Podcasts about most admired companies

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Nicole Alvino about the role of communication in employee experience, and how intelligent communication can be used to boost employee engagement and connection. Nicole Alvino (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolealvino/) is a visionary entrepreneur and CEO with a passion for transforming the employee experience. As the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Firstup, a leading enterprise SaaS company, Nicole is responsible for driving innovation and growth in employee experience, engagement and communications. She believes that investing in employees is key to building high performance cultures that improve the top and bottom lines of any business, and is proud to call 50 of the World's Most Admired Companies customers. Nicole's commitment to leader transparency and employee experience began after her first job at Enron, was the foundation of how she built and led the first company she founded, Dermalounge, and continues in her work at Firstup. With a focus on leveraging technology to empower employees and improve business outcomes, she works closely with leaders of some of the world's largest companies to ensure that their workforces are more aligned and agile. She is a vocal advocate for the importance of investing in an incredible employee experience and regularly contributes to publications such as Entrepreneur, Forbes, and Fast Company. Nicole holds a B.A. in Economics from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is a leader in her field and an inspiration to other women entrepreneurs. She lives in Seattle with her husband and three sons. Check out all of the podcasts in the HCI Podcast Network!

This week on The CMO Podcast, Jim wraps up Women's History Month with Natalie Sunderland, the Global Head of Marketing and Communications at the Bank of New York Mellon, or BNY Mellon. This is definitely the oldest company Jim has featured on the show; BNY Mellon was established in 1784 by Alexander Hamilton, and became the first company listed on the NYSE. BNY Mellon holds nearly $48 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration. In 2024 it was one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies, scoring high in innovation and people management. Natalie is Canadian by birth, studied at Queens University in Ontario, and joined American Express shortly after college. She stayed at AmEx for fourteen years, before moving to Citi for two years. Then she made a big jump in her career–she moved to California and joined the startup world, working at two fintech startups and one young health care company. In 2021 she decided to join BNY Mellon. As the company celebrates its 240th anniversary, Natalie joins Jim to talk about she works to build curiosity and pride within her team and beyond. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Spanning more than 220 countries and territories, Booking.com provides millions of unforgettable journeys with its straightforward travel and accommodation services every year. A team of hybrid employees enables its customers' adventures and has contributed to a thriving workplace. Booking.com was recognized for providing the Best Leadership Teams and Best Global Culture in 2023 by Comparably, a site for employees to rate companies. It was also included on Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies list for 2024 and was named one of Forbes' World's Best Employers in 2023. As Chief People Officer and SVP, Paulo Pisano guides the exceptional work environment at Booking.com. Arriving at the company in early 2020—just as the pandemic began to cause significant upheaval in the tourism industry—Pisano helped employees navigate this turbulent period and flourish in a new hybrid work setting. Since 2021, he has also served as Executive Vice President and CHRO of Booking Holdings, the parent company for Booking.com, KAYAK, OpenTable, Priceline and Agoda.Joining Michelle Labbe on The Talent Economy podcast, Pisano talks about what he has learned over the last few years, his expectations for the future, and how the experiences and cultural enrichment that Booking.com provides to its customers plays into company culture.Some Questions Asked:What unique travel benefits and experiences does Booking.com offer to its employees?How does Booking.com maintain and promote a unified company culture across its diverse portfolio of brands?How does Booking.com intend to utilize AI?In This Episode, You Will Learn:Why Booking.com benefits from hiring early-career talent.How to coordinate a global workforce in a hybrid environment. How managing the HR of a parent company offers different challenges and opportunities than other HR roles.Links:Paulo Pisano - LinkedInBooking.com - LinkedInMichelle Labbe - LinkedInToptal - LinkedInThe Talent Economy podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura Deaner is the Chief Information Security Officer at Northwestern Mutual, named one of the "World's Most Admired Companies" in its industry, according to Fortune Magazine's annual survey, published in 2022. In this episode, she joins host Steve Morgan and Richard Seewald, Founder and Managing Partner at Evolution Equity Partners, to discuss how companies can foster a culture of cybersecurity, AI-related trends, and more. This episode was brought to you by our partner, Evolution Equity Partners, an international venture capital investor partnering with exceptional entrepreneurs to develop market leading cybersecurity and enterprise software companies. To learn more, visit https://evolutionequity.com.

Gary Allen and Joe Lynch discuss automating the warehouse. Gary is Vice President of Supply Chain Excellence at Ryder System, Inc., a leader in supply chain, dedicated transportation and fleet management solutions, that has been recognized by FORTUNE magazine as one of the World's Most Admired Companies® for 2023. About Gary Allen Gary Allen is Vice President of Supply Chain Excellence at Ryder System, Inc. Mr. Allen for leading sales support and operational excellence functions across Ryder including new offer development, solutions design, program management, quality management and re-engineering disciplines. He has more than 25 years of experience in supply chain management, logistics outsourcing and professional services. Mr. Allen's areas of expertise range from process improvement, logistics outsourcing, new product development, business transformation, systems selection/implementation, operational due diligence, business performance improvement and overall supply chain strategy. Prior to Ryder, Mr. Allen was the leader of Ernst & Young's logistics advisory practice. Prior to Ernst & Young, he spent seven years with DHL Supply Chain as Vice President of product Development & Innovation as well as Vice President, Solutions, for the company's Automotive, Chemical, and Industrial business unit. He was responsible for product development, solution design, operations excellence, and process improvement disciplines. About Ryder System, Inc. Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R) is a leading logistics and transportation company. It provides supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions, including full service leasing, rental, and maintenance, used vehicle sales, professional drivers, transportation services, freight brokerage, warehousing and distribution, e-commerce fulfillment, and last mile delivery services, to some of the world's most-recognized brands. Ryder provides services throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In addition, Ryder manages nearly 239,000 commercial vehicles and operates more than 330 warehouses, encompassing more than 80 million square feet. Ryder is regularly recognized for its industry-leading practices in third-party logistics, technology-driven innovations, commercial vehicle maintenance, environmental stewardship, corporate social responsibility, world-class safety and security programs, military veteran recruitment initiatives, and the hiring of a diverse workforce. www.ryder.com Key Takeaways: Automating the Warehouse Gary Allen is Vice President of Supply Chain Excellence at Ryder System, Inc. In the podcast interview, Gary and Joe discuss automating the warehouse – a subject that Gary and his team at Ryder know better than virtually anyone else in the industry. Ryder is the only supply chain logistics provider to offer an end-to-end portfolio of solutions that includes warehousing & distribution, transportation logistics, e-commerce fulfillment, last mile delivery, reverse logistics, and innovative technology. Ryder operates 400 warehouses in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, with 160 of those locations managing e-commerce shipments. Ryder has made significant investments in acquisitions, information technology, and automation to maintain their leadership position in the warehousing space. Warehousing is an increasingly important part of the supply chain because of the growth of e-commerce and rising customer expectations, but warehouse work is tough and there is a labor shortage. Ryder investments in warehouse automation has reduced their costs, improved their output & quality, and created better jobs for the people who work within their warehouses. Ryder provides supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions, including full service leasing, rental, and maintenance, used vehicle sales, professional drivers, transportation services, freight brokerage, warehousing and distribution, e-commerce fulfillment, and last mile delivery services, to some of the world's most-recognized brands. Learn More About Automating the Warehouse Gary on LinkedIn Ryder System, Inc on LinkedIn Ryder System, Inc. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast Check out The Logistics of Logistics on Youtube

In dieser Folge von „Aktien mit Potenzial“ sprechen wir zusammen mit unserem Gast Gunter Burgbacher über Halma plc, einer Beteiligungsgesellschaft in den Bereichen Sicherheit, Sauberkeit und Gesundheit. Der an der London Stock Exchange gelistete Hidden Champion wurde 1894 gegründet und erzielte jüngst einen Umsatz von ca. 1,5 Mrd. GBP. Gunter Burgbacher, Senior Portfolio Manager bei der Greiff Capital Management AG, gewährt uns nähere Einblicke in das Geschäftsmodell, die Entstehungsgeschichte von Halma und die Aktienkursentwicklung - welche sogar den NASDAQ-100 schlägt.  Was das Geheimnis der Akquisitionsstrategie von Halma ist, welche Aktivitäten bzw. Nischenmärkte die Gruppe in ihren Sektoren konkret abdeckt und viele weitere spannende Insights zu einer der "Britain's Most Admired Companies" erfahren Sie in dieser Folge von „Aktien mit Potenzial“.  Wir wünschen Ihnen viel Spaß beim Zuhören und freuen uns sehr über Ihr Feedback!

Lisa Marie Platske is a dynamic entrepreneur, President of Upside Thinking, Inc., Owner of Summit Hills Farm, and a sought-after speaker. With a focus on leadership, connection, human behavior, and personal branding, Lisa Marie has coached and trained over 100,000 leaders, leaving an indelible impact on their success.For six years, Lisa Marie showcased her expertise as a contributor to Forbes.com, sharing valuable insights on leadership and success. She actively participates in the Women in Business board at Florida International University and serves on the Wisdom Council for the Evolutionary Business Council, collaborating with visionary leaders to drive positive change.Lisa Marie's exceptional contributions have earned recognition from esteemed institutions, including the White House, US Small Business Administration, and National Association of Female Executives. In 2015, she was honored as one of the top 100 women in the world making a difference. Upside Thinking, Inc., under Lisa Marie's leadership, was acknowledged as one of the 50 Most Admired Companies of 2022.In her captivating talks, Lisa Marie dives into the "7 Pillars of Leadership," equipping individuals with practical strategies to become influential and visionary leaders. Connect with her on social media through facebook.com/lisa.marie.platske and linkedin.com/lisa-marie-platske to access her exclusive offer and tap into a wealth of resources that will elevate your leadership journey.

On this episode of Real Money, I'm thrilled to be joined by Punam Mathur, a speaker, trainer, and writer whom I've long admired. Formerly the Vice President of Employee & Community Engagement for NV Energy and the Senior VP of Corporate Diversity & Community Affairs for MGM Mirage, Punam is a powerful role model for women. Today, she runs her own business and serves as the Executive Director of the Elaine P. Wynn & Family Foundation, which focuses on promoting equity, civil rights, and conservation. In this episode, we'll discuss how women can become champions of their own lives and communities, and Punam will share how she has used failures to achieve success. Don't miss it! About Punam: From 2009-2012, she was an officer of NV Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NVE), a vertically-integrated statewide electric utility with 2,700 employees, serving as vice president of people resources and as vice president of employee and community engagement. During her tenure, MGM MIRAGE received numerous awards in her areas of responsibility, including being ranked among the Top 50 Companies for Diversity by DiversityInc magazine, one of the Top Corporations in the U.S. for multicultural businesses by DiversityBusiness.com and as one of the “Most Admired Companies in America” by Fortune magazine. Additionally, under her leadership, the Company's philanthropy program, including its centerpiece employee-directed foundation, set new standards for strategic philanthropy and employee engagement within the gaming industry. Community Involvement Mathur has received appointments to statewide leadership positions by Nevada's last four Governors: Governor Brian Sandoval (R) appointed her to the Common Core Steering Committee in 2013 and to the Board of Jobs for America's Graduates in 2014. Governor Jim Gibbons (R) appointed her to the Governor's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Education Reform in 2010. Governor Kenny Guinn (R) appointed her to the Commission on Tourism in 2002. Governor Bob Miller (D) appointed her to the Welfare Reform Task Force in 1994. A champion and advocate for public education, she has a long history of involvement with the Clark County School District, the fifth largest district in the nation, having served on a lengthy list of committees and special task forces over the years. Mathur was the founding board chair for Three Square, a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating hunger in southern Nevada. She has also served on the Board of the United Way of Southern Nevada for over two decades. She is also active in a number of organizations to improve the effectiveness of the foster care system. I am so grateful she'll be joining me in studio, and listen in, and if you have any questions you'd like me to ask, you can email them to me at asklisa@lisachastain.com

On this week's special episode of Extra Serving, NRN editor Alicia Kelso speaks with Yum Brands chief operating officer and chief people officer Tracy Skeans.Tracy Skeans joined Yum Brands in 2000 and has since worked her way up through the ranks gaining experience in finance, HR, business transformation, operations, food safety, culture, talent – name it.Now, as the company's chief operating officer and chief people officer, she oversees many parts of the global restaurant company. But when it comes to what she's most passionate about, it's gender parity. In fact, Skeans has spent the past several years as a board member for the Women's Foodservice Forum, including as chair in 2022.It's perhaps no coincidence, then, that Skeans' company walks the walk on this issue. Yum Brands is a founding member of the WFF, for instance, as well as a member of the Paradigm for Parity coalition. It has been recognized for its efforts by the Bloomberg Gender-Equity Index, Forbes' “Best Employers for Diversity” list, Fortune's “World's Most Admired Companies” list, Newsweek's “America's Greatest Places for Women” list and more.Notably, the company's Paradigm for Parity membership includes a pledge to achieve gender parity in global leadership positions by 2030, and the company is well on its way to meeting that goal. Currently, more than 42% of the company's leadership positions are held by women, up materially from about 30% when the goal was first announced just five years ago.Take a listen to their full conversation.

Gary Allen and Joe Lynch discuss automating the warehouse. Gary is Vice President of Supply Chain Excellence at Ryder System, Inc., a leader in supply chain, dedicated transportation and fleet management solutions, that has been recognized by FORTUNE magazine as one of the World's Most Admired Companies® for 2023. About Gary Allen Gary Allen is Vice President of Supply Chain Excellence at Ryder System, Inc. Mr. Allen for leading sales support and operational excellence functions across Ryder including new offer development, solutions design, program management, quality management and re-engineering disciplines. He has more than 25 years of experience in supply chain management, logistics outsourcing and professional services. Mr. Allen's areas of expertise range from process improvement, logistics outsourcing, new product development, business transformation, systems selection/implementation, operational due diligence, business performance improvement and overall supply chain strategy. Prior to Ryder, Mr. Allen was the leader of Ernst & Young's logistics advisory practice. Prior to Ernst & Young, he spent seven years with DHL Supply Chain as Vice President of product Development & Innovation as well as Vice President, Solutions, for the company's Automotive, Chemical, and Industrial business unit. He was responsible for product development, solution design, operations excellence, and process improvement disciplines. About Ryder System, Inc. Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R) is a leading logistics and transportation company. It provides supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions, including full service leasing, rental, and maintenance, used vehicle sales, professional drivers, transportation services, freight brokerage, warehousing and distribution, e-commerce fulfillment, and last mile delivery services, to some of the world's most-recognized brands. Ryder provides services throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In addition, Ryder manages nearly 239,000 commercial vehicles and operates more than 330 warehouses, encompassing more than 80 million square feet. Ryder is regularly recognized for its industry-leading practices in third-party logistics, technology-driven innovations, commercial vehicle maintenance, environmental stewardship, corporate social responsibility, world-class safety and security programs, military veteran recruitment initiatives, and the hiring of a diverse workforce. www.ryder.com Key Takeaways: Automating The Warehouse Gary Allen is Vice President of Supply Chain Excellence at Ryder System, Inc. In the podcast interview, Gary and Joe discuss automating the warehouse – a subject that Gary and his team at Ryder know better than virtually anyone else in the industry. Ryder is the only supply chain logistics provider to offer an end-to-end portfolio of solutions that includes warehousing & distribution, transportation logistics, e-commerce fulfillment, last mile delivery, reverse logistics, and innovative technology. Ryder operates 400 warehouses in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, with 160 of those locations managing e-commerce shipments. Ryder has made significant investments in acquisitions, information technology, and automation to maintain their leadership position in the warehousing space. Warehousing is an increasingly important part of the supply chain because of the growth of e-commerce and rising customer expectations, but warehouse work is tough and there is a labor shortage. Ryder investments in warehouse automation has reduced their costs, improved their output & quality, and created better jobs for the people who work within their warehouses. Ryder provides supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions, including full service leasing, rental, and maintenance, used vehicle sales, professional drivers, transportation services, freight brokerage, warehousing and distribution, e-commerce fulfillment, and last mile delivery services, to some of the world's most-recognized brands. Learn More About Automating The Warehouse Gary on LinkedIn Ryder System, Inc on LinkedIn Ryder System, Inc. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast Check out The Logistics of Logistics on Youtube

Petit Jean Auto Show and Swap Meet underway; SCCSD board approves superintendent evaluation; UACCM among state's Most Admired Companies; Keeton transfers to Hot Springs college.

Today's podcast guest is Tammy Routh, Senior Vice President, Global Sales at Marriott International. Her success is the result of hard work and eagerness to learn. She confidently contributes to any conversation while always remaining humble in her approach. Tammy believes in Family, Culture, and Laughter. She is a passionate advocate for strategic account management and leading winning sales teams. Her entire career has been with Marriott International which is annually honored as one of the "World's Most Admired Companies" and "100 Best Companies To Work For" by Fortune magazine. She views her role in leading a Global Sales Team as a huge PRIVILEGE. Tammy sets the standards to exceed the expectations of their internal stakeholders and customers' through a deep understanding of their needs, innovation, and strong business acumen.

Video Version https://vimeo.com/672153514 About the Podcast My guest today is Sam Smolik, SVP Americas Manufacturing (retired) for LyondellBasell and author of the book, "The Power of Goal Zero". After his retirement, Sam decided to share the lessons learned during his journey and years of experience - the best practices and techniques for achieving Operational Excellence - and that led him to authoring his book, "The Power of Goal ZERO" (published in June 2021). Through the telling of personal stories and sharing his experiences, "The Power of Goal ZERO" provides a proven roadmap for demonstrating strong leadership, creating a culture of excellence, implementing organizational change, developing effective management systems, and achieving superior performance. In today's competitive environment, individuals and organizations must be best in class to compete and win. The book is designed for leaders and aspiring leaders at all levels to improve personal effectiveness, organizational efficiency, and motivation of people; with the principles helping to enable rapid transformation in any organization. In my interview of Sam, you will gain insights that will undoubtedly help you and your organization become best in class. About Sam Smolik Before retiring from LyondellBasell Industries in 2017, Sam served as Global Vice President for Environment, Health, and Safety for LyondellBasell, Royal Dutch Shell, and The Dow Chemical Company (where he started his career). Sam earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, and currently serves on the Engineering Advisory Board there. In addition, Sam currently serves on several Boards of Directors including; Axalta Coating Systems, Evergreen Industrial Services, and Ducks Unlimited. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-smolik-7084725/ Company: LyondellBasell Title: SVP Americas Manufacturing (retired) Website: https://www.lyondellbasell.com/ Headquarters:  Houston, Texas (for US) Year Founded: 2007 (as a result of the acquisition of Lyondell Chemical Company by Basell Polyolefins. Company Type: Publicly Traded (NYSE; LYB) Practice Areas:  LyondellBasell is one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world and produces materials and products that are key to advancing solutions to modern challenges like enhancing food safety through; lightweight and flexible packaging, protecting the purity of water supplies through stronger and more versatile pipes, improving the safety, comfort and fuel efficiency of many of the cars and trucks on the road, and ensuring the safe and effective functionality in electronics and appliances. LyondellBasell sells products into more than 100 countries and is the world's largest producer of polypropylene compounds and the largest licensor of polyolefin technologies. In 2021, LyondellBasell was named to Fortune Magazine's list of the “World's Most Admired Companies” for the fourth consecutive year.

