CANADIANS SAY THEIR BOSSES ARE STRONG
LEADERS
Bosses often get a bad rap when portrayed on TV – think Michael
Scott of The Office or Mr. Burns in The Simpsons – but, in reality,
most people are impressed with their managers, according to a
new OfficeTeam survey. More than three in four workers interviewed
said their boss has strong leadership skills. In addition, 65
per cent believe they couldn’t do a better job than their manager.
The survey of office workers was developed by OfficeTeam, a
staffing service specializing in the placement of highly skilled administrative
professionals. It was conducted by an independent
research firm and is based on telephone interviews with more
than 400 Canadian workers 18 years of age or older employed in
office environments.
Workers were asked, “How would you rate your boss’s leadership
skills?” Twenty-seven per cent responded that they would
rate their bosses as having very strong leadership skills, and 50
per cent said that they their bosses are somewhat strong leaders.
“Although workers may not regularly praise their bosses, many
look up to their managers’ leadership skills and acknowledge
that supervisory roles can be highly demanding,” said Robert
Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. “Employees might
not feel they could do a better job than their boss because they
aren’t interested in leading others or taking on the added responsibility
and accountability that comes with executive roles.”
ONLINE TOOLKIT DESIGNED TO HELP
EMPLOYERS OF PEOPLE WITH EPILEPSY
A first-of-its-kind online toolkit is now available to provide training
and resources to companies and organizations that have
employees with epilepsy.
Developed by Epilepsy Toronto, the epilepsy@work toolkit
was recently launched with the Government of Ontario,
Epilepsy Ontario and CIBC. To see the toolkit, please visit:
http://bit.ly/1xmdA3F
“The goal of the toolkit is to help employers and HR professionals
better understand, address and manage the needs of employees
living with a seizure disorder,” said Tim Nourse, an employment
consultant with Epilepsy Toronto.
The toolkit features information around accommodating employees
with a seizure disorder and focuses on three primary areas:
understanding epilepsy; seizure safety; and first aid, just-in-time
resources for HR professionals, managers and occupational health
and safety specialists.
Once on the website, co-workers, front-line supervisors and
HR staff can take a 30-minute course to help them understand
the condition and why having an employee with epilepsy is actually
good for business.
“Generally, people living with epilepsy have a greater challenge
retaining a job than finding employment. The information
in epilepsy@work can be used to curb discrimination and guide
employers to appropriate resources. People may choose not to
disclose that they have epilepsy, but when they have that first
seizure at work, things get a little bit dicey,” said Nourse. “For the
person with epilepsy, they may not have a local epilepsy support
agency that can help them, but they can steer their employer towards
this website.”
epilepsy@work is a resource that’s long overdue, says Margaret
Carter, an HRPA certification and continuing professional development
specialist who lives with a seizure disorder. “I encourage
employers to think about individuals with epilepsy in the same
manner that they would any other employee – as an individual,
not as a labeled group. I also encourage an employer to foster an
atmosphere of openness, as it is often difficult for individuals living
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with epilepsy to tell their employers.
Using this resource to train staff and managers
will create openness.”
HRPA SIGNS MEMORANDUM
OF UNDERSTANDING WITH
AUSTRALIAN AND NEW
ZEALAND HR ASSOCIATIONS
The Human Resources Professionals
Association (HRPA) has signed a
Memorandum of Understanding with the
Australian Human Resources Institute
(AHRI) and the Human Resources
Institute of New Zealand (HRINZ) that
initiates a closer working relationship
news
10 ❚ FEBRUARY 2015 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL