SAFER

An annual survey of more than 1.5 million workers has found that between 2019 and 2023, workplace well-being has declined. There was a noticeable improvement in 2020, but that has since eroded as workers have returned to the office and lost the flexibility that improved work-life balance.

Sheldon Kennedy’s voice crackles through his Bluetooth connection as he pilots his truck down the highway on the one-hour drive from Saskatoon to his farm. It’s his answer to the standard opening salvo in an interview: “Is now still a good time to chat?” His early morning drive across the Canadian prairie is a million miles from Detroit’s old Joe Louis Arena, where he laced up his skates for the Red Wings for five years, including the 1992-93 season that saw him rack up 19 goals and 11 assists

In an interview with OHS Canada, Suzana Prpic, senior manager of prevention field services at WorkSafeBC, outlined best practices and guidelines designed to protect workers from cold stress injuries like frostbite and hypothermia.

Figuring out strategies to accommodate younger workers entails being open to ways of working that are taking new directions. One recent direction involves when employees want to work. While working at home has somewhat altered the exact working hours, work is still generally done around a 9-5. schedule. Well according to a survey from Adobe which interviewed over 5,500 workers globally, the youngest generation of workers are three times more like to prefer logging into their laptops to work

A new report from McKinsey Global Institute, “Performance through people: Transforming human capital into competitive advantage,” discovered that when companies invest in people, it pays off for workers. The survey found that skills learned on the job contribute 46% of the average person’s lifetime earnings. Furthermore, companies making these investments will likely “propel their employees into higher earnings brackets over the course of a career.”

I’m not sure how we are using the term "quiet quitting" when people are still doing their jobs, but are choosing not to sacrifice their work/life balance. When I read people are cutting back from working 60 hours, as opposed to a 40-hour week, it brings to light that many workers feel obligated, or are required to overwork to keep their jobs. It’s absolutely understandable in this age of job uncertainty. We hear about all of the job openings, only to find out that many companies are laying off

It’s certainly no surprise to learn—as one recent survey reveals—that workplace safety is very important to people, nor is it shocking that after two years of a pandemic, nearly eight in 10 employees say they’re more concerned about their safety than ever before. Even so, I did a double take when the survey said safety on the job is more important to people than anywhere else, including while receiving medical attention, while socializing or while on vacation. In fact, safety while at work ranks

There was a time when employees had a tacit understanding that their employer had a vested interest in their well-being. Companies often signaled this concern through wellness benefits. Company newsletters would talk about nutrition, gym memberships were subsidized, and on-site weight management programs were offered and often held in a large conference room. Why did companies invest in these programs? “Wellness was the answer to rising medical costs,” explains Sara Martin, CEO of WELCOA

From these many lessons that we are still experiencing, managers and supervisors have seen how ongoing, well-planned safety impacts productivity and quality of work. However, it is a major misconception that workplace safety and productivity are mutually exclusive, and in order for one area the benefit, the other must be negatively impacted. The reality is that safety and productivity actually complement each other.

Conditions like the heat, poor air quality, biting insects, and inclement weather can put workers at risk for illness and injury, but by supporting workers with hazard assessments, training, and safety measures, you can help to keep them safe.