- Apple Argues Against Open Markets Act Ahead of Senate Consideration - Nikkei's Weird Take on iPad Availability - Apple Encourages Shareholder Votes Ahead of March Meeting - Three Apple TV+ Series to Show at In-Person SXSW - Apple TV+ Hits TikTok “Afterparty” Promotion - JustWatch: Apple TV+ “Macbeth” Took Third in U.S. Film Streams in January - Apple Tops Fortune's Most Admired Companies for 15th Year Running - Notion - One workspace for your whole team. Learn more and get started for free at notion.so. - Power what we do next for as little as $1 a month. Join the Mac OS Ken Test Kitchen at Patreon at Patreon.com/macosken - Send me an email: info@macosken.com or call (716)780-4080!

Sheryl Palmer is the CEO of Taylor Morrison, a National Homebuilder and Land Developer who dares to challenge the status quo. Taylor Morrison's reputation is something one should never underestimate. From holding the title of America's Most Trusted Home Builder by Lifestory Research for six years running, recognized by Fortune Magazine as World's Most Admired Companies and Glassdoor's Best Places to Work, their dedication, passion, and work ethics speak for itself. Sheryl Palmer is also featured in my book, The Future Leader, as someone who inspires me a lot and the figure who exhibits what a great leader should look like. Today, we will be talking about the corporate world and what made Sheryl who she is today. We uncover her leadership and business insights, what changed in Cheryl as a leader, and her tips on keeping things in perspective. Tune in to this exciting and inspiring episode with Sheryl Palmer! --------------------- Get the latest insights on the Future of Work, Leadership and employee experience through my daily newsletter at futureofworknewsletter.com  Let's connect on social! Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmorgan8 Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacobmorgan8 Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jacobm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FuturistJacob  

Welcome to the What's Next! Podcast with Tiffani Bova for this What's Next! Reload.  This week I am bringing back an episode with the wonderful Ginger Hardage on Servant Leadership. Ginger recently retired as Senior Vice President of Culture and Communications at Southwest Airlines after an illustrious 25 years. She is recognized by many as a foremost authority on building and sustaining organizational culture, and during her time at Southwest, the airline experienced 22 consecutive years on FORTUNE's “Top 10 Most Admired Companies in the World” list. Throughout her career, Ginger has received countless awards and honors like the PRWeek Top 50 Power list, PRWeek 50 Most Powerful Women in Public Relations, Texas' Most Powerful and Influential Women, and “Legendary Communicator” by Southern Methodist University in 2007. Ginger was also inducted into the Public Relations Hall of Fame in 2015 and received the prestigous Legacy Award from the Plank Center for Leadership in 2016. Ginger currently serves as a Trustee on two global boards—Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Arthur Page Society. I am absolutely thrilled to have Ginger Hardage on the What's Next! Podcast!     THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… leaders, aspiring leaders, managers, and anyone interested in leading effectively and building a successful and organizational culture.    TODAY'S MAIN MESSAGE… Happy employees make customers happy. When customers are happy they return. This is what helps you successfully take care of your shareholders. Too often organizations start backward, focus too much on pleasing shareholders at the expense of everything else. In order to build a successful organization that takes care of its employees and by extension its customers, it is important to address three main points. First, it behooves you to define your company culture and the values that matter to your organization and how you will live those out. Second, it is important to analyze and establish what makes your distinct purpose and value set unique. Third, you must focus on leadership alignment with your values–how are you as a leader, or your organization's leaders living out the values of the company. Successful, servant leadership starts from the top down, and how we act backs-up what we say.    WHAT  I  LOVE  MOST… Speaking to Ginger, who has successfully driven this type of culture at an iconic organization like Southwest, about the power of focusing on your employees. Great advice on how to navigate the soft side     Running time: 35:59     Subscribe on iTunes     Find Tiffani on social:  Facebook  Twitter  LinkedIn     Find Ginger on social:  Twitter  Instagram  LinkedIn    Ginger's Website: Unstoppable Cultures 

No one would have said that Nicole Mixdorf hated her job in a global firm… Traveling the world, making money, she was happy and successful. But that all changed when her father was diagnosed with cancer and the stress at work followed her home. When this stress caused her own health problems, Nicole knew it was time to hang up the golden handcuffs and do something about it.  Welcome back to Inside The Greenroom! Nicole's story doesn't end there, she is the founder and Chief Wellness Officer (CWO) of Balance by Nature a company launched to inspire busy professionals to create more balance in their lives and thrive. We take a look at how Nicole started her journey of balancing wellness and success, from building her business from the ground up to shedding her perfectionist mentality, and even the things she wishes she would have done at the beginning!  Join us as Nicole talks about her work with corporations and helping them create a culture of wellness that brings new life and intention into their business. With everything upended in the world for the past two years, it is more crucial than ever to focus on the practices that keep us healthy, focused, and ready to serve. You'll get practical tips on how you can maintain a stress-free work-life balance, even when you're working from home.  When you hit play, you'll hear Nicole's top tips for nailing a speaking interview, how to connect with the audience more deeply, and even how you can maximize your communication and effectiveness. Don't wait for the burnout to catch you. Learn how you can start reviving your work (and personal) life today! Are you ready to create a movement for your community & your business?  Are you ready to grow your influence? PLATFORM LIVE was developed for you! joinplatformlive.com/greenroom More Of What's Inside: The importance of wellness in the workplace How stress affects your health The advice that changed Nicole's course Refining your approach as you go The skill of selling yourself Finding your champions Why it's important to understand your audience Instilling a culture of health through leaders How you can engage employees in health initiatives Practical tips to release some pressure Elevating your events with intentional movement What Nicole looks for in speakers And much more!   LINKS: Connect with Nicole: Website: https://balancebynature.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/balance.by.nature.wellness  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolemixdorf/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemixdorf/ Connect with Blair: blair@advanceyourreach.com  Connect with us: Facebook: www.facebook.com/advanceyourreach Website: advanceyourreach.com stageagency@advanceyourreach.com Email​: info@insidethegreenroompodcast.com Book Speakers for your next event! We are the only agency where you can book free and paid speakers, no bureau commissions!  Learn More https://elitespeakersagency.com Episode Minute By Minute: 0:02 - What we cover today!  0:28 - Introducing Nicole Mixdorf  5:09 - Stepping away from a stressful workplace 10:35 - How Nicole built her platform 15:15 - Don't be afraid to be a little messy 19:25 - Nicole's process for hiring speakers  23:10 - Strategies to help your workforce in the pandemic 29:24 - Balancing your stress with intentional moments 32:34 - Bringing mindful movement to events 35:34 - How you can be as effective as possible 40:30 - Where to connect with Nicole 42:10 - Closing thoughts   More About Nicole: Nicole Mixdorf is the Chief Wellness Officer of Balance by Nature and was awarded as the Most Influential Woman in Corporate Wellness Services USA in 2021 and in 2020. She was also awarded as a Top 100 Healthcare Leader in the World 2020-2021, and as a Top 10 Successful Business Leader Revamping the Future 2021.  Nicole is a motivational leader who inspires people to be the absolute best that they can be. She spent over a decade working her way up the corporate ladder in a global firm until she experienced the debilitating health consequences of a stressful work environment. After healing her body, she launched Balance by Nature in 2012 to inspire busy professionals to create more balance in their lives and thrive. Additionally, Nicole has been teaching growth mindset, yoga, meditation, and breathwork for over 15 years. Balance by Nature was recently awarded as Best in Corporate Wellness Services USA 2021, Top 20 Leading Companies of the Year 2021, and Top 30 Most Admired Companies to Watch 2021, among other prestigious awards and recognitions.  Balance by Nature develops award-winning employee wellness programs that support physical, mental, and emotional well-being. These programs help corporations to create cultures of health with happy, grounded, and productive employees.  Ranging from mid-sized organizations to corporate giants, Balance by Nature has worked with the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), City of Los Angeles, Westfield, Hulu, Accenture, Los Angeles Philharmonic, & other progressive organizations.

Leadership involves influencing others to accomplish a common goal. In this podcast, I talk about leadership with Chris Kowalewski.He's got some great insights into leadership that I think will challenge some common assumptions we all have.Chris Kowalewski is a 32 year veteran in the food and support services industry.Currently, he is the Chief Growth Officer at the Compass Group. Those of you who may not have heard of Compass group - it is the 6th largest global employer and was ranked by Fortune in the World's Most Admired Companies, and Best Employers for Diversity.And of course, the Compass Group is part of the elite group of Fortune 500 companies.Compass Group is the leader in food and support services management, with its North American headquarters in Charlotte, NC. Operating in 50 countries, employing over 550,000 people, and serving 10 million meals a day, Compass Group's annual revenue exceeded $18 billion in 2018.RESOURCESLinkedin: linkedin.com/in/chris-kowalewskiWebsite: https://www.compass-group.com/en/index.html ★★★ Are you someone who is: ★★★ About to start a business and needs guidance, Already running a business and wants to scale faster, Not satisfied with your current job and want to change your career, Very much satisfied with your professional career but want to stop working for others and gain financial freedom,  Already enjoying financial freedom but want to create more impact in your community and in the world. If you identify with any of these concerns, I am pleased to invite you to check out these 3 solutions carefully designed to address your desires. These offers are currently in-demand and are producing amazing results:

