Secret ballots for union certification are the norm in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland – and most Ontario situations. Plus we use secret ballot for virtually every other type of vote!
But Premier John Horgan wants to strip every B.C. worker of this fundamental democratic right.
Learn more at www.SaveTheSecretBallot.ca
For the final time, The Orca’s Maclean Kay and ICBA’s Jordan Bateman bring you the #BCPOLI Hotstove, recapping Kevin Falcon’s by-election win, Stephanie Cadieux’s last day in the Legislature, and Maclean moving on (sob) from The Orca.
Each week, ICBA’s Jordan Bateman reflects on what we’ve learned as we participate in ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program. This program is free for all ICBA members – check out icba.ca/wellness for details.
I always get a kick out of May the Fourth – a day where we celebrate Star Wars.
Recently, I came across a blog post that looked at positive mental healthy advice found in the Star Wars movies. While The Phantom Menace is my least favourite film in the franchise, I did find this advice helpful:
“You can’t stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting.” – Shmi Skywalker, The Phantom Menace. From the blog post:
Anakin Skywalker’s mother, Shmi offers this pearl of wisdom to her young boy who is resisting leaving her for the life of a freed slave.
Change is a constant in our lives and much of it is beyond our direct control, but many of us spend a lot of time fighting against change. While there are certainly changes that are worth fighting against, sometimes the best path for positive mental health is to accept that change is coming and re-position yourself to make the best of the situation rather than fighting the inevitable.
Once you accept change, it can be an empowering opportunity to start things anew.
Sounds right to me (Although Anakin missed the point of the lesson. Spoiler alert!). May the force be with you, today and everyday, in your journey of change.
ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program is helping more than 50 companies and 6,000+ construction professionals, better understand mental health. The program is free for ICBA members — see icba.ca/wellness.
Each week, ICBA’s Jordan Bateman reflects on what we’ve learned as we participate in ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program. This program is free for all ICBA members – check out icba.ca/wellness for details.
It’s hard to talk about suicide. It’s still a source of much secrecy and stigma. We see that in vaguely-worded media reports of deaths; in TransLink and Ministry of Transportation reporting “police incidents” at various SkyTrain stations or bridges; in obituaries; in carefully crafted and labelled TV shows; and in everyday life.
Yet we all know someone who died by suicide. It’s a tremendous loss that we never really get over.
This month, our ICBA Wellness program talks about suicide prevention – teaching us how to identify and recognize the signs in ourselves and others. These are not easy things to say out loud, and yet we must.
Especially in construction, where the suicide rate is five times that of the rest of the Canadian population. Our workers are more at risk than nearly any other group.
Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll write more about this, but let’s start with the two biggest warning signs we should all keep an eye out for:
This seems obvious, and yet we can easily gloss over little comments, thinking they might be hyperbole or jokes. But when it comes to suicide, it’s worth taking an extra moment and asking more questions.
Our friend Corey Hirsch is blunt – he suggests just asking straight out, if you have any sense of a red flag at all. “Are you okay? Are you planning to hurt yourself? How can I help you through this time? Let’s talk about this…”
Listening won’t increase the risk of suicide – just the opposite, in fact. It may save a life.
***Remember: if someone you know is considering suicide or has already created a suicide plan and you sense it’s an emergency situation, act immediately and call 911. And if you’re contemplating this yourself, call the Canada Suicide Prevention Service at 833-456-4566.***
ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program is helping more than 75 companies and 7,000+ construction professionals better understand mental health. The program is free for ICBA members — see icba.ca/wellness.
Kerry and Jordan return to talk about their recent vacations, ICBA Gala, and an important new course from ICBA Training.
Understanding Unions for Non-Unionized Workplaces (Labour Relations Series)
Wednesday, May 25, 2022 11AM – 1PM
https://icba.simplesignup.ca/en/10895/index.php?m=eventSummary
Missed this one? Visit icba.ca/courses
Employee and labour relations is an exciting field that covers a wide variety of areas such as labour law, people management, and the relationship between workers and management in unionized workplaces. However, the focus of this webinar will be on your open shop model, or non-unionized workplace.
Unions have had a significant impact on corporate and people management practices and in many cases have influenced employers in non-union environments to adopt more progressive practices. This includes how employees are hired, how performance is managed and how discipline is administered.
This 2-hour introductory LR webinar will give our members in non-unionized workplaces a look into how to better understand your existing employee management practices.
We will cover such topics as:
Presenter: Pamela Bragg – Sarkany Management Inc.
Pamela Bragg is the owner of Sarkany Management Inc., a Human Resources Consulting firm, which offers a broad range of HR services. Pamela has a comprehensive background in executive level human resources and holds a Masters Certificate from Stanford in Diversity & Inclusion as well as a Masters Certificate in Strategic Human Resources & Organizational Change
Understanding Unions for Non-Unionized Workplaces (Labour Relations Series)
Wednesday, May 25, 2022 11AM – 1PM
https://icba.simplesignup.ca/en/10895/index.php?m=eventSummary
Missed this one? Visit icba.ca/courses
Bill 10 continues to work its way through the Legislature, as Premier John Horgan prepares to use his majority government to take away the secret ballot from every worker in British Columbia. This will be the loss of a fundamental democratic right.
Make your voice heard at: www.savethesecretballot.ca or fill out the form below 👇
Each week, ICBA’s Jordan Bateman reflects on what we’ve learned as we participate in ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program. This program is free for all ICBA members – check out icba.ca/wellness for details.
Last week, we looked at suicide, and the two biggest warning signs we should all keep an eye out for:
But there also more subtle signs that someone is at risk of suicide, including:
If you sense any of these behaviours, take the time to listen and show concern, talk honestly, and connect them with the help they need. It’s better to take the extra time and step than to lose someone you care about.
***Remember: if someone you know is considering suicide or has already created a suicide plan and you sense it’s an emergency situation, act immediately and call 911. And if you’re contemplating this yourself, call the Canada Suicide Prevention Service at 833-456-4566.***
ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program is helping more than 75 companies and 7,000+ construction professionals better understand mental health. The program is free for ICBA members — see icba.ca/wellness.
