone is pulling their weight and roles are allocated properly.

Health, Love, Happiness, Success

Dr. Ganz Ferrance