SUMMARY While Part 1 of this podcast targets trailblazing research and regulatory approaches to workplace mental health, Part 2 chronicles the evolution of organizational policies, practices, and programs at two very different and unique organizations. Join Quentin Steen (CLAC Labour Relations Representative) and Trever Amendt (AECOM Site Safety Lead, Energy Operations & Maintenance in Lacombe, Alberta) as they share their personal mental health stories and their groups' commitments to building cultures of compassion with strong leadership, workplace-wide peer support, regular training, and ongoing employee communication and engagement. They also touch on the impacts of stigma and the challenges and opportunities presented by COVID-19. TAKEAWAYS This podcast will help you understand: The evolution of workplace mental health policies, practices, and programs in both union (CLAC) and engineering (AECOM) environments Union approach focused on cooperation rather than confrontation Corporate culture that cultivates employees' social and emotional well-being The importance of authentic peer support throughout organizations Types of training needed to optimize workplace mental health Impacts of COVID on workplace mental health What's been learned from COVID that will guide future polices, practices, and programs Return-on-investment for businesses that do workplace health and safety right Types of stigma existing in various workplaces   SPONSORS WorkSafeBC is a provincial agency in British Columbia, Canada that promotes safe and healthy workplaces for more than 2.3 million workers. Serving more than 230,000 employers, WorkSafeBC's services include education, prevention, compensation and support for injured workers, and no-fault insurance to protect employers and workers. WorkSafeBC is committed to creating a province free from workplace injury or illness. By partnering with workers and employers, WorkSafeBC helps British Columbians come home from work safe every day. CLAC is the largest independent, multisector, national union in Canada, representing more 60,000 workers in almost every sector of the economy including construction, education, emergency services, healthcare, retail, service, transportation, manufacturing, and more. CLAC has 14 member centres in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and BC, along with 25 active, independent, affiliated locals. Based on values of respect, dignity, and fairness, CLAC is committed to building better lives, better workplaces, and better communities.  AECOM is a global engineering firm whose infrastructure services for public- and private-sector clients include transportation, water, energy, and environmental projects. Employing about 87,000 people, AECOM was ranked #1 in Engineering News-Record's ‘2020 Top 200 Environmental Firms,' and named one of Fortune magazine's ‘World's Most Admired Companies' for the sixth consecutive year. Transforming the ways it works through technology and digital platforms, AECOM leads the engineering world in environmental, social, and governance solutions… leading to the Ethisphere Institute naming it one of ‘2021 World's Most Ethical Companies.'   RESOURCES National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace and the resulting Case Studies Research Report Addressing the mental health effects of COVID-19 in the workplace: A guide for workers Managing the mental health effects of COVID-19 in the workplace: A guide for employers    Guarding Minds@Work   Antidepressant Skills@Work    Psychological Health and Safety: An Action Guide for Employers    Mental Health Commission of Canada    Canada's Workplace Mental Health    Canadian Mental Health Association    Government of Canada/Mental health in the workplace      Wellness Works Canada        Wellness Together Canada: Mental Health and Substance Use Support provides free online resources, tools, apps, and connections to trained volunteers and qualified mental health professionals.      Workplace Mental Health Playbook for Business Leaders (CAMH)     Workplace Mental Health Research     Deloitte research reveals significant return on investment for workplace mental health programs.   GUESTS  Quentin Steen Quentin Steen is a Labour Relations Representative with the CLAC labour union, who works out of the Kelowna Member Centre and specializes in the transportation, manufacturing, and healthcare sectors. He is also the CLAC Provincial Member Education Coordinator for BC and facilitates numerous workshops for various signatory companies and shop stewards working in BC. Being a certified Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) instructor for the Mental Health Commission of Canada, Quentin is passionate about delivering the MHFA course because of his experience with mental health issues, personally and professionally. Quentin's personal life's mission is to educate others about mental health issues and provide them with the tools/skills they need to recognize changes (possible signs) to the mental well-being in self and others, to help those who may be in a mental heath crisis by offering comfort and support, and to reduce the stigma that surrounds mental health in our workplaces and society.  Phone: 250-868-9111 Email: qsteen@clac.ca Website: www.clac.ca Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clacunion Twitter: https://twitter.com/clacunion Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/quentin-steen-23249326/ Trever Amendt Trever Amendt has been the Site Safety Lead for AECOM at the NOVA Joffre Plant in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada for five years. AECOM is the capital projects group on site and completes all project-based work, including pipefitting, electrical, iron work, insulation and scaffolding. AECOM made mental health its number one priority in 2020, and it became an even greater priority when COVID-19 hit in March of last year. To that end, Trever has an open door on site and is always ready to listen to what someone is going through to support them and build trust. The Mental Health First Aid course he took from CLAC in 2019, opened Trever's eyes and gave him a new desire to support and be there to help people when it comes to their mental health. Trever has a real passion for organizations that support people with addictions: the Dream Center in Calgary and Teen Challenge in Allan, Saskatchewan. Red Deer, Alberta is just raising money to redesign a building downtown to start a Dream Center. These centers address the physical, mental, and spiritual components of addiction.  Phone: 780-983-4966 Email: trever.amendt@aecom.com Website: www.aecom.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AecomTechnologyCorporation Twitter: https://twitter.com/aecom   HOST Jo de Vries is a community education and engagement specialist with 30 years of experience helping local governments in British Columbia connect with their citizens about important sustainability issues. In 2006, she established the Fresh Outlook Foundation (FOF) to “inspire community conversations for sustainable change.” FOF's highly acclaimed events include Building SustainABLE Communities conferences, Reel Change SustainAbility Film Fest, Eco-Blast Kids' Camps, CommUnity Innovation Lab, Breakfast of Champions, and Women 4 SustainAbility. FOF's newest ventures are the HEADS UP! Community Mental Health Summit and HEADS UP! Community Mental Health Podcast. Website: Fresh Outlook Foundation Phone: 250-300-8797   PLAY IT FORWARD The move toward optimal workplace mental health becomes possible as more people learn about the challenges, successes, and opportunities. To that end, please share this podcast with anyone who has an interest or stake in the future of workplace mental health and wellness. FOLLOW US For more information about the Fresh Outlook Foundation (FOF) and our programs and events, visit our website, sign up for our newsletter, and like us on Facebook and Twitter.   HELP US As a charity, FOF relies on support from grants, sponsors, and donors to continue its valuable work. If you benefited from the podcast, please help fund future episodes by making a one-time or monthly donation. Quentin Steen, Trever Amendt Interview Transcript You can download a pdf of the transcript here. The entire transcript is also found below: INTRO  0:10 Welcome to the HEADS UP! Community Mental Health Podcast. Join our host Jo de Vries with the Fresh Outlook Foundation as she combines science with storytelling to explore a variety of mental health issues with people from all walks of life. Stay tuned! JO  0:32 Hey, Jo here. Welcome to part two of our podcast on workplace mental health, where we'll build on what we learned in Part 1 about trailblazing research and regulatory approaches. This time around, we'll explore groundbreaking union and business solutions thanks to our co sponsors WorkSafe BC, CLAC, and AECOM. You'll meet Quentin Steen, Labor Relations Representative at CLAC, a Canadian labor union, and Trevor Amendt, Site Safety Lead for AECOM, Energy Operations & Maintenance at the Joffre chemical plant in Lacombe, Alberta. First, let's meet Quentin from CLAC, which represents more than 60,000 workers in almost every sector of the Canadian economy. Based on values of respect, dignity, and fairness, CLAC aims to build better lives, better workplaces, and better communities. The union also helps members reach their full potential by finding their own versions of everyday greatness. Hi, Quentin... thanks for joining us. QUENTIN  1:41 Thank you so much for the invite. It's my pleasure, Jo. JO  1:45 Can you give us an overview of CLAC's approach to mental wellness, and how that differs from that of other labor unions?  QUENTIN  1:56 I'm sure most of the unions out there are tracking some of the similar directions, but CLAC has been a labor union who's pretty proud of their progressive labor relations model, like a collaborative approach between the employer, employee, and the union. It's built on cooperative versus confrontational encounters... we've always believed that it's the most effective model when dealing with workplace issues. And among some of these issues, for sure, is the physical and mental safety and well-being of workers in the workplace. And it all sort of started with us in terms of the weight of this, about three-and-a-half or four years ago. It became a national mandate for the mental health of our CLAC staff and our shop stewards, where we made a huge investment into it. So, this mandate included things like working with our signatory companies in their management to address mental health safety of their employees at the workplace. In CLAC, we have a My Health & Wellness department where you can go to our CLAC website where our members can get the knowledge and tools they need to take charge of their own health and well-being by adopting good habits and a healthy lifestyle, and they can live a better and perhaps a longer life. This site is very interactive, and it's got like several health and wellness tools... like mental health is a specific area. Substance-use case managers are part of that, to financial wellness, workplace wellness. We also have EFAP programs like a lot of companies do, where we have an Employment and Family Assistance Program... that's what it stands for... where we have resources that are available to our members and their families to reach out for free. And they receive confidential help. If they or their loved ones are struggling, then we encourage them not to hesitate on that. We also have a quarterly magazine called The Guide that includes mental health articles and resources for our members and is really ramped up since the pandemic outbreak. Those are sort of our approach the some of the things that are kind of in our toolboxes that we provide for our members and how our organization looks at it. We're very aggressive with it. We think it's really important. We easily put it on par with the physical safety and wellness and well-being of employees at the workplace. Absolutely, one hundred percent. JO  4:14 Quentin... you're a labour relations representative with CLAC. Tell us about the mental health-related work you do specifically. QUENTIN  4:23 I've had a recent change in my role from not just rep but where I do that 50% of my role, but also the other 50% is member education coordinator for BC. Part of my role as the coordinator, and has actually been as a rep for the last three years, is providing Mental Health First Aid courses to our signatory companies, to our staff, and to our stewards. And I've done I think, in the last few years about 23 or 24 in total, and these Mental Health First Aid courses are designed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and basic courses are about 12 hours. So over two days, generally speaking, and then a blended virtual course that came online as of the pandemic, that's about eight hours. And I deliver these courses throughout BC and Alberta. Part of my role, too, in the last year-and-a-half has been creating Mental Health Moments. And that started of course with the onset of the pandemic, when I was tasked to write Mental Health Moments that were published on a weekly basis to our membership and staff about 60,000 people plus, and now they're published monthly. And they hit a variety of different subjects. The reason I started writing them is because I realized at the beginning of the pandemic, that once the virus comes and goes, or it's no longer on our minds because we've had these vaccinations, and herd [immunity], really what we're left with is really going to be the damage that's caused to our mental health. And so, I started seeing it in our representatives and I asked our national office if I could begin to write some articles for our reps, and they took that and decided it needs to be published to the rest of our membership. And we've gotten a lot of responses from a lot of people sharing their stories. And so that's been very, very great part of my journey in this last year-and-a-half in my role. JO  6:14 And I think in this difficult time, people are just craving that kind of information. QUENTIN  6:20 Oh, absolutely. The reality is, what I've seen anyways, from my perspective, the pandemic did a few things. And I would kind of categorize that impact on three different types of or kinds of experiences out there. The first being someone who has never had mental health-related issues, and they might be anxious, and they might worry from time to time, but never a diagnosable thing. And then all of a sudden, three weeks, four weeks, four months into it, they're now sitting across from a therapist or an EFAP program, and they're talking about an anxiety disorder. And then there's other people that have had them lying in the weeds, like myself for years, but I just kept myself busy, or didn't pay attention to it, or sort of deflected it, or pretended it wasn't there. And with the pandemic, I mean, it just bubbled to the surface for so many people. And then the third category of people, like where I'm at right now, where I have two diagnosable mental illnesses that I've lived with for most of my life. They've just been amplified... I've had to really dig down and really learn how to manage them in the middle of this pandemic, much differently than maybe prior to the pandemic. It is affecting people. JO  7:32 Thank you for being so vulnerable about that. Can you share your story? QUENTIN  7:37 Absolutely love to. I'm 51 years old. And my personal journey with mental health issues goes way, way back. I just didn't realize how far back the rabbit hole really went. But like I said, one of my diagnosable illnesses is clinical depression. I had it from early childhood into adulthood. It was seasonal at first... September was the start of new school year or work year, or January... the start rebooting of that. So, it would come like that, and it was kind of like this cloud that would come over me. And then it started to develop in a year-round in about 2008. It was nonstop, and some weeks were worse than others. Some of the darkest times I battled with suicidal ideations. In fact, those go back to grade four, where I first tried to take my life by suicide. And fortunately, I'm still here. In 2012 it got really bad for me, and those ideations came back again, and I had to pull over to the side of road, while I was traveling between two different cities, and call for help. I didn't realize that I had a clinical depression, until actually I took our Mental Health First Aid course, about five years ago, or four years ago. The irony of this all is I'm married to a former therapist, and three of my friends out of the top four are therapists. And so, they've known this for a long, long time. But like they said to me, you know, you weren't ready to hear it. And so when you're not ready to hear you just shut everything down. So that was kind of ironic the way it came about. I also have an anxiety disorder that I believe just comes from my being an infant... I was adopted... and at an early age I spent my first number of months going between wet nurse to wet nurse. And one particular time I was dropped on my head on the cement sidewalk, and that just changed my brain, physiologically, from that day forward. I didn't know that was an issue, until like I said, about 15 years ago when I was in therapy, and it was brought up as something that that's actually a big impact. And then into early childhood, my attachment issues that come from the adoption, like abandonment, emotional depravations, where the need to feel loved, significant, valued, like us all. But that just added to the anxiety part of it. In the early school years, I was bullied horribly physically because I was adopted. We're from a low-end family, and I was really the runt of the school. And emotionally, for sure, the bullying continued where, you know, I was always picked last or assigned to a group, which is even worse, because no one would pick you. And then it increased into high school where I was routinely held down by a group of guys that were popular, and jocks, and in woodwork shop, for at least by Grade 10 year anyways, and pinned to a table at some point during the class and they poured linseed oil down my throat until I threw up. Then I was sent to the principal's office because I was the troublemaker. And then it just continued on like that throughout high school and I even had a cancer scare. And so, I developed a phobia of death, which added to my anxiety. And then to my adult years was just even harder, in the sense that I made these vows that I would never, ever get rejected or bullied again, which, if you look at life, those are ridiculous, right? Because it happens every time we turn around. But those vows actually turned into my curses, and my default setting... my racket as a human being, I like to call it... is to get big, loud, critical, and overwhelm people. You know, in the midst of that, I developed panic attacks, too. And they started back in 1999. And I occasionally still have them. Last one happened to me was in Costco. And all that to say, though those are my issues, I've learned how to manage them much more effectively now that I know what they are, and how I function inside of them, and how I function with them. I've had a lot of therapy in the last number of years, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, to look at my attachment issues, my anxiety and panic attacks, and ways to deal with that neurofeedback, which is a recalibrating of your brain, Alpha-Stim, which was a big step in adding to my Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I've taken a lot of education and emotional intelligence in why I do the things I do. And then type theory, understanding my personality type. There's been this very robust sort of knowledge that I've gained once I understood what was in front of me. That's kind of my story. I don't think they'll ever go away... I don't expect them to. But that's not the issue. For me, the issue is, how do I function with them? They're part of my life, and they are who they are, and I am who I am. So, how do I learn how to manage them? That really is the issue, not hoping and wishing they would go away, because that's probably not going to help. JO  12:37 Thank you so much for sharing so many very personal experiences. Quentin. One of the things I'm learning through this podcast is just how resilient people can be. And those stories of resilience, and your particular story of resilience, are not only so informative, but inspiring. And people like yourself, they tend to take what they've learned about themselves, and then move that into an area where they can help other people who have similar challenges. I'd like to know, how has your personal experience helped you better understand and serve CLAC members who are struggling? QUENTIN  13:24 That's a great question. Well, let me start with this. One in five Canadians live with a mental health issue... and that figure only actually includes people seeking treatment. And you know what Joanne, I would say the last three years in my classes, it's more like one in three… it's not one in five, I think it's more like one in three. But that's just from what I've seen. And almost 50% of people will develop a mental health illness in their lifetime. Psychological health problems and the illnesses are the number one cause of disability in Canada, according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety in 2016 survey. The Mental Health Commission of Canada, as well as the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, report that one in five workers experience fatigue, sleeping problems, headaches, and anxiety, and 23% of workers experienced physical health problems caused by stress, anxiety, or major depression, and 20% of all sick leaves are related to mental health. So, nationally, in Canada, an estimated 35 million workdays are lost to mental health conditions amongst our 10 million plus workers. That's astonishing. So, it's not fake. It's real. JO  14:34 Well, not only that, but also the impact on our economy. They say that the impacts of mental health on our economy are at least $55 billion a year. And by the year 2030, or 40, I believe, they expect it to be more than $300 billion a year. QUENTIN  14:55 Yeah... so it's not going away. So, because it's not going away, then my next thing is… it's about promotion. And what I like to say in my discourse with people, whether it's the workplace or wherever else... and what I actually alluded to earlier.... that it's entirely possible to be diagnosed with a serious illness or disorder, and then learn to live with your life, coping well with it and have a positive mental health about it. So, my mental health issues, like I said, might never go away, but it's how I learn to manage them that can make all the difference in terms of a person's resilience. JO  15:26 How has your personal experience helped you serve your members better? QUENTIN  15:32 I just teach them what I know. The reality is that it's a part of my personal mission in life to educate others of the prominence and importance of addressing mental health issues, not just in our society, but in our workplaces... in providing them with the skills and tools necessary in the way that I can, because I got to stay in my lane. I'm not a professional therapist, or a doctor, but I have a lane. And my lane is to be able to help our workers in our workplaces recognize the changes, or possible signs, of the decline of mental health, well-being in their selves first, and then maybe others around them. And then to assist those who might be in a mental health crisis by offering the proper comfort and support. And that's a key. And then probably one of the biggest things outside of that... and connected to this, and sort of the driver of it... is helping reduce the stigma that surrounds mental health in our society and workplaces. And it's there, and it's big. JO  16:29 Thanks, Quentin... we'll dig deeper into that a little later, but now let's bring Trevor from AECOM into the conversation. AECOM is an award-winning infrastructure consulting firm of planners, designers, engineers, consultants, and construction managers. Its Energy Operations & Maintenance Division provides best-in-class maintenance, turnarounds, construction, and fabrication services to North American oil, gas, and chemical industries. Hello, Trevor, and thanks so much for being here. TREVER  17:04 Thanks a lot, Jo. I'm very excited to be part of this conversation with you and with Quentin. Just a side note... Quentin has become probably one of my biggest mentors in the last year-and-a-half. His attitude towards mental health and the way he opens up people is just huge for me. So, thanks again. JO  17:20 You are a site safety lead for AECOM, which is an international engineering firm... which I mentioned earlier. Can you tell us a little bit about your work?  TREVER  17:32 I'm a safety professional here at Joffre NOVA Chemicals. We're about half-an-hour from Lacombe, [Alberta]. We deal with a lot of different trades out here... we've got pipe fitters, iron workers, electricians. And then we have a couple of CLAC groups with our insulators and scaffolders. We have a multiple trade group that does a lot of projects on site, deals with a lot of different, stressful environments... a lot of stuff that can go wrong, day to day. People is a key to our industry. Having people fit for duty, making sure that they're healthy, when it comes to the physical and mental state of their body and their mind, is so important to us. It's really changed I think, too, in the last couple of years of how we support people. We look at them in a different way. And I really put a lot of the onus onto the Mental Health First Aid course that we started two years ago that really changed the way we look at [being] fit for duty. JO  18:22 I understand that AECOM is zealous in its approach to optimizing mental health for its 47,000 workers around the world. What does that look like from your perspective, as the site safety lead in Lacombe? TREVER  18:39 Whatever safety I can give to somebody... when it's procedures, policies, site safety rules... if they're not fit for duty, and they're not healthy to come in, we can achieve that. We just had a milestone last week Wednesday, we've done a full year without any incidents, no injuries, no first aids. And through a time of COVID, it's a huge announcement... it's exciting to have that happen on our site. We've had so much diversity, so much isolation, where people come to work, go home, go to grocery store, go to the mall... there's not much left to do outside of that. We've really tried hard to make sure that people still feel that they're getting that support. Digging deeper… when you see someone who looks off, or just isn't firing on all cylinders, so to speak, that's such an important thing that we don't just push them off or put them in a corner. I like to talk to individuals and find out how they're made inside, and what they like and dislike... how they're wired. Every individual is created in a special unique way, and that's the message I give in every orientation. So, of course the safety guy sits there and 90% of people think the safety guy is just going to pump safety and policies and procedures. But the first interaction I get with every worker... if it's a subcontractor or it's an AECOM person on site... is just that individuality of each person, so we understand that we build that relationship right from the ground level... so they feel that respect built right away, they feel that connection built right away. So, you start that relationship. My safety director, Dale Hartery, he always talks about hand on shoulder... that's one of his favorite lines. That's something I really try to show to people when they come in, it's very clear in our company to see that right from our VP, down to all our corporate, our site managers, and all our safety that work in the service industry. One of the biggest things we use is our human performance tools, that gives them the tools to see obvious things that can cause things to go better, to help them slow down. It gives them triggers to do what's right and not be rushing, not be causing something to cause an accident or an incident on site. We give them the tools that we put in front of them, the traps too, that could cause things to go wrong. So, we make it very clear, you know what, these are common things, stuff that cause problem, but it gives them that opportunity to see what's right. And then of course, we have all the different organizations in our company, through HR, through Morneau Shepell, through the counseling groups, that we can help them to treat anything that's going on. It's not just the physical things that go wrong. It's more the internal, the mental stuff, the mental health issues that people have, that now we can put them into the right place to get that help and get treatment. And I like what Quentin said earlier, a lot of things that we deal with in life, if it's a mental health issue, they don't go away. We need to treat them and figure out a way to manage them. And I think AECOM is getting way better at managing this part of mental health and being able to deal with it. JO  21:36 That's amazing. Trevor, you too have a personal story with mental health challenges. Can you share your story? TREVER  21:43 AbsoluteIy. Mental health challenges, feel like it's part of who you are. It's part of your fiber of your being. And sometimes it's so embedded, you don't know what it is. I grew up on a mixed farm Saskatchewan, had seven siblings, and we all had a part to play on the farm. When I was about 11 years old, my brother Emile, who was 18, passed away from cystic fibrosis. He was born with this disease, and it goes after your digestive and you're breathing. When he passed away, I had to grow up in a big hurry, and I was by no means ready for it at that time. And now I had to take over responsibility for the farm, I was the next person up to do the work and didn't really understand why. Wasn't a lot explained to me why I needed to step up. My dad wasn't very understanding with this specific issue and didn't have time for me to make mistakes along the way. After about five years of trying to figure out where I belonged, I ended up quitting school and moving out... basically running away. We never talked about things at home when it came to how we were feeling or going through. Usually there was a lot of hollering with teaching... very physical aspects to life. There was no point to make mistakes, I guess. When you made mistakes that wasn't looked on as a learning experience. When I can look back on things now, my mental health, my own issues were never dealt with. It was embedded so deep inside me that I never got a chance to talk to anybody about it, And I thought that was a dark part of my life that I didn't dare bring up. My opinion of mental health at that time was someone who was born with the physical disorder. You talk about stigma! To me, mental health wasn't something that you could even have in everyday life. It wasn't something you could deal with. And, in my opinion, it couldn't be corrected or dealt with. This was a huge stigma. I went to drinking and smoking fairly heavy, and at 14 basically became an alcoholic. I didn't know how else to deal with what was going on inside, didn't feel like it was going good enough for my own family, and really struggled for the next seven to eight years with where I belonged and what I should be doing. Feeling like I wasn't good enough really drove me to always try and be the best at anything I tried to accomplish, and not in a good way. I would go on to different jobs and different work jobs, and if I would learn a task, or a school, I would drive until I could be better than anybody on that site. Failure, when I did make a mistake, wasn't a learning experience. So, it basically crushed me. So went from getting into drinking and heavy smoking, into basically working every second of my life. I felt the more I could work, the better I would feel and wouldn't have to deal with those internal mental health embedded hurts and hang-ups which were just always there gnawing at me. I had a son at the age of 19. We were both in the party scene and didn't want to grow up and take care of responsibility. We got married before the baby was born and I ended up working away, of course...  workaholic... work before anything else, and she got into an affair and left me basically a year after the baby was a year old. After a couple of years of back and forth with our son trying to figure out where we could be in life... again, I was working like crazy because I thought that was the way to fix everything. I met a great young lady who had her life together. She was beautiful and really smart young lady who was going to college at the time, taking care of her two young boys. The moment we went on a blind date, set up by one of our cousins, I stopped smoking and drinking all the same night... so I got rid of something that was really causing a problem. This felt like the right thing to do. A year later we were married. As soon as we started out, my mom started to dictate how we lived and especially picked on my new wife, Cindy... on how she was doing everything completely wrong. My old hurts and hang-ups kicked in, and I went straight back into a workaholic... the stress of life knocked me down again. And I hadn't figured out a way to deal with my own mental health, and didn't dare talk to Cindy about it because, again, this was something that I thought you didn't dare bring out... you didn't talk about. And the stigma to me was, this has no value, I've got to somehow bury that and move on. Cindy and I now have been married for 24 years, and it's because of her love and patience and perseverance that have taken us this far. And I have to say very clearly, a year-and-a-half ago, when I went through this Mental Health {First Aid] course, there was so many things that opened my eyes to my own mental health issues that I dealt with. And Cindy and I... she's had an opportunity to see a part of me 23 years after we were married that she'd never seen before. The vulnerability that I've been able to bring to her has changed our marriage. And by no means is it 100%... there's still lots it has to be dealt with, but it's amazing. And what I've gone through in my life, I turned 50 this year, so I'm not quite caught up to Quentin yet, but passion for mental health and people, who I rub shoulders with every day, so not just at work... works very important... but anywhere I go. So, through COVID a big thing I always tried to do if I was out shopping, I keep my eyes up and I try to get eye contact. And if you just say, "Hello, how's it going?" You could just feel that isolation and the hurts of people. We couldn't rub shoulders. We can't hug anymore. We can't shake hands. But man, whatever I could do to show people that you care, and the expressions and the excitement, sometimes in people's voice to get that interaction was just amazing. JO  26:49 You both exemplify the power of vulnerability with the stories that you've shared. Quentin, first, when you're dealing with people in your union who are struggling with mental health challenges, do you share your story? And if so, how does that help those people? QUENTIN  27:09 It's funny that you should say that because when I first started mental health courses, teaching them, I was with a very good friend and colleague at the time, Dave Phillips, who is a family therapist for 30 years. My wife actually worked underneath him in Abbotsford. I remember getting into the weeds of it the very first time and feeling very nervous, because the initial platform was to our entire staff. And I'm about to open my life up in front of my colleagues, which means... and again, attached to stigma... what are they going to think? Here's a guy who's like completely unstable, and should we actually think about promoting him? Or should keep an eye on him? Or maybe we should send someone to visit all these things that kind of going through my brain. And so, the very first course I did, after we were debriefing, Dave just said to me, "Quentin, you got to jump in with both feet, man." I said, "Dave, you know my story, we're very good friends, and I'm not comfortable. What will people think?" He's like, "What have you got to lose? We're not just talking about you, we're talking about other people, and they can learn from your narrative." Your narrative is nothing to run from. It's everything for you to embrace and walk into. I do that... I am not afraid of speaking my story. I'm not afraid of saying I have clinical depression...that I have anxiety disorders... that I get panic attacks every so often. And sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind. Some days are better than others. Not every day is filled with rainbows and ponies. For me, it becomes very vital that the first sort of entry into mental health is me, at least telling my story when I'm given the opportunity to. And so, every class, I start with my story, and then I turn it over and say, "Why are you here?" Jo, you would not believe the reaction that people have, once you step into that arena and say it's okay to tell me and to tell us, and for you to vocalize who you really are, and where you're really at. And it's amazing. There are people in there that in my 23 classes across the last number of years who have said to me, "I'm going to say something I've never said... I have bipolar." Or, "I live with schizophrenia." That's the first words out of their mouth. I'm telling you right now, Jo, there was a time, and not too long ago, where that was never your entering comment. And so, at the workplace, do the same thing... exactly what Trevor does. I try to maintain eye contact, and I know I can feel it when something's off. I don't necessarily ask a lot of questions, but I do take the opportunity to talk about, "Man looks like you guys got a pretty difficult job here. That must be really wearing on the brain. I know what it would do for me." I think those type of things, just to recognize what they're experiencing and what they're feeling. For me, it's an essential critical step. If you don't have that step, if I'm not sharing my story, my narrative... and my narrative doesn't have to work for everyone, it's not about everyone, it's about me.... but when I do that, it changes the environment. It lightens the air, and it allows people the permission to say, "You know what, things aren't really great... haven't been for a while. Here's what I'm dealing with." JO  30:27 What it does is it really engages people emotionally. And that's where things really start to happen. A personal example of mine is, when I was initially fundraising for the HEADS UP program, I would talk to people about what the program was and what our objectives were, and what our plans were. But when I shared my story of chronic anxiety... and like you, I have an anxiety disorder... when I share that story, people would lean into me. I could see their body language change and their interest in what I was talking about, just increase exponentially. I agree that that vulnerability is so critical. Trevor, how have you found the use of vulnerability to either help or hinder your work? TREVER  31:23 So, first off, when I did this course with Quentin, and I've been in safety now for seven years, but we did this course a year-and-a-half ago, we sat down at the course, I'll be very honest, I was pretty nervous. I was a little stressed about where's this was going to go. I've never gone through that before. Like Quentin said, he tells a story right from the beginning. It's like it knocks your socks right off. And everybody in the room, their eyes are wide open, and they want to speak, it just opens the room. He's not asking them to speak, he's not telling them to speak. People want to tell him their story and open up.  The vulnerability he gives to people… it's such a huge reaction. And I've been involved now with two of his courses, we did that one and three of us from our site went. And then we had a full course here on site with a very mixed group. And it's a true story. Like he says, it's real life. This is real, this isn't something made up. And people, just they want to tell their story. I had so many texts and phone calls that da, ye did it here on site, they couldn't believe that this is actually something that was happening. It opened up such a new part to our site that we've never had before. And it's still there. After COVID, we've had trouble getting training back, but it's slowly coming again. But for me, on a daily basis, this year not as much because we're a lot slower. But in 2019, we had 200 people on site, and almost on a daily basis people would come down and sit in my office, and some would be in tears when they show up... some would be having stresses going on. They would say, "You know what... this is what's going on in my life... this is what's happening at home... this is what's happened to me... my wife isn't doing good... my wife got cancer... I had a family member pass away." And they understand that because I've opened up with my story, what's going on in my life, that they can come to me and say, "Hey, this is what's going on." And they feel like I'm going to be able to either direct them, or just listen to what they have to say. And it completes them for that day. And either I give them the right that they should go home, or they should take a break. It's just that conversation. I don't tell them it's okay. But they have that feeling that now I've been able to open up. And it's part of a treatment that they feel good about, hey, somebody listened. I'm by no means a counselor. But that feeling they get when they leave, it is really good. JO  33:35 They feel they're not alone. And I think that's huge. And particularly during the time of COVID when people are feeling so isolated, people are feeling lonely. That sharing of stories and emotions, and solutions, and all of that great stuff becomes an antidote for isolation and loneliness. And people just realize that they're not alone. TREVER  34:04 I know when COVID hit last year, we had a quite a big group on site. And, of course, we had the COVID payments come from the government, and it was quite a disaster to start off. And I became an in-between person working with HR and payroll, trying to get these ROEs done and trying to get people paid. And some of them it took sometimes a month to almost a month-and-a-half to get there first cheque. And the stress that was caused by that was something we haven't seen for a long time because it happened so quick. The government wasn't ready. And there was a lot of dotted I's and crossed T's that weren't done. So, it took a long time to get people the right help they needed, just financially. So, to be part of that really helped to build a lot more relationships and build a lot more respect for people to be part of that. Again, it had to do with financial, but sometimes they'd be on the phone for 45 minutes just talking to somebody, just taking the time to listen and see what I could to just support that person, and it built again relationships. To me, really, relationship is so important with any mental health issues people are having, because then they feel comfortable to be vulnerable. It's just such a big key. QUENTIN  35:08 Not only that, but going, hey, you know what, no matter what the issue is, not only are there resources, but I can have a preferred future. I don't have to live under the weight of this. I can learn it is manageable. And for some disorders, some mental health issues are harder than others, you can live with them. And there's many examples out there of normal people living with significant issues, learning to manage them, and having good mental health, even though they have a significant mental health issue. JO  35:40 That's just such a good point, Quentin. And I know that, Trevor, you mentioned earlier about how every one of us is unique. And that's why every one of us needs to have a very special management plan. And for me, that includes medication, getting good sleep, good nutrition, regular exercise, support from my family, and my friends. As this unfolds in front of you, you will learn what those management strategies are for yourself. QUENTIN  35:56 And some work better for others. For me, I check all those boxes off too, Jo, maybe in different ways, but those are the boxes that I use as well. What's comforting is to know that there are resources, and that there is a way through these weeds, and that's a God send. When somebody in front of me not only feels comfortable telling me their story about issues they're dealing with, but also how they're dealing with it, that goes a long ways. TREVER  36:43 I understand that there's treatment, I think when that's the key. When you bring on the course, yes, now they have a mental health issue that they've been dealing with their whole life, or it's just come to light, like you said. Now it's out there, but all of a sudden, there's a way to treat this that they never knew was possible before. It's not just being open and vulnerable, but going through whatever avenue we can give them to get that treatment and living a normal life, still having that mental health issue. We talked about Speak Up when it came to mental health, quite a few years ago, and it was so short lived, that there wasn't really any help for it that we could see. And now, with this Mental Health First Aid course that we do, that you've been running for the last year-and-a-half, the treatment is there. We're treating this Mental Health First Aid course just like first aid when it comes to physical injury or when you're born with something that's physical. Stigma, we talk about. We take that away now and say, "You know what, it's no different than going to the doctor when you have cancer, or you've got anything that you have to deal with through life." At certain ages, as men, we've got to go ahead and get tested to make sure we don't have cancer for colon, all these different wonderful fun things we get done. But that's part of life on the physical side. Now we show up and say, "Hey, mental health is the same way. We've got to treat it just like physical illness or injury." And we can live life healthy, dealing with and treating our mental health. And I think that's something when we did these courses, people came out of it, looking at it saying, "Wait a minute, this isn't just some dark thing that we have to hide and put in the past. It's something we need to bring out and talk to people about to help them." But then we can treat this because it's a condition. It's real. It's a fibre of our being. We are born this way, or something pushed us that way. But it's part of our life. I think that's the exciting part of bringing mental health out the open is the treatment side of it. Because now we can help people. And because they have this mental health issue doesn't mean they can't live a healthy life, a good life, and be involved and do all the normal things that everybody else is doing, because we can take care of that. I'm so excited about the learnings I have for mental health. QUENTIN  38:42 There's no discrimination with mental health. It doesn't care who you are. It doesn't care how your status... doesn't care about your sexuality. It doesn't care about your worldview. It doesn't care about your ethnicity. It doesn't care about your social or economical background. It doesn't care, your gender, your religion, it really doesn't. There's no discriminatory pieces to this. It goes after everyone. It's a predator. It's a predator, though, that we not only know more about than ever before, but we're naming it more than we ever have. And we're calling it out. And we're saying, "Enough is enough. You've wreaked havoc long enough. And this is where I draw the line." And we can help people draw the line and go, "That's it." It's like Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings, when he's being chased by the fire demon, and he's across this bridge and he slams down his staff and he says, "You shall not pass." That's the picture of a resilient person who understands the issues, who has the resources and support and goes, "That's it. You have a corner… you stay in that room. That's all I'm giving you. You do not have access to the rest of my life, the way that you have in the past. I am the one, you are not." If we can deliver that, however it is that we do, not only will our workplaces transform, but our families, our relationships, our community, and most of all, with ourself... empathy for self, love for self, compassion for self. When we make those things available to us, even with significant mental health issues... that it's not a character defect, that it's not a problem with whatever it is with me, that there's nothing wrong with me... but when I can actually give myself the permission to feel those things and to accept those things, that is then much easier to give out.  JO  40:39 Wonderful input, thank you. I'd just like to step back for a minute. Quentin, in the union environment, how has people's interest in, and response to, mental health challenges changed over the years you've been doing this work? QUENTIN  40:57 Trevor and AECOM is a classic example. It's the acknowledgement that there's been this increased level of acceptance that mental health issues are real and common, and they're here to stay. And then it's a subject that's influenced lawmakers, HR departments, policies, lunchrooms. It's not as demonized as it used to be, the ones we shall not speak of, that's gone. That kind of mentality is making a quick exit, and it's increased the resources around us to assist people. Those are probably the top markers. JO  41:33 You both mentioned stigma... and you really can't talk about mental health without discussing stigma. So, Quentin, I'm really interested to know how stigma manifests in your members' work environments. Nowadays, I know that great progress is being made, but what are you noticing that still has to be dealt with? QUENTIN  41:57 Let me back it up for a second and just set this as the foundation. The Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety report that, nationally, an estimated, like I said...  35, and I refer to this early because it's really important... 35 million workdays are lost to mental health conditions amongst our 10 million plus workers. So, it's an estimated cost to Canadian employers of $51 billion [annually]. And like you said, Jo, it's going to just catapult after that. But this is the cost of direct services and loss of productivity. So, that's the stage it's on. What are the manifestations? Here's the ones that are most prominent, from my experience of what I've seen, is that there's this sort of denial and apathy... that, "I don't have an issue. It's not that big. Like, for years I didn't know I actually had an issue, or issues." I think language, there's stigmatizing words and ideas and statements and stereotypes and categorizations and interactions based on ignorance and insensitivity. Those are the two things... either you know, and don't care, or you don't know, at all. Not just language, but I just think of fear in general, that we fear what we don't know or what we don't understand.... ones we do not speak of. I think there's fear of repercussions. Actually, the Conference Board of Canada said that 65% of Canadian workers in the survey said they would not disclose a mental health problem to their employer for fear of repercussions, which could look like job loss or lack of promotion, or keeping an eye on somebody, you know, that little extra because you just in case they snap, or discrimination. A Health Canada survey said that 54% of people reported facing discrimination for their mental problems in the workplace. This is all workplace related. There's embarrassment and shame. [In the] Health Canada survey, 54% of respondents who met the criteria of anxiety-related disorders or mood-related disorders, or substance dependence, felt embarrassed about their mental health problems. And then there's a kind of dismissal. I found this astonishing when I came across this, but according to Benefits Canada, there's a survey that was done based on malingering rates in Canada's workplaces, which means you're faking it or exaggerating your issue, your workplace-related health issue. So, the national board for psychological safety in the workplace, they approximate that the malingering rate in Canada workplaces is about 15%, which means, Jo and Trevor, that 85% of the people that are expressing health-related or mental health-related issues are in fact not faking it. It's real. That's significant. But stigma goes, "There's Johnny again, got to pull the slack because he's got an anxiety disorder. Really, what it's code for is he just wants more time off." JO  44:53 So, before we go into how we're going to actually tackle these stigma-related issues, I just want to chime in with you, Trevor, about stigma within the energy industry. And I may be assuming too much, but it would seem to me that that's likely a male-dominated industry. And men in particular, have a hard time expressing their feelings. And perhaps there's the macho thing going on. Can you tell us about that? TREVER  45:28 Absolutely. I think that's a key thing. In oil and gas, especially in construction, it is still mainly men dominated. It's changed a lot in the last couple of years... you see a lot more women in this culture, in this industry... but it is still a lot of men. And I think, as men, we don't want to talk about this stuff. And we really single people out, we build even on a whole crew. You'll go into the lunchroom. and, you know, these guys work together, and all of a sudden Johnny's sitting over there, he's by himself, and yet he's a good worker out there. But there's something different about him that everybody has pushed him out. Or he does have anxiety issues, or things like that, that are slowing him down and he can't keep up with a group. And you see those guys singled out. And it's so important that when that happens for me, especially when I've been in safety, because I have this opportunity now to do that. Those are the people that I warm up to... those are the people that I want to find out their story. I don't want to use that to beat up the other crew. But I want to find out how I can start to deal with this, make it more open. So, everybody sees, you know what, there's nothing wrong with this person. They've got something they're dealing with, but you guys have to accept them for who they are. QUENTIN  46:35 It's really been helped out in the workplace... guys like Trevor and their companies and HR departments and management. There's lots of government legislation out there that helped minimize it in the sense that there's laws that govern the physical safety of the workplace. Those same laws also govern the mental health safety of each worker in their respective workplaces. Some of that stuff comes with other fines, or it could even include jail time. It's serious. We're not just making this up. There's laws that are helping us work through this issue. And like Trevor said, the idea that AECOM is actually celebrating it, normalizing it as a way that can help minimize stigma. Stigma is never going to go away, but the onslaught of further education continues to say, "Here's what's really going on. You break the ice behind here and this is the thing." Part of education for some employers also includes discipline, for those people that continue to be offenders by using these kinds of silos and stigmatizing phrases and sort of nasty behavior. There's discipline in the workplace for that, which is also governed by legislation, that a lot of contracts have 'respect in the workplace' articles, and what that looks like. And if you don't toe the line, this is what you can expect. So, all those things, I think, do help minimize stigma. But like I said, with mental health issues, I don't think stigma will ever go away. We can get the upper hand on it, which is what AECOM is working towards, which is what I'm working towards, but will never completely defeat it. It'll still be there to some extent because we're people, and it's a people thing, it's not some nebulous force. It's something that's part of who we are, unfortunately. JO  48:18 We heard from Trudy and Lisa earlier about key components of mentally healthy workplaces. And there were four primary ones. And this is where we bring part two of this episode into alignment with part one, we're going to talk about those four components... leadership, culture, peer support and training. Starting with leadership, Quentin, how does good leadership set the stage for a mentally healthy workplace?  QUENTIN  48:54 Buy-in at all levels. So, from the owner, to the manager, to the workers themselves, you have to have that buy-in. It starts with the owner. It starts with the CEO. It starts with whoever's at the top. If they own it, it's disseminated much better than if it's not. Proactive HR departments where they make progressive workplace policies, on things like bullying, harassment, or zero-tolerance policies... on behaviors that would stigmatize the workplace and its employees. There's occupational health and safety committees... them using their platform to make mental health an actual regular agenda item for the promotion, or the education, of mental health. And it's awareness. Things like celebrating Mental Health Day. There's the education thing like 'mental health first date' as Trevor's attested to a number of times. It's a powerful, powerful thing for education in the workplace. Education on what is bullying. I'm doing actually a course a couple of weeks from now talking about what is bullying and harassment in the workplace, and what it's not. Respect in the workplace is along the same kind of lines... respect for each other. And on site, companies that take toolboxes, they do their toolbox in the morning just to brief everybody. But some of those toolboxes now are starting to add in Mental Health Moments. That's another great place. And of course, I'm an advocate of proper discipline in the workplace. And what I mean by proper discipline is not just the discipline that's rendered, but it's how they arrive at what discipline we rendered. For instance, I've been advocating into our companies... to our signatories and HR departments... listen, you need to be adding mental health as part of the framing of your investigation. In other words, "Is there a potential mental health issue at play that we need to consider as a factor?" I can remember dealing with a health care unit... a company... and this person had patterns in absenteeism around Christmas for the last three years. This is a number of years ago, going back a number of years ago. And I asked the HR department, the directors, "Have you ever asked this individual why that is? Because you've made a bunch of assumptions here. And maybe there's something going on that we're not aware of?" They said, "I don't think that's my place." I said, "It is absolutely your place to ask." It's the same thing as if you suspect one of your employees might have an addiction to alcohol, you have to ask the questions… "Do you have a problem? Are you in need of assistance?”... these types of things. And I just said, “Listen, do you mind if I approach the individual and ask them?" And so, I did. And I said, "Hey, listen, I just came out of a meeting. They're concerned about this timeframe... every year for the last three years you take it off, or you don't bother phoning in, and then you just go to kind of AWOL." I said, "If there's something going on, that would help me explain the situation to them, that we might be able to reconcile this in a different way than just discipline. And this lady told me that, "Yeah, I'll tell you what it is... I have an anxiety disorder, and it peaks. And it started three years ago, when my aunt and my niece were coming to visit me, and they went through Rogers Pass and got in a head on, and both died instantly on impact. So, every year, the week before Christmas, my brain shuts down, and I can't handle it." I said, "Do you mind if I share this with the HR department, because this is significant, and we can get you help." Long story short, went in there and said, here's the reason. And what we ended up doing is that we're not going to discipline her, what we're going to do is you're going to give her a hall pass for the next couple of years. “We're going to give you the time off, just let us know if you need it. But we'll just make sure that you're off the schedule, so that you can work through this issue, not worrying about leaving us behind.” And within that two years, we also got her some help dealing with a cognitive behavioral therapist about her anxiety disorder  around it. You know what, two years later, different lady and learning how to manage it. And now it's like, every so often, every Christmas since then, maybe a day, if that at all, couple days, but a significant difference. That's what I'm talking about. That's very, very helpful. Or including mental health days as part of the definition of sick days. That's an important piece to put in there. And of course, I think, personally speaking, that the inclusion of personal days, either paid or unpaid, preferably paid into the collective agreement, covering off mental health days, including mental health days, like I said, as definitions of sick days. I think that's huge. I am a big advocate of that. JO  53:25 Trevor, what are AECOM leaders doing to build more mentally healthy environments for its workers? TREVER  53:33 I think a big thing with our leaders, for our VP Shawn Jubinville, he has made this such a big mission of his for the last two years to talk about mental health. So, it's coming down from above, to our corporate guys, to our site managers, to our project managers, to our directors. He is such a key part to our industry. And in that same breath, he's serving the people, coming to the same level so that servant leadership is so important, because then people feel like they can come to you. I've worked for a few different companies in my life, and usually a VP or a director, usually you feel like he's above you, he's so far away that you can't connect, or you can't contact him. When our VP comes to site, or he comes to talk to people, they feel open to talk to him. If they've got an issue, they want something resolved, they'll bring it up to him... he has such a good way to represent our company in that servant way. And it's so easy for me as a site safety, to serve the people here to show them that we want to take care of any mental health issues that come up. And Quentin talked about harassment, and people that get beat up, and we don't see it. They're getting harassed by words... are getting picked on. We've had quite a few different occasions on site where that came to my attention. And we do have the tools to discipline and deal with that very quickly, even quicker than sometimes an instant, because when it comes to harassment, and somebody is getting pushed to the side, getting bullied, we do not allow that. And you don't always get to see it right away, so that's where, when you come in as a servant, you come in at the same level as people, you don't come from above, it's easy for somebody to come over and say, "Trevor, this is what's going on, what do we do?"... because they're at a loss... they feel like they're up against the wall. We need to show anybody in our group that it's very important to speak up. JO  55:16 So, it looks like AECOM is doing a number of really incredible things to foster better mental health. What else could they be doing? You're down in the trenches doing this work every day. What else can they do to help in that move toward minimizing stigma and mental health issues? TREVER  55:38 I think a big thing is we just need to keep pushing and keep speaking up to make sure that our leadership hears that the sites need this. And the importance of it is the same as safety. It's the same as practices, procedures, all the stuff we deal with already this has to be pushed that same level. And I like what Quentin said, when it comes to benefits, we need to get sick days, we need to get things that support mental health, as well as they understand that this is something we need time to deal with. We need to pull away and take that break to recharge, reset, and get that special treatment.  QUENTIN  56:10 If I'm an owner of a company and I have a problem with absenteeism, or even presenteeism, it's a lot more cost effective, to be honest, to provide that in a contract, than for people to take two three weeks off and collect either medical EI or short-term disability. The numbers make sense from a fiscal

When two truth-tellers get together they give each other the confidence to question everything. Listen to the story of how two like-minded leaders, Courtney Harrison and Alicia Mandel, met and stayed together through 3 organizations. Over 25 years they learned a ton by working in a myriad of industries, big and small companies, advising great and not-so-great leaders while trying to guide many Best Places Work and Most Admired Companies.  Today, as the Founders of Medius Advisory Group and through an amazing network of mentors, business leaders and friends, they were given the push they needed to curate all this learning into a Podcast.  This introductory podcast will give you a taste as to who they are. Throughout the first season they will facilitate conversations with some of the best thought leaders and business leaders in their network - all of whom are trying to figure out how to overcome the Human Energy Crisis we are all finding ourselves in.

Just as there are no two recipes that contain the exact same ingredients or measurements, there are no two success stories exactly the same. Recipe For Success features entrepreneurs, visionary leaders and innovators of all ages who will share their ingredients that make them successful – personally and professionally. Let's get cooking! Mark Hickson is executive vice president of corporate development, strategy, quality and integration for NextEra Energy, Inc. In this role, he works to identify and prioritize top quality and process improvement initiatives across the company, as well as corporate strategy, mergers, acquisitions and integration activities. Mr. Hickson is also executive vice president, strategy and corporate development of NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP), a growth-oriented limited partnership formed by NextEra Energy, Inc. NextEra Energy Partners acquires, manages and owns contracted clean energy projects with stable, long-term cash flows. He also serves on the board of directors of NextEra Energy Partners. Mr. Hickson joined NextEra Energy in 2012 as vice president, corporate development and operational excellence. In 2015, he was named senior vice president, corporate development, strategy, quality and integration. In 2017, he was promoted to his current position. Prior to joining NextEra Energy, Mr. Hickson worked at Merrill Lynch & Co, where he was given increasing levels of responsibility from 1997-2012 and served as managing director in Global Mergers and Acquisitions until 2012. Mr. Hickson holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Columbia University, where he graduated with honors. NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is a leading clean energy company headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida. NextEra Energy owns two electric companies in Florida: Florida Power & Light Company, which serves more than five million customer accounts in Florida and is the largest rate-regulated electric utility in the United States as measured by retail electricity produced and sold; and Gulf Power Company, which serves more than 460,000 customers in eight counties throughout northwest Florida. NextEra Energy also owns a competitive energy business, NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage. Through its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy generates clean, emissions-free electricity from eight commercial nuclear power units in Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin. A Fortune 200 company and included in the S&P 100 index, NextEra Energy has been recognized often by third parties for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity. NextEra Energy is ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry on Fortune's 2019 list of “World's Most Admired Companies” and ranked among the top 25 on Fortune's 2018 list of companies that “Change the World.” For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.GulfPower.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com. For more information about Junior Achievement of South Florida, visit https://www.jasouthflorida.org. Follow us on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasouthflorida LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/junior-achievement-of-south-florida/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasouthflorida Twitter: https://twitter.com/JASouthFlorida

This week, dining returns to Downtown Disney, with Buena Vista Street locations coming soon, an update to the mask policy, annual passholders get some perks, information about the new membership program launch, we talk to former DCA cast member Daniel, and more! Please support the show if you can by going to https://www.dlweekly.net/support/. If you want some DLWeekly Swag, you can pick some up at https://www.dlweekly.net/store/. Book your travel through ConciEARS at no extra cost to you! Be sure to mention that you heard about ConciEARS from DLWeekly at booking! If you want some awesome headwear or one of a kind items, be sure to visit our friends over at All Enchanting Ears! You can use the promo code DLWEEKLY10 to get 10% off your order! News: A few of the Downtown Disney dining locations that closed due to the stay at home order have now reopened. UVA Bat and Cafe reopened on January 30th, along with Tortilla Jo’s, and Naples Ristorante e Bar. Reservations can be made for these locations on the Disneyland Dining reservations page. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2021/01/28/two-downtown-disney-restaurants-share-reopening-dates/ With the return of dining, food carts and extended seating areas have returned to Buena Vista Street. Water, soft drinks, and even cotton candy have returned to the carts. A lot of the expanded eating areas that were setup previously have also returned in a similar fashion. – https://dlnewstoday.com/2021/01/photos-food-carts-return-and-seating-areas-extended-at-disney-california-adventure/ Friday, February 5th is the date when Award Wieners, Carthay Circle Lounge, and Smokejumpers Grill will reopen for guests. The three locations should return to the same level of service and menus as they had before the stay at home order caused them to close down. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2021/02/01/carthay-circle-award-wieners-and-more-get-reopening-dates-in-downtown-disney/ Disneyland has updated their mask policy while on property to include reference to the COVID-19 vaccinations that are ongoing around the world. The first policy that they updated was the requirement for everyone, even those vaccinated against the virus to wear a mask while on property. The other policy is that of clear face masks. Clear face masks must be attached to fabric on all sides using tight knit stitching. The clear face masks are designed to help those guests who need to read lips, or are deaf. – https://www.ocregister.com/2021/02/01/downtown-disney-and-buena-vista-street-visitors-face-2-new-mask-rules/ Disneyland wants to make sure that former annual passholders feel the love. Passholders as of March 14, 2020 are now labeled as Disneyland Resort Legacy Passholders. This new title brings with it some new extras like 30% off select merchandise at some Downtown Disney and Buena Vista Street locations on Monday through Thursdays through February 25th. Also, a WandaVision inspired retro photo op the weekend of February 6th. There is another perk, which we will touch on later. – https://disneyland.disney.go.com/news/legacy-passholder-program/ and https://www.micechat.com/281168-disneyland-update-survey-says-jungle-news/ Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock hopes that the new membership program will be ready when they are allowed to reopen, which currently looks to be spring at the earliest. He said they are working all hands on deck to develop the program as quickly as possible. – https://dlnewstoday.com/2021/01/disneyland-hopeful-of-launching-new-annual-pass-membership-program-when-allowed-to-open/ Hard to believe, but it has almost been 20 years since Disney California Adventure opened! Starting February 8th, World of Disney and Elias & Co. are releasing a limited assortment of merchandise celebrating the milestone. The items will include the 20th anniversary logo, which features Mickey and Minnie riding the Trolley, with the Pixar Pal Around as the 0 in Celebrating 20 years. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2021/02/01/20th-anniversary-disney-california-adventure-merch-is-being-released-soon/ Progress is being made on the exterior of the old Rainforest Cafe location to convert it to the new home of the Star Wars Trading Post. Control panels, satellite dishes, and more Star Wars touches have been made to the exterior. The new sign for the location also appears to be hung up, but covered for the time being. Legacy Passholders will get early access to the location starting on February 16th through the 18th, before the opening to the public on February 19th. – https://www.micechat.com/281168-disneyland-update-survey-says-jungle-news/ A new Beauty and the Beast collection has appeared on Buena Vista Street at the Kingswell Camera Shop. The new items spread across kitchen and household items like a Chip Succulent that has Chip blowing bubbles, with a succulent growing out the top as well. A Madame de La Grande Bouch jewelry box, Lumiere light-up figure, and more are in the collection. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2021/02/01/disneylands-new-beauty-and-the-beast-collection-has-loads-of-personality/ Some new mugs have come to Downtown Disney this week. A Valentine’s Day mug with Mickey and Minnie, with the handle in the shape of a heart is available, as well as an Alice in Wonderland tea party mug, which looks like three tea cups stacked on top of each other, a “mountains mug”, which features Big Thunder, Space, and Splash mountains, and more. – https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2021/02/01/disney-just-released-6-new-mugs/ The Walt Disney Company has been ranked number 4 on Fortune’s list of “World’s Most Admired Companies”. In addition, the company has ranked #1 again for the 18th consecutive year in the entertainment industry. The top marks included the quality of their products and services, global competitiveness, people management, social responsibility, and long-term investment value. Only Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft scored higher on the list. – https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-ranks-high-on-fortunes-2021-list-of-worlds-most-admired-companies/ Discussion Topic: Daniel with ODV (Outdoor Vending) at DCA

JaM discuss a new survey that was released regarding where the Cowboys rank on America's Favorite Teams list. You'll hear an incredible story about Jason Witten from the reporter who knows him best, ESPN Cowboys Insider Todd Archer joins the show and how did the Cowboys 2020 Draft Class end up on film for the season? Dallas Morning News NFL Film Analyst John Owning answers that and discusses who he saw at the Senior Bowl that the Cowboys might have their eye on. JaM also take a trip around the block that covers the EA Sports news and the death of a TV star plus, this episode features a new edition of The Peep Show where Jacques and Matt discuss what they've been watching lately. Recorded 2/2/21. Explicit language included. (START)--America's Team: Is it still the Cowboys? (28:06)--The Block: Texas Motorspeedway, the Most Admired Companies, EA Sports makes everyone happy and Screech passes on (51:35)--ESPN Cowboys Insider Todd Archer, brought to you by BlueStarMotorGroup.com (01:09:18)--The Peep Show (01:28:43)--High School Football Coach Jason Witten (01:36:00)--NFL Film Analyst John Owning

JaM discuss a new survey that was released regarding where the Cowboys rank on America's Favorite Teams list. You'll hear an incredible story about Jason Witten from the reporter who knows him best, ESPN Cowboys Insider Todd Archer joins the show and how did the Cowboys 2020 Draft Class end up on film for the season? Dallas Morning News NFL Film Analyst John Owning answers that and discusses who he saw at the Senior Bowl that the Cowboys might have their eye on. JaM also take a trip around the block that covers the EA Sports news and the death of a TV star plus, this episode features a new edition of The Peep Show where Jacques and Matt discuss what they've been watching lately. Recorded 2/2/21. Explicit language included. (START)--America's Team: Is it still the Cowboys? (28:06)--The Block: Texas Motorspeedway, the Most Admired Companies, EA Sports makes everyone happy and Screech passes on (51:35)--ESPN Cowboys Insider Todd Archer, brought to you by BlueStarMotorGroup.com (01:09:18)--The Peep Show (01:28:43)--High School Football Coach Jason Witten (01:36:00)--NFL Film Analyst John Owning

Ep. 15: Indiana State Baseball shaped this business icon. Learn how to navigate mergers and acquisitions in this technology month episode with Joe Quaglia! Joe joined the Tech Data team in 2006 and rose to be President of the Americas. Tech Data connects the world with the power of technology and has been named one of Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies for 11 straight years. Joe was a member of the Indiana State Baseball team until an injury to his throwing arm halted his aspirations to be a pitcher at the next level, but that shift taught him leadership lessons he still uses today! Visit Episode 15 of corporatecompetitorpodcast.com for a free gift and today’s show notes!

KL088 Mark Thompson The World's #1 CEO Coach C-Suite Coaching for Unconscious Bias Episode Summary I had an incredible time interviewing Mark Thompson—The World’s #1 CEO Coach on Keep Leading LIVE!™ We discussed his work with some of the world’s top leaders, unconscious bias, and how the power of coaching helps C-Suite leaders. Bio Mark C. Thompson is the World's #1 Leadership Coach for Transformational Growth, Team Engagement, and Driving Change, according to the American Management Association. A New York Times bestselling author, Mark is a leadership coach for the world's fastest-growing, most innovative companies — from LYFT CEO & Cofounder Logan Green, Pinterest Cofounder Evan Sharp, and World Bank CEO Dr. Jim Kim, to founders Richard Branson, Steve Jobs and Charles Schwab, for whom he served as the world's first CXO — Chief Customer Experience Officer. Forbes Magazine says Mark has the 'Midas' touch as a sought-after coach, speaker, and venture investor. His New York Times bestselling books include: ADMIRED: 21 Ways to Double Your Value; Now Build a Great Business, and Success Built to Last - Creating a Life the Matters. Mark is also an Innovation Leadership columnist for Forbes.com, Inc.com, and FastCompany.com. His most recent bestseller, ADMIRED, is a primer on how the world's "Most Admired Companies" achieve long-term success and growth as well as the qualities that are common to "Most Admired Leaders." Website https://www.markcthompson.com/   LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/successmatters/ Get Your Copy of Mark’s Book! https://www.markcthompson.com/bestselling-books-mark-c-thompson/   Subscribe, share, and review on Apple Podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/keep-leading/id1461490512 Full Episode Transcripts and Detailed Guest Information www.KeepLeadingPodcast.com   Keep Leading LIVE (Live Recordings of the Keep Leading!® Podcast) www.KeepLeadingLive.com The Keep Leading!® podcast is for people passionate about leadership. It is dedicated to leadership development and insights. Join your host Eddie Turner, The Leadership Excelerator® as he speaks with accomplished leaders and people of influence across the globe as they share their journey to leadership excellence. Listen as they share leadership strategies, techniques and insights. For more information visit https://eddieturnerllc.com or follow Eddie Turner on Twitter and Instagram at @eddieturnerjr. Like Eddie Turner LLC on Facebook. Connect with Eddie Turner on LinkedIn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Treasury Career Corner podcast, I’m joined by Catherine Porter, the former EMEA Treasury Director at CBRE. Catherine shares stories from past roles and the struggles of returning to work after maternity leave. Catherine also offers some great career advice for treasurers and anyone who is thinking about pursuing a career in finance. With broader and deeper capabilities than any other company, CBRE is the leading full-service real estate services and investment organisation in the world. CBRE Group, Inc. is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, with 2019 revenues of $23.9 billion and more than 100,000 employees (excluding affiliate offices). CBRE has been included on the Fortune 500 since 2008, ranking #128 in 2020. It has also been voted the industry’s top brand by the Lipsey Company for 19 consecutive years and has been named one of Fortune’s “Most Admired Companies” for eight years in a row, including being ranked number one in the real estate sector in 2020, for the second consecutive year. CBRE offers a broad range of integrated services, including facilities, transaction and project management, property management, investment management, appraisal and valuation, property leasing, strategic consulting, property sales, mortgage services and development services. Catherine started out in audit and after qualifying as a Chartered Accountant moved into broad finance roles and also worked in continental Europe for several years, mostly in Germany. She 'discovered' treasury when she stopped for a career break and is now a Fellow of the Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT). Catherine currently chairs the Membership Advisory Panel at the ACT.   On the podcast we discussed… Catherine's early career Why it’s important to take some ‘edgier opportunities’ when you’re young Essential skills that every treasurer needs to be successful The struggles of being a returning mother trying to find a new role in treasury Why Catherine considers her role as Head of Treasury at Cancer Research UK to be her big break Important exams and courses to help build your treasury career How to improve your communication skills Catherine discusses where she sees her career going next Why you need to complete your education and continue to work hard Connect with Catherine on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherineportersummaryprofile1/?originalSubdomain=uk). Learn more about the Treasury Skills Wheel (http://www.treasuryskillswheel.com/) Are you interested in pursuing a career within Treasury? Whether you’ve recently graduated, or you want to search for new job opportunities to help develop your treasury career, The Treasury Recruitment Company can help you in your search for the perfect job. send us your CV (https://treasuryrecruitment.com/jobs) and let us help you in your next career move! If you’re enjoying the show please rate and review us on whatever podcast app you listen to us on, for Apple Podcasts click here (http://www.treasurycareercorner.com/itunes/)! 

Ginger Hardage recently retired as Senior Vice President of Culture and Communications at Southwest Airlines after an illustrious 25 years, where she served as a member of the CEO’s executive leadership team. At Southwest, Ginger led a team of 150 people responsible for building and sustaining the organization’s legendary culture and communications enterprise. In 2017, Ginger launched Unstoppable Cultures, a brand designed to help organizations create and sustain cultures of enduring greatness. Recognized by many as a foremost global authority on building and sustaining organizational culture, Ginger was responsible for the activities at Southwest that nourished the culture and the internal and external communications function. Ginger was a tireless ambassador of the world-famous Southwest Culture, leading to honors such as being a perpetual standout on FORTUNE’s “Most Admired Companies in the World” list. She helped champion the values, purpose and “Best Place to Work” initiatives at the nation’s largest airline. Upon her retirement, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said “Ginger has made countless contributions to Southwest. She has been an invaluable business partner, advisor, and mentor. She brings constant, positive energy and enthusiasm to all those around her, and that is infectious. She has built superb teams that we are very proud of, and that I know will continue her special brand of excellence.” Ginger has received numerous honors throughout her career, including induction into the Public Relations Hall of Fame and being named as one of Texas’ Most Powerful and Influential Women. PRWeek has named her multiple times to its Top 50 Power list and 50 Most Powerful Women in Public Relations. She was named “Legendary Communicator” by Southern Methodist University, Legacy Award honoree by the Plank Center for Leadership, and selected for the James C. Bowling Executive-In-Residence Lecture Series at the University of Kentucky. Ginger currently serves as a Trustee on the global board of Ronald McDonald House Charities. In Dallas, she serves on the board of The Trinity Park Conservancy and was recently President of the Trinity Commons Foundation. Ginger previously served on advisory boards of Novartis in Basel, Switzerland; The Page Society; Business Civic Leadership Center, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Big Brothers and Sisters of Metropolitan Dallas; Southwest Cares; and the Council of Public Relations Firms. Before beginning her career at Southwest Airlines in 1990, Ginger held a variety of marketing and public relations positions at Maxus Energy Corporation, Diamond Shamrock Corporation, and Life Insurance Company of the Southwest. Ginger earned a B.A. in advertising/public relations from Texas Tech University and was recognized as an outstanding alumna by the College of Mass Communications at Texas Tech University. Ginger lives in Dallas with her husband, Kelly, and has grown stepsons, Patrick and Ross. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/relationomics/message

- CIRP: iPhone 11 Apple’s Top Seller for December-Quarter - Apple Tops Fortune’s Most Admired Companies for 13th Straight Year - Apple Posts Government Request Transparency Report - Apple’s CEO Advocates Global Taxation “Rehaul” - Cook Teases Work on Technology and Health - Apple Issues Employee-Only Apple Watch Activity Challenge - Apple Releases New Trailer for "Visible: Out on Television" - Apple and Cook Remember Martin Luther King, Jr. - Zapier - the easiest way to automate your work. Try it free for two-weeks at - Power what we do next for as little as $1 a month. Join the Mac OS Ken Test Kitchen at Patreon at ! - Send me an email: info@macosken.com or call (716)780-4080!

This week’s guest on the Treasury Career Corner Podcast Todd Yoder, Director of Global Corporate Treasury at Fluor Corporation, has worked across some of the largest engineering, procurement and construction projects in the world.  Founded in 1912 and headquartered in Irving, Texas, the Fluor Corporation is one of the world’s largest engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction and maintenance companies. It has been responsible for some of the world’s most complex projects, from bridges to diamond mines to oil refineries and pipelines, Fluor operates across six continents and has been listed in Fortune Magazine’s “World’s Most Admired Companies" for 19 consecutive years. It has revenues of $19.2 billion in 2018 and over 53,000 employees working across 100 countries.  Prior to Fluor, Todd worked at Capital Bancorp in commercial credit before moving to Catalyst Marketing Design Inc. He then joined Zimmer Holdings Inc where he was involved in a wide range of global treasury responsibilities. He was eventually promoted to oversee the financial planning and analysis for Zimmer’s Reconstructive Global Hips and Trauma divisions. He also worked for Anthem, one of the largest health benefits companies before moving to Fluor. Todd has been given multiple awards for his work at Fluor for his corporate treasury strategy. In 2019 he was given Fluor’s prestigious Tappan Award for being a key team member on the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Todd is also known for being a treasury technology expert and is at the forefront of utilizing AI, data visualisation and robotic process automation within multi-national corporate treasury to add value to the business. He has an insatiable thirst for knowledge and holds three business degrees. He has also been a guest speaker at numerous engagements including The Economist magazine’s EuroFinance events; and has been published in Treasury Today magazine, The Global Treasurer and Bloomberg.  I’m delighted to welcome Todd on to the Treasury Career Corner podcast this week where we go right back to his early childhood of taking apart telephones to managing treasury for complex global mega-projects. On the podcast we discussed… How Todd’s childhood shaped his work ethic  How his first job gave him a crash course in management The moment Todd fell in love with treasury The sink or swim culture at Zimmer What a recruiter said that convinced him to make the move to Fluor Working on mega projects in excess of $15+ billion at Fluor Todd’s insights into how technology is shaping treasury and some invaluable career tips Would you like to get in touch with Todd? If so, you can connect with him via LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddyodernotredamefluor/) . Are you interested in pursuing a career within Treasury?  Whether you’ve recently graduated, or you want to search for new job opportunities to help develop your treasury career, The Treasury Recruitment Company can help you in your search for the perfect job. send us your CV (https://treasuryrecruitment.com/jobs) and let us help you in your next career move! If you’re enjoying the show please rate and review us on whatever podcast app you listen to us on, for Apple Podcasts click here (http://www.treasurycareercorner.com/itunes/) !

Etsy, the growing online craft marketplace seen as great ESG stock. Southwest Airlines flies high on its sustainable practices. First ever ESG ‘junk bond’ ETF debuts. Seven renewable energy stock picks. Rising wind power trends of repowering and replacement of turbines offer exciting investing opportunities. New international faith-based ESG ETF launches with global appeal. More PODCAST: Etsy, Southwest Air, ESG Junk Bonds, and more… Transcript & Links October 11, 2019 Hello, Ron Robins here. Welcome to my podcast Ethical & Sustainable Investing News to Profit By! for October 11, 2019—presented by Investing for the Soul. investingforthesoul.com is your site for vital global ethical and sustainable investing news, commentary, information, and resources. And, Google any terms that are unfamiliar to you. Also, you can find a full transcript, live links to content, and often bonus material to these podcasts at their episodes’ podcast page located at investingforthesoul.com/podcasts. Now to this podcast! ------------------------------------------------------------- Many of you have heard of Etsy, the online craft marketplace and perhaps wondered if it’s a good ESG stock. Well, Maria Gallagher says a resounding yes to that in an article on The Motley Fool site titled, ESG Investing: Is Etsy a Responsible Investment? She says, that, quote, “Etsy boasts more than 60 million unique items, 43 million buyers, and 2.3 million sellers on its platform… Etsy scores a 9 out of 10 on The Motley Fool's Framework for ESG Compounders… It is a strong company that appears to strive intentionally to make its marketplace the best it can be for purveyors of handmade goods. There are areas for improvement, but Etsy seems to be balancing profitability, scale, and strong ESG principles.” End quote. ------------------------------------------------------------- Another Motley contributor, Dan Caplinger reviews Southwest Airlines and finds it best in the airline sector for ESG practices. His piece is titled, ESG Investing: Is Southwest Airlines a Responsible Investment? Mr. Caplinger says, “Many environmental advocates view global air travel's enormous carbon footprint as needlessly wasteful.” But he goes on saying – and I quote, that, “Currently, Southwest helps travelers visit more than 100 destinations in the U.S. along with 10 countries internationally… and it’s No. 11 on Fortune’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies in 2019… Southwest has embraced ESG principles throughout its history, even before most investors paid much attention to those concepts… it's hard to find an industry player that makes a better ESG case than Southwest Airlines… Southwest has put itself in position to thrive for years to come.” End quote. ------------------------------------------------------------- Turning to ESG bonds, we know that generally ethical and sustainable investing bonds are of high quality – and sometimes with even lower than average yields because of their great quality. Now we have a departure from that. Nuveen – which already has 9 ESG ETFs – is launching a below investment grade ESG bond fund. Andrea Riquier, in an article titled, The first-ever ESG junk bond ETF debuts, says this about the ETF, quote, “Investors are increasingly drawn to holdings that pay attention to ESG issues and financial-services firms are always on the hunt for new flavors of investments to offer. So, a new fund that seems to offer high yield as well as comply with ESG principles might seem attractive, even though it raises some questions about how appropriate it might be for investors.” End quote. Among the concerns for this type of bond are that the research into their credit-worthiness is often limited as well as the number of bonds that might fit the criterion for inclusion in this ETF. Nonetheless, it might appeal to those investors willing to assume somewhat greater risk for possible greater return on their fixed income portfolio, while still wanting it to be ESG-based. ------------------------------------------------------------- Will Ashworth, in an article titled, 7 Renewable Energy Stocks to Buy for Sunny Long-Term Returns, appearing on the Investorplace website, recommends some of the same stocks that have been covered here in previous episodes of this podcast. Here are the seven stocks he recommends, much abbreviated from his post, but using his words. Quote, “1) NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE) Not only is NextEra Energy the world’s largest utility, it’s also the largest producer of wind and solar energy anywhere on the planet… [its] the company’s views on energy diversity that makes it an excellent long-term investment. 2) Brookfield Renewable Partners (NYSE: BEP). Brookfield announced that it had increased its ownership (with partners) of TerraForm Power (NASDAQ: TERP) from 51% to 65%… TerraForm Power generates 3,634 megawatts of solar and wind power around the globe… Brookfield Renewable worldwide has 843 renewable power facilities… capable of producing 16,300 megawatts of power annually… If you want to own more than renewable energy assets, you might consider Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM) which owns 61% of BEP and is one of the world’s largest alternative asset managers. If I could only own one company’s stock, Brookfield Asset Management would be at the top of my list. 3) TransAlta Corporation (NYSE: TAC). It could be better for U.S. investors to choose TransAlta Corporation as one of the best renewable energy stocks to buy rather than its 64%-owned renewable energy subsidiary TransAlta Renewables (TSE: RNW), which trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange… [Then he says] if you’re an aggressive investor, I’d go with TransAlta Renewables. 4) Enviva (NYSE: EVA) Eviva is the world’s largest producer of wood pellets… The pellets themselves are sold to utilities in the U.K. and Europe that use them in place of coal to produce a cleaner electricity source… If you’re an income investor, Enviva is a very safe way to meet your annual income requirements. 5) Renewable Energy Group (NASDAQGS: REGI) Whenever you see one of those trucks sucking out the grease traps at a restaurant, it’s going to one of Renewable Energy’s 13 biomass refineries to be turned into diesel fuel… The demand for biodiesel is tremendous… I believe REGI has got room to move into the $30s on rising demand. 6) TPI Composites (NASDAQ: TPIC) TPI Composites is the largest independent manufacturer of composite wind blades for turbine manufacturers… Last year, it announced a joint development agreement with Navistar International (NYSE: NAV) to develop a composite tractor and frame rails for a Class 8 truck… With margins moving higher, the profits will follow. 7) Siemens (OTCMKTS: SIEGY) This last one gives you exposure to a global industrial player in Siemens which, amongst its many ventures, owns 59% of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (OTCMKTS: GCTAF), the world’s largest producer of wind turbines and one of the interesting renewable stocks to buy without going all-in on renewables.” End quote. Incidentally, Travis Hoium has published an article in the Motley Fool titled, Why Solar Energy Stocks Are Dropping Like a Rock but he soothes his reader's worries by saying, and I quote, that “Investors are afraid of solar energy right now, but the long-term prospects of the industry are improving.” End quote. ------------------------------------------------------------- Continuing on the subject of renewable power, Maxx Chatsko says that wind power trends in the US and around the world have gained a certain level of maturity, and now some new perspectives come into focus. In an article titled, 2 Trends in Wind Power That Investors Need to Know About in The Motley Fool, Mr. Chatsko says, that “The American wind power industry is barreling toward an important inflection point. The production tax credit (PTC), which provides a subsidy for each kilowatt-hour of electricity g enerated from wind farms… is about to be phased out… The phaseout makes sense… [and that] investors interested in renewable energy stocks can't overlook the significance of these two trends reshaping the wind power industry…” End quote. Mr. Chatsko’s says the two big new themes at play are the repowering – or replacement – of wind farms and the recycling of old turbines. Two companies he recommends concerning these trends are General Electric (NYSE: GE) for new turbines and Trex Company (NYSE: TREX) for recycling. ------------------------------------------------------------- For faith-based investors, America’s Inspire Investing has launched a new international ESG ETF with the name Inspire International ESG ETF (NYSEARCA: WWJD). Quoting Tom Lydon, of ETF Trends in an article he wrote titled, Inspire Investing Launches Faith-Based International ESG ETF, he says, that, “With an expense ratio of 0.80%, the Inspire International ESG ETF is a faith-based ESG ETF comprised of 150 biblically aligned large-cap companies outside of the United States, as measured by Inspire’s revolutionary Inspire Impact Score methodology, which measures a company’s positive impact on the world… The new WWJD is comprised of 80% developed markets companies and 20% emerging markets stocks.” End quote. ------------------------------------------------------------- So, these are my top news stories and tips for ethical and sustainable investors over the past two weeks. Again, to get all the links or to read the transcript of this podcast and sometimes get additional information too, please go to investingforthesoul.com/podcasts and scroll down to this episode. And be sure to click the like and subscribe buttons in iTunes/Apple Podcasts or wherever you download or listen to this podcast and please click the share buttons to share this podcast with your friends and family. That way you can help promote not only this podcast but ethical and sustainable investing globally and help create a better world for us all. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the content of this podcast or anything else related. Now, a big thank you for listening. Come again! And my next podcast is scheduled for October 25. See you then. Bye for now. © 2019 Ron Robins, Investing for the Soul.

Episode 71 features Rick Smith, Founder and CEO of Axon (Formerly TASER). Rick talks about his journey of how he came upon the Taser device and grew this business through many twists and turns as well as his mission to make the bullet obsolete with his new book, "The End of Killing".Some topics we cover:Impact his father had on his journey to entrepreneurship Being fascinated with roboticsImpact tragedy had on his lifeStarting a company in his early 20’sHiring and brining in the right peopleThe company almost closingPerformance-based PayWriting a bookFind Rick Online:Website: https://www.axonrick.com/Axon Website: https://www.axon.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/axonrick/Twitter: https://twitter.com/axonrickHis new book, "The End of Killing": https://www.amazon.com/End-Killing-Technologies-Humanitys-Problem/dp/1989025536About Rick:A pioneer of technology with the vision of making the bullet obsolete, Rick founded the original company, TASER International, in 1993. As the TASER device became ubiquitous in law enforcement, Rick pushed the company beyond weapons technology and towards a broader purpose of matching technology to public safety needs in order to make the world a safer place. Under his leadership, the company has grown from a garage in Tucson to a NASDAQ-listed global market leader in conducted energy weapon, body-worn cameras and software. In April 2017, TASER International officially changed its name to Axon Enterprise to better represent the entire network of devices, people and applications. Today, more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies in more than 100 countries are a part of the Axon network.Rick graduated from Harvard with a B.S. in Neuroscience (Cum Laude) and later earned a Master in International Finance from the University of Leuven in Belgium and an MBA from the University of Chicago.Rick’s mission to obsolete the bullet has been chronicled in The New Yorker as well as Forbes and GQ. Rick’s 2018 op-ed on suggesting a grand challenge to help reduce gun violence in schools was published by CNBC. That same year, Rick was named one of Arizona’s Most Admired Leaders by Phoenix Business Journal and Axon was named one of 2018’s Most Admired Companies by Arizona Business Magazine. Rick rocked the tech industry when he announced a first-of-its-kind employee compensation plan allowing employees to align their pay directly with value creation for shareholders. The eXponential Stock Performance Plan earned media coverage in Bloomberg, GeekWire, World at Work and more.Rick is a frequent guest on CNBC’s Mad Money and has also appeared on CBS’ This Morning, The Street and more.“Many people concerned about gun violence want to alter laws. Rick Smith is focusing on a tech solution.” – Geekwire“Can the Manufacturer of Tasers Provide the Answer to Police Abuse?” – The New Yorker“Billion-dollar award made CEO uneasy. Now he’s fixing it.” – Bloomberg“Rick Smith is known as the ‘Steve Jobs of policing technology’ — and this book reflects his well-deserved reputation. Rick envisions a world free of gun violence. This is a must-read for those who share his bold vision to enhance safety in our communities!” – Kathleen O’Toole, Former Police Chief......For more episodes of the Just Get Started Podcast visit https://www.brianondrako.com/ or Follow the Just Get Started Podcast on Instagram at @justgetstartedpodcast or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/justgetstartedpodcast To learn more about me and what’s going on in my world check out https://www.brianondrako.com/now/ or find me on Instagram at @brianondrako See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ginger Hardage: Unstoppable Cultures Ginger Hardage is the former senior vice president of culture at Southwest Airlines. She led a team responsible for building and sustaining the organization’s legendary culture and communications enterprise, resulting in 23 consecutive years on Fortune’s list of Top 10 Most Admired Companies in the World. Today, Ginger leads Unstoppable Cultures, a firm designed to help organizations create and sustain cultures of enduring greatness. She facilitates the annual Unstoppable Cultures Fellowship to help leaders of all kinds take practical steps to create the culture that will help their organization thrive. In this conversation, Ginger and I discuss the five lies she’s seen come up again and again in her work with leaders who are struggling with culture. Perhaps most importantly, Ginger emphasizes that leaders need not accept the default culture, but should work to define the culture. Key Points The five lies Ginger has uncovered about culture: Culture is someone else’s job. Our values are on the wall. Culture is fluffy. If I empower my employees, I might lose control. We can’t afford culture. Bonus Audio Defining a culture Resources Mentioned 5 Lies About Corporate Culture document Unstoppable Cultures Fellowship Related Episodes The Four Critical Stories Leaders Need For Influence, with David Hutchens (episode 148) Notice and Change Dysfunctional Culture, with Jonathan Raymond (episode 327) How to Create an Unstoppable Culture, with Ginger Hardage (episode 350) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Ginger Hardage: Unstoppable Cultures Ginger Hardage is the former senior vice president of culture at Southwest Airlines. She led a team responsible for building and sustaining the organization’s legendary culture and communications enterprise, resulting in 23 consecutive years on Fortune’s list of Top 10 Most Admired Companies in the World. Today, Ginger leads Unstoppable Cultures, a firm designed to help organizations create and sustain cultures of enduring greatness. She facilitates the annual Unstoppable Cultures Fellowship to help leaders of all kinds take practical steps to create the culture that will help their organization thrive. In this conversation, Ginger and I discuss the five lies she’s seen come up again and again in her work with leaders who are struggling with culture. Perhaps most importantly, Ginger emphasizes that leaders need not accept the default culture, but should work to define the culture. Key Points The five lies Ginger has uncovered about culture: Culture is someone else’s job. Our values are on the wall. Culture is fluffy. If I empower my employees, I might lose control. We can’t afford culture. Bonus Audio Defining a culture Resources Mentioned 5 Lies About Corporate Culture document Unstoppable Cultures Fellowship Related Episodes The Four Critical Stories Leaders Need For Influence, with David Hutchens (episode 148) Notice and Change Dysfunctional Culture, with Jonathan Raymond (episode 327) How to Create an Unstoppable Culture, with Ginger Hardage (episode 350) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Welcome to the What's Next! podcast with Tiffani Bova.  This week I am honored to have the wonderful Ginger Hardage on the show. Ginger recently retired as Senior Vice President of Culture and Communications at Southwest Airlines after an illustrious 25 years. She is recognized by many as a foremost authority on building and sustaining organizational culture, and during her time at Southwest, the airline experienced 22 consecutive years on FORTUNE’s “Top 10 Most Admired Companies in the World” list. Throughout her career, Ginger has received countless awards and honors like the PRWeek Top 50 Power list, PRWeek 50 Most Powerful Women in Public Relations, Texas’ Most Powerful and Influential Women, and “Legendary Communicator” by Southern Methodist University in 2007. Ginger was also inducted into the Public Relations Hall of Fame in 2015 and received the prestigious Legacy Award from the Plank Center for Leadership in 2016. Ginger currently serves as a Trustee on two global boards—Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Arthur Page Society. I am absolutely thrilled to have Ginger Hardage on the What’s Next! Podcast!  THIS EPISODE IS PERFECT FOR… leaders, aspiring leaders, managers, and anyone interested in leading effectively and building a successful and organizational culture.  TODAY’S MAIN MESSAGE… Happy employees make customers happy. When customers are happy they return. This is what helps you successfully take care of your shareholders. Too often organizations start backward, focus too much on pleasing shareholders at the expense of everything else. In order to build a successful organization that takes care of its employees and by extension its customers, it is important to address three main points. First, it behooves you to define your company culture and the values that matter to your organization and how you will live those out. Second, it is important to analyze and establish what makes your distinct purpose and value set unique. Third, you must focus on leadership alignment with your values–how are you as a leader, or your organization’s leaders living out the values of the company. Successful, servant leadership starts from the top down, and how we act backs-up what we say.  WHAT  I  LOVE  MOST… Speaking to Ginger, who has successfully driven this type of culture at an iconic organization like Southwest, about the power of focusing on your employees. Great advice on how to navigate the soft side     Running time: 35:59   Subscribe on iTunes   Find Tiffani on social: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn    Find Ginger on social:  Twitter  Instagram  LinkedIn    Ginger’s Website:  Unstoppable Cultures

In conversation with William Kristol, founder and former editor-at-large of The Weekly Standard. The former chairman and CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz led the java giant from eleven cafes in the Seattle area to more than 28,000 locations worldwide and ranked fifth on Fortune's 2018 list of ''World's Most Admired Companies.'' He is the author of several books, including Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time; the former owner of the Seattle SuperSonics; and, with his wife Sheri, the founder of the Schultz Family Foundation, which supports national initiatives focused on employment and the needs of veterans. Part memoir and part manifesto of corporate social responsibility, From the Ground Up interweaves Schultz's inspiring trajectory from a Brooklyn housing project to leading one of the world's most iconic companies. (recorded 2/13/2019)

Today's guest is Eric Foss, Chairman, President and CEO of Aramark, a Fortune 200 global leader in food, facilities and uniform services. The company employs 270,000 people and provides award-winning services wherever people work, learn, play and recover in 19 countries worldwide. Throughout his career, Foss has established a strong track record of generating profitable growth through integrated strategies and consistent execution. He has led global teams to successfully build leading brands through a 'front line first' mindset. Under Foss' leadership, Aramark has been recognized among the "Most Admired Companies" by FORTUNE and the "Worlds Most Ethical Companies" by the Ethisphere Institute. Connect with David on Twitter: twitter.com/DavidNovakOGO See more Podcasts: davidnovakleadership.com/leadership-podcast/ Take our Free Recognition Survey: davidnovakleadership.com/survey

The home improvement store chain Lowe’s was named #1 among Fast Company’s 2018 Most Innovative Companies, for augmented and virtual reality, as well as #1 for innovation among specialty retailers on Fortune’s 2018 World’s Most Admired Companies. How did a company in a dusty, old-hat industry (hardware stores) suddenly become known as an innovator? As […] For additional content and links, visit http://www.EngagingLeader.com

Ginger Hardage: Unstoppable Cultures Ginger Hardage is the former senior vice president of culture at Southwest Airlines. She led a team responsible for building and sustaining the organization’s legendary culture and communications enterprise, resulting in 23 consecutive years on Fortune’s list of Top 10 Most Admired Companies in the World. Key Points Three Characteristics of an Unstoppable Culture: Putting people first Constantly nourishing your culture Sharing stories relentlessly Cultures don’t happen accidentally — they have to be managed. Start with your company values and then hire for those values. Use peers to help select and interview candidates. If the leadership team is not fully engaged, employees will be able to tell. Capture customer stories and share them with your employees. Set your company vision and expectations, but don’t prescribe how you employees must go about doing it. Resources Mentioned Hire Tough Manage Easy* by Mel Kleiman Unstoppable Cultures Unstoppable Cultures Fellowship Exuberant Dancing Airport Employee Will Instantly Make Your Day More Enjoyable How Southwest Airlines Uses Emotional Storytelling To Connect With Its Customers Turn the Ship Around* by David Marquet Related Episodes Turn Followers Into Leaders, with David Marquet (episode 241) How to Get the Ideal Team Player, with Patrick Lencioni (episode 301) The Way to Capture the Power of Moments, with Chip Heath (episode 329) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

Ginger Hardage: Unstoppable Cultures Ginger Hardage is the former senior vice president of culture at Southwest Airlines. She led a team responsible for building and sustaining the organization’s legendary culture and communications enterprise, resulting in 23 consecutive years on Fortune’s list of Top 10 Most Admired Companies in the World. Key Points Three Characteristics of an Unstoppable Culture: Putting people first Constantly nourishing your culture Sharing stories relentlessly Cultures don’t happen accidentally — they have to be managed. Start with your company values and then hire for those values. Use peers to help select and interview candidates. If the leadership team is not fully engaged, employees will be able to tell. Capture customer stories and share them with your employees. Set your company vision and expectations, but don’t prescribe how you employees must go about doing it. Resources Mentioned Hire Tough Manage Easy* by Mel Kleiman Unstoppable Cultures Unstoppable Cultures Fellowship Exuberant Dancing Airport Employee Will Instantly Make Your Day More Enjoyable How Southwest Airlines Uses Emotional Storytelling To Connect With Its Customers Turn the Ship Around* by David Marquet Related Episodes Turn Followers Into Leaders, with David Marquet (episode 241) How to Get the Ideal Team Player, with Patrick Lencioni (episode 301) The Way to Capture the Power of Moments, with Chip Heath (episode 329) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

In this episode we talk to Raymond Davis, Vice President Supply Chain, of Universal Health Services. One of the nation’s largest and most respected hospital companies, UHS has built an impressive record of achievement and performance. Steadily growing from a startup to an esteemed Fortune 500 corporation, UHS today has annual revenue nearing $10 billion. In 2017, UHS was recognized as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies by Fortune; ranked #276 on the Fortune 500, and listed #275 in Forbes inaugural ranking of America’s Top 500 Public Companies. Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, UHS has more than 81,000 employees and through its subsidiaries operates more than 320 acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities and ambulatory centers in the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom. 

Dudley Slater published his first book Fusion Leadership, with Steven Taylor, in 2017. Prior to becoming a writer, Slater co-founded Integra Telecom, Inc. and served as its CEO for fifteen years, growing the company from nine to over 2,000 Dudley Slater published his first book Fusion Leadership, with Steven Taylor, in 2017.Prior to becoming a writer, Slater co-founded Integra Telecom, Inc. and served as its CEO for fifteen years, growing the company from nine to over 2,000 employees and transitioning it from a start-up to national prominence as one of the ten largest fiber-based telecommunications companies in the United States, generating over $600 million in revenue. The Portland Business Journal also cited Integra as one of “Oregon’s 10 Most Admired Companies” over six consecutive years from 2005 through 2010. Slater presently serves or has recently served in a variety of governance, operating, and entrepreneurial roles working with institutional investors and operating companies in the telecommunications, healthcare, banking, and media industries. In addition to his board roles with Umpqua Bank (NASD: UMPQ), Wow! Cable & Internet and Integra Telecom Inc., Slater’s corporate governance and board memberships also include the nations largest video networking and enterprise collaboration integrator and a super-regional fiber network operator serving enterprise customers in the eastern United States. His recent operating roles include those as president of one of the nation’s largest investors in healthcare technology and alternative healthcare distribution companies and as president and CEO of the largest operator of institutional review boards serving the clinical trials industry. He also serves as an industry advisor to EQT Partners in New York. Slater has been a member of the World President Organization (WPO/ YPO) for nearly twenty years.Ernst & Young recognized Slater as “Entrepreneur of the Year” in the Northwest in 2011.He earned a bachelor of science in geophysics from UCLA and a master’s degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School. Slater has two beautiful grown children (Toryn and Kathrina) and lives with his wife of twenty-nine years, Laurie, in Portland, Oregon, and New York, New York.Learn More: https://fusionleadership.orgInfluential Influencers with Mike Saundershttp://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/

Dudley Slater published his first book Fusion Leadership, with Steven Taylor, in 2017. Prior to becoming a writer, Slater co-founded Integra Telecom, Inc. and served as its CEO for fifteen years, growing the company from nine to over 2,000 Dudley Slater published his first book Fusion Leadership, with Steven Taylor, in 2017.Prior to becoming a writer, Slater co-founded Integra Telecom, Inc. and served as its CEO for fifteen years, growing the company from nine to over 2,000 employees and transitioning it from a start-up to national prominence as one of the ten largest fiber-based telecommunications companies in the United States, generating over $600 million in revenue. The Portland Business Journal also cited Integra as one of “Oregon’s 10 Most Admired Companies” over six consecutive years from 2005 through 2010. Slater presently serves or has recently served in a variety of governance, operating, and entrepreneurial roles working with institutional investors and operating companies in the telecommunications, healthcare, banking, and media industries. In addition to his board roles with Umpqua Bank (NASD: UMPQ), Wow! Cable & Internet and Integra Telecom Inc., Slater’s corporate governance and board memberships also include the nations largest video networking and enterprise collaboration integrator and a super-regional fiber network operator serving enterprise customers in the eastern United States. His recent operating roles include those as president of one of the nation’s largest investors in healthcare technology and alternative healthcare distribution companies and as president and CEO of the largest operator of institutional review boards serving the clinical trials industry. He also serves as an industry advisor to EQT Partners in New York. Slater has been a member of the World President Organization (WPO/ YPO) for nearly twenty years.Ernst & Young recognized Slater as “Entrepreneur of the Year” in the Northwest in 2011.He earned a bachelor of science in geophysics from UCLA and a master’s degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School. Slater has two beautiful grown children (Toryn and Kathrina) and lives with his wife of twenty-nine years, Laurie, in Portland, Oregon, and New York, New York.Learn More: https://fusionleadership.orgInfluential Influencers with Mike Saundershttp://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/

- WWDC 2017 June 5-9 in San Jose - Bloomberg: Next Apple TV to Stream 4K Video (And Apple Stinks at TV) - Apple Outs Two New iPhone 7 Plus Spots - Latest Billboard Cover Shot on iPhone 7 Plus - Office for Mac Gets Touch Bar Support - Samsung Leader Arrested in Bribery Case - Apple Tops Fortune’s Most Admired Companies for Tenth Year Running - Get 30% off all new products with coupon code Mac30 at - Blue Apron: A better way to cook. Get your first three meals free by going to - Power Mac OS Ken through Patreon at ! - Send me an email: or call (716)780-4080!

Author of Lit Up: One Reporter. Three Schools. Twenty-four Books That Can Change Lives   Interview starts at 14:49 and ends at 42:07 You worry about the next generation of readers. Is literature going to survive? It seems to be surviving at the moment, but the iPhone has been around since 2007, and the way that digital culture has taken over in those nine years is staggering. Its's much more comprehensive and thoroughgoing than anyone expected.   Intro The music of bluegrass legend Peter Rowan News “Apple Thinks It Can Win This Case at the Supreme Court” by Philip Elmer-DeWitt at Fortune - November 3, 2015 Apple's Supreme Court Petition for a Writ of Certiorari (PDF) - October 28, 2015  “Apple's $450 million e-books settlement gets final approval” by James Niccolai at PC World - November 22, 2016 “Scripps National Spelling Bee Announces Kindle as New Presenting Sponsor” - press release February 23, 2016 World's Most Admired Companies in 2016 - Fortune   Tech Tip Dave Slusher podcast episode of Evil Genius Chronicles in which he loses his Kindle and shuts it down via Amazon (starts at 31:50) Amazon Fire TV Device Software Updates   Interview with David Denby Lit Up: One Reporter. Three Schools. Twenty-four Books That Can Change Lives. by David Denby Snark: It's Mean, It's Personal, and It's Ruining Our Conversation by David Denby “Do Teens Read Seriously Anymore?” by David Denby at The New Yorker - February 23, 2016  “A Champion of the Humanities: David Denby” by Wendy Smith at Publishers Weekly - January 29, 2016 David Denby on NPR's “On Point” with Tom Ashbrook - February 11, 2016 Great Books by David Denby Freddy the Pig series by Walter R. Books (available free with Kindle Unlimited) Books mentioned by Sherry Turkle: Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age and Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah Spark Notes and CliffsNotes A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan Netherland: A Novel by Joseph O'Neill Emma by Jane Austin Middlemarch by George Eliot The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain David Denby's review of “Wild” in The New Yorker - December 8, 2014 Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Washington Square by Henry James "The Heiress" (DVD) at Amazon.com “The Maltese Falcon” (Amazon video) “The Plot Against America: Donald Trump's Rhetoric” by David Denby at The New Yorker - December 15, 2016 “Stop Humiliating Teachers” by David Denby at The New Yorker - February 11, 2016   Content Winter Men, available for pre-order with delivery March 1, 2016. English Translator: K. E. Semmel CHI-RAQ, directed by Spike Lee, free to Prime members on Amazon Instant Video David Axelrod's podcast interview with Spike Lee on The Axe Files - November 30, 2015 Comments A suggestion for an improvement to Kindle for Mac   Next Week's Guest K. E. Semmel, English translator of Winter Men by Jesper Bugge Kold   Music for my podcast is from an original Thelonius Monk composition named "Well, You Needn't." This version is "Ra-Monk" by Eval Manigat on the "Variations in Time: A Jazz Persepctive" CD by Public Transit Recording" CD.    Please Join the Kindle Chronicles group at Goodreads!

- Apple Says Government Botched Best Shot at Shooter’s iPhone Data - Apple Has Until Friday 26 February to Respond to Court Order - House Committee Invites Cook and Comey to Testify on Backdoor/Encryption Issue - Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mulls Punishing Legislation Around Encryption Issue - Fortune Flips Through the Editorials - Trump Makes Off the Cuff Call to Boycott Apple - Apple “In Good Company” After Rebuke from Trump - Citizens Petition White House Over Apple Encryption Court Order - Mother of San Bernardino Victim Sides with Apple on Encryption - Massive Interest Leads to Bumpy Start for Apple Pay in China - Report: Apple Store Offering Employee Rewards for Boosted iPhone Sales - Strategy Analytics: Smartwatches Beats Swiss Watches in 4Q2015 for First Time Ever - Apple Poaches Telus Exec to Oversee Sales in Canada - Apple Tops Fortune’s Most Admired Companies for Ninth Time - Have you subscribed to EYE Chart Radio Yet? You should! ! - Get your guard up with ProXPN - Save with Offer Code osken at - Power Mac OS Ken through Patreon at ! - Send me an email: or call (716)780-4080!

Global Product Management Talk is pleased to bring you episode 056 of... The Everyday Innovator with host Chad McAllister, PhD. The podcast is all about helping people involved in innovation and managing products become more successful, grow their careers, and STANDOUT from their peers. About the Episode: Most companies talk about wanting to be more innovative, but few take the steps needed. In this discussion, I discovered the five steps organizations can take to be more innovative, from someone who has successfully executed the steps many times. Michael Wynblatt - Innovator and Product ManagerRecently, Ingersoll Rand was ranked #9 for Innovation in Fortune’s Most Admired Companies 2015. They made the #9 ranking the very first year they appeared on the Fortune list – a great accomplishment.  Clearly something is changing at the company in terms of innovation, and this change is being driven by Michael Wynblatt.  He is the Vice President of Innovation & Emerging Technology at Ingersoll Rand. He has also led innovation at other companies, helping more than 40 technology-based products come to market. This includes serving as the VP of Innovation for Eaton Corporation and the VP and Chief Technology Officer at the Siemens Technology to Business Center. Throughout these roles he has learned a great deal about helping companies become more innovative and specifically how to create a culture that breeds innovation.

Most companies talk about wanting to be more innovative, but few take the steps needed. In this discussion, I discovered the five steps organizations can take to be more innovative, from someone who has successfully executed the steps many times. Recently, Ingersoll Rand was ranked #9 for Innovation in Fortune’s Most Admired Companies 2015. They […]

Most companies talk about wanting to be more innovative, but few take the steps needed. In this discussion, I discovered the five steps organizations can take to be more innovative, from someone who has successfully executed the steps many times. Recently, Ingersoll Rand was ranked #9 for Innovation in Fortune's Most Admired Companies 2015. They […]

As President and Founder of Anvil Media, Inc., Kent Lewis is responsible for ensuring the company is living its mission and vision by managing overall corporate strategy including operations, business development, sales and marketing. Specializing in analytics, search engine and social media marketing services, Anvil is an integrated marketing consultancy which provides measurable marketing that moves clients’ businesses forward. Under his leadership since 2000, Anvil has accumulated the following awards and recognition:    Inc. 5000: Fastest growing private companies in America    Portland Business Journal: Oregon’s Most Admired Companies    Portland Business Journal: Fastest Growing Private 100 Companies (for five     consecutive years)    Portland Business Journal: Corporate Philanthropy Awards winner    Clutch: Top Pay-per-Click Agencies in AmericaWith a background in agency-side digital marketing, Lewis regularly speaks on effective digital marketing techniques & trends to audiences as a subject matter expert. Since 2000, he’s been an adjunct professor at Portland State University, where he teaches an SEM Workshop, and also toured nationwide with Online Marketing Institute as a lead instructor. Lewis also regularly contributes to industry publications including Business2Community and iMedia Connection.  As a long-time entrepreneur, he’s an investor and advisor to a host of emerging Portland-based companies, including DreamPath, Gas Anywhere, Journey Fitness, RISEcx, Syndical and Tixie and Workplace Resource of Oregon. Lewis is co-founder of a variety of organizations, including career community pdxMindShare, eROI and SEMpdx, a Portland-area professional trade association for search engine marketers. Active in his community, he’s currently involved in non-profit charity and professional trade organizations including early literacy program SMART (Start Making a Reader Today), The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), Portland Incubator Experiment (PIE) and others.  Lewis’s industry recognition and awards include Portland Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 Award, Top 25 Most Influential Pay-per-Click Experts and American Marketing Association Oregon Chapter Marketer of the Year in 2012 and Top 20 Digital Marketing Strategists 2015.   Ted Prodromou is America’s leading LinkedIn coach and the #1 best selling author of The Ultimate Guide to Linked In For Business. To get a free copy of his book simply register at www.tedprodromou.com. On the podcast, Ted brings together some of the top LinkedIn minds in the country to share with you how they grow their businesses using LinkedIn and how you can, too.     Powered by Seth Greene: a 6 Time Best Selling Author, Nationally Recognized Direct Response Marketing Expert, and the only back to back to back GKIC Dan Kennedy Marketer of the Year Nominee. Get a FREE Copy of Seth’s new book Podcast Marketing Magic, and access to a Live Podcast Marketing Training Webinar at http://www.UltimateMarketingMagician.com

- Bloomberg: Apple Wants Car on the Road by 2020 - Apple Sued for Poaching Battery Maker Employees - Watch Site Puts Edition Cost Between 8-10-Thousand Dollars  - Rumor Has Apple Considering High End Store-in-Store Approach for Apple Watch - Apple Starts Repair Program for Some MBPs with Video Issues - Apple Tops Fortune List of Most Admired Companies for Eighth Straight Year - Get Two Transporter Syncs for 99-Dollars with Offer Code KEN2FER at 

NPD DisplaySearch Says Display Orders Shifting Heavily Toward iPad mini Over Full-Sized iPad Corning Exec Says Flexible Displays Likely Three-Years Out UK Judge Who Once Ruled Against Apple in Favor of Samsung Now (Kind of) Working for Samsung Florian Mueller Wonders Whether Samsung/Judge Tie-Up Might Stir Calls for Reform Samsung Loses Data Transmission Patent Case Against Apple in Japan Apple Tops Annual Fortune List of World’s Most Admired Companies for Sixth Straight Year iTunes U Downloads Top One Billion Thursday: Apple Sees Problems with Multiple iCloud Services Tallahassee, FL Tops Gazelle List of Klutziest Cities for iPhones Dunkin’ Donuts Adds Passbook Support to Its iOS App Apple Says SPAM Filter Blocked “Barely Legal Teen” Emails

SUMMARY Given that most Canadian workers clock between 35 and 40 hours weekly, it's vital that time be invested in healthy workplaces that care as much about mental, emotional, and social well-being as they do about physical health. In Part 1 of this podcast, join workplace mental health expert Dr. Merv Gilbert, along with WorkSafeBC's Trudi Rondou and Lisa Smith. Together they explore Canada's groundbreaking National Standard for Psychological Health & Safety in the Workplace, the subsequent Case Studies Research Project, regulatory approaches driving the much-needed move toward more supportive workplaces, and the vital roles played by progressive leaders, cultures of compassion, peer support, and training. In Part 2, discover how this “new normal” is rapidly playing out in CLAC (a Canadian labour union) and AECOM (an international infrastructure consulting firm). TAKEAWAYS This podcast will help you understand: The National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health & Safety in the Workplace (voluntary guidelines, tools, and resources) and the subsequent Case Studies Research Report (key findings, promising practices, and supports and barriers to implementation) ‘Promising practices' identified during research project (commitment across the organization, leadership support and involvement, supportive structures and resources, communication and awareness building across all levels and departments, a business case that includes baseline indicators, measurement approaches that track the rate and impact of change, sustained and updated implementation efforts) ‘New normal' vs. ‘old normal' workplaces Awareness of evolving ‘language' (mentally healthy workplaces vs. psychologically healthy workplaces vs. psychologically safe workplaces) Psychosocial issues and solutions Province of BC (WorkSafeBC) perspective and priorities on workplace mental health Importance of psychological injury prevention through policy and education Overview of WorkSafeBC's mental health-related policies and programs Overview of WorkSafeBC's commitment to getting members back to work after being injured Requirements of businesses to help prevent psychological injuries How employers' and workers' responses to mental health challenges have changed over the years What progressive unions and businesses are doing to help build mentally healthy workplaces Return on investment for businesses that do workplace health and safety right Types of stigma existing in the workplace Prevention of bullying and harassment Impacts of COVID-19 on workplace mental health How leadership, culture, peer support, and/or training impact workplace health and safety   SPONSORS WorkSafeBC is a provincial agency in British Columbia, Canada that promotes safe and healthy workplaces for more than 2.3 million workers. Serving more than 230,000 employers, WorkSafeBC's services include education, prevention, compensation and support for injured workers, and no-fault insurance to protect employers and workers. WorkSafeBC is committed to creating a province free from workplace injury or illness. By partnering with workers and employers, WorkSafe helps British Columbians come home from work safe every day. CLAC is the largest independent, multisector, national union in Canada, representing more 60,000 workers in almost every sector of the economy including construction, education, emergency services, healthcare, retail, service, transportation, manufacturing, and more. CLAC has 14 member centres in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and BC, along with 25 active, independent, affiliated locals. Based on values of respect, dignity, and fairness, CLAC is committed to building better lives, better workplaces, and better communities.  AECOM is a global engineering firm whose infrastructure services for public- and private-sector clients include transportation, water, energy, and environmental projects. Employing approximately 87,000 people, AECOM was ranked #1 in Engineering News-Record's ‘2020 Top 200 Environmental Firms,' and named one of Fortune magazine's ‘World's Most Admired Companies' for the sixth consecutive year. Transforming the ways it works through technology and digital platforms, AECOM leads the engineering world in environmental, social, and governance solutions… leading to the Ethisphere Institute naming it one of ‘2021 World's Most Ethical Companies.' THANK YOU for supporting the HEADS UP! Community Mental Health Summit and the HEADS UP! Community Mental Health Podcast.   RESOURCES National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace  and the resulting Case Studies Research Report Addressing the mental health effects of COVID-19 in the workplace: A guide for workers  Managing the mental health effects of COVID-19 in the workplace: A guide for employers Guarding Minds@Work Antidepressant Skills@Work Psychological Health and Safety: An Action Guide for Employers Mental Health Commission of Canada Canada's Workplace Mental Health Canadian Mental Health Association Government of Canada/Mental health in the workplace Wellness Works Canada Wellness Together Canada: Mental Health and Substance Use Support provides free online resources, tools, apps, and connections to trained volunteers and qualified mental health professionals. Workplace Mental Health Playbook for Business Leaders (CAMH) Workplace Mental Health Research Deloitte research reveals significant return on investment for workplace mental health programs    GUESTS  Dr. Merv Gilbert Dr. Merv Gilbert is a Director at Vancouver Psych Safety Consulting Inc., a consulting group providing services that enable organizations to foster psychologically healthy employees and workplace climates. He has worked as a psychologist for over thirty years in clinical and leadership roles in regional, provincial, and international settings. He is an Adjunct Professor with the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, and a member of the Steering Committee of American Psychological Association's Psychologically Healthy Workplace Network. Dr. Gilbert is a primary participant in the development, evaluation, and dissemination of resources for workplace mental health, including Guarding Minds@Work, Antidepressant Skills@Work, and Psychological Health and Safety: An Action Guide for Employers. He has published in national and international professional journals, and has presented at a diverse array of forums on the importance of workplace psychological health issues for individuals and organizations. He has consulted with governmental, private, and public-sector organizations. Phone: 604-809-4173 Email: merv@psychsafety.org Website: https://psychhealthandsafety.org LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/merv-gilbert-064a125/ Trudi Rondou Trudi Rondou is a senior manager in Prevention Programs & Performance at WorkSafeBC. She's spent the last decade working with numerous industry and labour groups, to reduce workplace injuries and improve return-to-work outcomes. Over the last three years, Trudi's focus has expanded to include workplace mental health. She currently serves as Chair of the BC First Responders Mental Health Committee. Trudi speaks at conferences and gatherings around the province on worker safety for new and young employees, health and safety management systems, and promoting positive mental health in the workplace. She was the MC for the very successful BC First Responder Mental Health Conference in 2019, and the lead facilitator of the BC First Responders “Building Resilient Workplaces” workshops in 2019. Email: trudi.rondou@worksafebc.com Website: www.worksafebc.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkSafeBC/ Twitter: twitter.com/worksafebc Linkedin: Trudi Rondou Lisa Smith Lisa Smith joined WorkSafeBC in 2008 as a Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant and transitioned to a Client Services Manager role in 2010. Presently, she is the Senior Manager of Special Care Services. She has worked with both workers and employers, which has helped expand her perspective on the importance of early intervention for people faced with a mental health challenge. Lisa recognizes the critical supports Special Care Services provides to some of the most seriously injured workers and their families. Her core belief is that we are best equipped to help workers and employers when we are mindful of achieving a healthy life/work balance for the people WorkSafeBC has the honour of serving. Lisa is also committed to a vision of respect and safety in the workplace, and is optimistic that BC's workers and employers are willing to embrace change that will positively influence acceptance of diverse cultures, abilities, and beliefs. Prior to her career at WorkSafeBC, Lisa worked for Social Services in Ontario for 11 years and spent 10 years overseas, teaching English across 5 countries. In 2006, she returned to Canada and began managing a program that transitioned at-risk people with behavioural issues from institutional to residential settings. Lisa's passion for improving outcomes for people with mental health conditions, led to her current undertaking of working on a Master of Psychology Counselling. Email: lisa.smith@worksafebc.com Website: worksafebc.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorkSafeBC/ Twitter: twitter.com/worksafebc   HOST Jo de Vries is a community education and engagement specialist with 30 years of experience helping local governments in British Columbia connect with their citizens about important sustainability issues. In 2006, she established the Fresh Outlook Foundation (FOF) to “inspire community conversations for sustainable change.” FOF's highly acclaimed events include Building SustainABLE Communities conferences, Reel Change SustainAbility Film Fest, Eco-Blast Kids' Camps, CommUnity Innovation Lab, Breakfast of Champions, and Women 4 SustainAbility. FOF's newest ventures are the HEADS UP! Community Mental Health Summit and HEADS UP! Community Mental Health Podcast. Website: Fresh Outlook Foundation Phone: 250-300-8797   PLAY IT FORWARD The move toward optimal workplace mental health becomes possible as more people learn about the challenges, successes, and opportunities. To that end, please share this podcast with anyone who has an interest or stake in the future of workplace mental health and wellness. FOLLOW US For more information about the Fresh Outlook Foundation (FOF) and our programs and events, visit our website, sign up for our newsletter, and like us on Facebook and Twitter.   HELP US As a charity, FOF relies on support from grants, sponsors, and donors to continue its valuable work. If you benefited from the podcast, please help fund future episodes by making a one-time or monthly donation. Merv Gilbert, Trudi Rondou, Lisa Smith Interview Transcript You can download a pdf of the transcript here. The entire transcript is also found below: INTRO  0:10 Welcome to the HEADS UP! Community Mental Health Podcast. Join our host Jo de Vries with the Fresh Outlook Foundation, as she combines science with storytelling to explore a variety of mental health issues with people from all walks of life. Stay tuned! JO  0:32 Hey, Jo here! Thanks for joining me and my five guests over two episodes as we explore the rapidly changing world of workplace mental health, and how progressive social scientists, governments, unions, and businesses are remodeling the foundations upon which our work lives are built. A big shout out here to WorkSafe BC, CLAC, and AECOM for co-sponsoring these vitally important conversations. In this first episode, you'll meet workplace mental health expert Merv Gilbert, along with Trudy Rondou and Lisa Smith from WorkSafe BC. We'll delve into their trailblazing research and regulation approaches that are raising the bar for workplace mental health and Canada and well beyond. In part two, you'll get to know Quentin Steen with the CLAC labor union and Trevor Amendt from AECOM, an international engineering firm. They'll share their groundbreaking visions and on-the-ground methods for building organizational cultures of compassion. While preparing for this episode, I came across groundbreaking work led by the Mental Health Commission of Canada in partnership with the Canadian Standards Association and the Bureau de Normalization du Quebec. In 2013, they launched the world's first National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. The standard was developed with input from more than 30 technical committee members representing Canadian corporations, unions, regulators, economists, service providers, and many others. The standard includes voluntary guidelines, tools, and resources that redefine what it means to be a responsible employer. In the move toward building more psychologically healthy, safe, and sustainable work environments, the standard helps organizations envision and implement more progressive frameworks, policies, and practices. Those, in turn, foster more connected, protected, and compassionate workplace cultures. The standard has been embraced by organizations of all sizes, and from all sectors and industries throughout Canada, and served as a template for an upcoming international standard. To help determine the standard's reach and effectiveness, the commission led a three-year follow up Case Study Research Project. It was conducted by Simon Fraser University's Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction between 2014 and 2017. Researchers studied more than 40 Canadian employers from a variety of sectors, industries, and geographies who'd implemented the standard. The resulting report outlines key findings, promising practices, and supports and barriers to implementation. As quoted in the report, these diverse trailblazers signed on to benchmark a "new normal." To help us understand project findings and what could be the new normal, I welcome Merv Gilbert, who was co-lead of the Case Study Research Project. Immersed in the work of psychology for more than 40 years, Murphy has spent the better part of the last decade focusing on the psychology of work, or more specifically, what makes a workplace work for all employees. Hi, Merv, great to have you here. MERV  4:19 Hi Jo... it's great to be here. Thanks very much for including me. JO  4:22 My pleasure. So let's start by you telling us why you're so passionate about workplace psychological health and safety, and why it's so important to all of us. MERV  4:34 At a kind of broad level, a lot of the focus on mental health, and I'll say more about language in a minute, has focused on very important issues like serious and persistent mental illness, childhood areas, where I worked a lot and so on. But there was relatively little attention to the fact that, frankly, the majority of folks with a diagnosed or diagnosable mental illness or mental health issues were working or had jobs at any rate, they may be off. And there was little focus on the workplace the extent to which it was actually supportive of their psychological health, mental health, or was detrimental to their health. Sort of broad level, it was an untapped area. At a more personal level, I worked as a director of a psychology department a large hospital for a number of years, and during that time two of my colleagues started to have some performance issues, which is usually the first indicator within a workplace setting. I started to struggle a bit, there were issues, there were some conflicts and so on. We did as an organization some things to try and provide some support. At any rate, both individuals quite independently went off work on, to use a euphemism at the time, stress-related disability, and to my knowledge never worked again. Now, maybe we failed them. Maybe I failed them at some level. But it was a terrible loss. It was needless suffering, and we lost some very skilled and talented individuals. So, it really became apparent we needed to do better. JO  6:03 Most of us have to work or have had to work. So, an obvious question would be is work good for our mental health? Or can it be? MERV  6:13 Absolutely. To paraphrase Sigmund Freud, which every psychologist is obliged to do, the two most important things in life are love and work. Good work provides us with all sorts of support, provides us with a sense of meaning and purpose. It gives us skills and talents, and opportunities for new learning that we wouldn't have otherwise. It gives us an opportunity to interact with others, obviously a little bit different during current circumstances. And it gives us a reason to get up in the morning, get dressed and go someplace else to interact with others outside your immediate family. So, absolutely, good work is good for us in many ways. JO  6:51 Before we talk about the new normal for workplace psychological health, I'm hoping you can help us understand the "old normal," and the state of some workplaces today where little consideration is given to psychological health and safety.  MERV 7:07 Prior to the national standard, for example, and some of the work that we and others around the world have done, workplace health and safety was primarily, almost exclusively, focused on physical health and safety. Appropriately so. Health and safety in various industries and sectors was a key factor, and really wasn't addressed and still needs a lot of work. Workers' compensation boards obviously focus on those kinds of issues, back pain and those kinds of things, but there was very little attention given to psychological injuries, if you will, in that sense. The only exception historically, of a work-related psychological injury was Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Since we do not know definitively the cause of the vast majority of mental illnesses, we can't say workplaces are responsible, so, therefore, is not an area where there was attention. So, there wasn't much being done. I think things have improved a great deal in Canada and elsewhere. Part is a function of the standard and other efforts and so on, but there's still some sectors in some areas, that this is still a relatively new concept or remains not addressed. JO  7:42 Based on the work you've done over the last decade, and the work that you did as part of the research project, how would you define a "new normal?" New normal pre-COVID, or new normal current circumstances, little bit different. As I mentioned a moment ago, up until current circumstances, I think there was a lot of improvement, there was organizations who were identifying psychological health and safety officers, that were changing the name of occupational health and safety committees and groups and policies to include psychological [health]. So, that certainly was a good thing. Now, if we want to turn to COVID, and more importantly perhaps for the workplace, the response to COVID and, obviously, the impact it's had on individuals, workplaces... it's very different. People can't connect in the same way as they could before. So that support may not be there. There's a lack of clarity of boundaries and job roles and communication has been challenged in some ways. Certainly work life balance is more elusive than ever with folks working at home. That said, I will... and I say this with caution... for some folks, select groups... particularly more traditional white-collar folks and so on... the capacity, the ability to work from home or work in a more flexible way, may improve their psychological health. It's a mixed bag, but I remain concerned about it and I think we should all be concerned about it at a larger level, is that many of these things that are happening are accentuating the divide between groups. JO  9:49 The research, project findings and voluntary guidelines for successful implementation were based on applied research and then implementation science. For those of us who aren't academics, can you explain what those two things are? What is applied research? MERV  10:09 I think there's a lot of academics that wouldn't necessarily know what it is or necessarily agree with it. Applied research means basically taking up to the dirty world, where you don't have a group of volunteer undergraduate students as your subject pool, for your particular research enterprise, but you're actually dealing with real people who are the ultimate audience or the ultimate target for your work. But the real world, such as it is, is messy... you don't have the same degree of controls. So, applied research is an attempt to work collaboratively with whatever sector, whatever group you want to work with out in the real world. Implementation science is... the policy government, the literature in any field... frankly, littered with publications and research reports, and journals, and so on. Many of the findings from that, however positive, never actually get implemented, or if they are implemented, they're implemented poorly. So, implementation science is one of the factors that lead to successful pickup and sustainability of an effective program, or effective initiative. JO  11:17 So, how could we use implementation science to optimize the benefits of the research that you conducted? MERV  11:26 Great question. I'm being sincere when I say this, I think we can learn from advertising and marketing. Ask people... ask whoever your audience is... if they know about a particular program. What is the best way to make it available to them? What makes it more likely that they will make use of these particular findings, or whatever the initiative or program or policy is. Ask them. Second thing, and this certainly is reflected in the standards well, is to measure two things. Sorry. First one is to know why, and explain very clearly why you're doing what you're doing. If you're doing, for example, a work-from-home kind of initiative, and so on, explain why you're doing it... just don't keep people guessing. And secondly, measure the results... measure a sort of baseline finding... this is where this tradition is now, and then at a appropriate period of time, measure whether you've made a difference. There's uptake and application of whatever your findings are. JO  12:19 So, your project findings and the voluntary guidelines for implementation provide a recipe for success that lists key ingredients needed to create a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. But before we start cooking, though, I'd like to confirm the differences between the following descriptors. And here's where Merv, we talked about language. So, what is the difference between: first, a mentally healthy workplace; second, a psychologically healthy workplace; and third, a psychologically safe workplace? MERV 12:58 Let me start by suggesting a distinction between mental health and psychological health... [these] words are viewed somewhat synonymously. When we collectively, we the media, talks about mental health, we're actually not really talking about mental health. In most cases, we're talking about mental illness and that sense of already kind of changed the conversation. And when we're having those conversations, as I said at the outset, when we talk about mental illness... and frankly, when we see the latest atrocity, wherever it may be... the question comes up, there may be mental health involved. Well, that's not terribly helpful. That just adds to stigma. So, we talk about psychological health. We're talking I think, in a much broader way. We're talking about a continuum, not a categorical approach with a bunch of diagnoses. We're talking about a continuum from struggling and suffering, through to thriving, doing well, positive psychological health. So, it's a different kind of model that is not dependent on traditional mental illness labeling, in that sense. So, I think that makes a very big difference. When we talk about psychologically healthy... and against mentally healthy workplace, if one uses that language... I think, in general terms, is a place where people want to go to work, they believe in what they're doing, they believe they're making a difference. They feel that they have some voice in what is going on in their department or organization, or whatever work they're doing, volunteer or paid. And they feel like the organization, that leadership, and the organization itself, has good or bad to some degree, they will support them in various ways. And if they're struggling with their issues, they will do their best to address them. I think we all kind of know what a psychologically healthy workplace is, whether we work there or whether we're clients or customers. You can almost feel it in the air... you can almost smell it. Are people smiling? Are people saying hello, not because it's corporate policy to greet every customer, but because they actually want to say hello? So, I think it's a vibe in many ways. The "safe" part is interesting, let's say psychologically safe... I think two comments. Now, first of all, as I said at the outset, to some extent this notion with psychological health and safety is, in my opinion, an intentional and, I think, intelligent link to occupational health and safety, which is pretty well established and legislated in policy and practice in some ways. So, it's kind of latching on to that and expanding the concept. Psychological safety, however, is also used in some context to describe an environmental work environment, where people feel free to express their opinions and ideas, without fear of what they perceive as unfair criticism. I get that, but it's, I think, a narrower and somewhat different definition. JO  15:43 So, would it be safe to say then that a psychologically safe workplace would have the needed plans, policies, practices, and programs in place that would then enable and encourage a psychologically healthy workplace?  MERV 15:59 Yes, very definitely.  JO  16:00 So, let's go back to the key ingredients of the research project findings, or what the final report calls "promising practices." Those are intended to help nourish a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. Can you explain a few of them to us? MERV  16:18 Sure, and I should probably clarify, the national standard is, well, it's that... a standard set of guidelines, identifying what the key components of psychologically healthy workplace would look like. What we did when we did the case study project is identify those kind of practices that would lead to more successful and sustainable implementation. And there were a number of those that came up. Certainly one of them that was key, it comes as no surprise, was leadership... meaningful leadership throughout your organization... a large organization, a CEO, or whomever... who kind of gets it, and again, cliche, but who talks the talk. It's not something that it's a checkbox they're checking off... they actually believe in this. And I think that's key. And that that also has to, again, in particularly in large organizations, that has to filter down to every level of management. If a mid-level manager or supervisor... oh, here's another directive from on top, but he or she doesn't get it... it's not gonna be effective. So, it needs to actually cut across all different levels of your organization. The other thing that I think is really important is, in the same vein, having a what's called a business case. A clear rationale with data as to why you are making these changes... why having a psychologically healthy and safe workplace matters to you. And, initially, the argument among... and there may still be in some settings... particularly private-sector settings... maybe affects the bottom line. And indeed, there's all sorts of calculators of lost productivity and increased costs associated with psychological disabilities. And it may be financial or return on investment as well. But certainly for a lot of sectors, a lot of areas... particularly public sector, like hospitals... return on investment isn't really the point. It's not having staff available, the loss of talent, those kind of things. So, being clear as to why a particular organization wants to do these things, and having some data to back it up. JO  18:25 I think, too, getting back to the leadership comment is that you really need to have supportive structures and resources to keep this up over the long term, which is where you're going to see the actual change in culture. Can you tell us a little bit more about that? MERV  18:41 As I mentioned, some organizations, for example, WorkSafe BC, has in the last few years appointed a fairly senior level of management specifically around psychological health and safety. So, it's sort of embedding some of these responsibilities and roles and titles within the organization. And also supporting leaders... no one's immune from this, in many ways, leaders themselves... there's some research suggesting mid-level managers, like get this, quite frankly, can experience as much if not more stress than those that report to them. There needs to be some personal investment in it. And I guess to speak to that, certainly some of the organizations we worked with, when we talked to senior leaders... for many of them, the reason they saw this as a good thing and wanted to introduce it within their organization, was because they'd had some personal experience... family experience... they'd had some experience with someone who was struggling with psychological issues, psychological health issues. So, it takes on a personal note. We see that in all sorts of efforts to address illnesses, be it cancer, heart disease, and so on, people coming from their own experience.  JO  19:48 As a communication specialist I resonate with another promising practice, which is communication and awareness-building across all levels and departments. And I think what this means, and please correct me if I'm wrong, is that the messaging not only has to be pertinent to each of the audiences in the organization, but it has to be concise and timely, and particularly, ongoing. You can't just do a one-off campaign and expect people to change their attitudes and their behaviors. MERV  20:21 Absolute agreement at all levels, and it has to be very flexible. Again, I can bring it back to the pandemic response in some ways, we're seeing changing messages and so on. I understand the frustration... confusion with that, but it allows that kind of flexibility. And it also requires humility, not promising something that you can't deliver, in some ways, and being very realistic about what's actually helpful and practical. While many organizations in our study and elsewhere started with a mental health awareness campaign, that's good... awareness is a good thing and does make some strides towards reducing stigma... but you can't stop there, it's got to be a lot more than just awareness. JO  21:04 In most of the interviews that I've been doing for the podcast, we've discussed culture, and whether that be a family culture of mental wellness, or a workplace culture or a community culture. So, I was interested in another promising practice, which is the need to build a corporate-wide culture that respects, reflects, and protects psychological health and safety. So, what does that kind of culture look like? And what's it like to work in a culture like that? MERV  21:41 Great point, and it's certainly the case. and let's not lose sight... this does not mean you put aside your organizational objectives, and so on. These are actually to enhance or fulfill the very purpose of that organization. It's in the practical best interest to any department or group or organization where there's a work environment where people feel valued, and believe in what they're doing, they're willing to work together to achieve success... organizational success, personal success... and again, they feel that the organization, or the department, or their leaders have their back who can support them if there are challenges of some sort. And if I can give an example of that from the past, I find this a very touching and heartwarming example in a lot of ways. Years ago, I was involved in an initiative to recognize and acknowledge psychologically healthy workplaces. And one of the applicants for the British Columbia award was an extended care unit in the interior, actually, I'll name them because they deserve to be recognized... Brookhaven Extended Care. This was some years ago. So, they did a survey and filled out some questionnaires for us. And we did a site visit and what they had done, amongst other things, this is... as you can imagine... a place where mostly the elderly, but there were some younger brain-injured folks, and so on. So, it's a care facility that says their problem, like many healthcare settings, was staffing. It wasn't about return on investment. It was about having sufficient staff to provide the care they needed to do. And that staffing problem was difficult on days for their school holidays. They relied on retired or part time folks, and so on, who were often single parents, or two working parents. So, when school holidays happened, or school breaks or professional days and kids were off work, it was a real challenge if you got a call saying, "Hey, would you mind coming in and doing relief today?" So, what Brookhaven did, and this idea came from their staff… I think from a recreational therapist… to set up a program whereby staff, if they had a child between, say, eight and 12 years old, could bring their child to work. No, it was not a daycare. And that says I'm going to be clear about that. That's important issue, but this is different. That child was then paired up with a resident within the facility and spent the day with him or her hanging out. And I think that's particularly wonderful because... let's say Johnny, who's a precocious nine-year-old, got to spend today with Mr. Smith, and Mr. Smith was a Korean War veteran, and maybe he lost a leg. So,  he entertained Johnny with all sorts of stories about his past experiences. Johnny looked across and saw his mom doing her job, which a lot of kids never see. Mom looked across and saw Johnny being entertained and chatting away. They all had lunch together. It was, forgive the cliche, a win, win, win. Beautiful thing about that, first of all... they identified a problem with staffing. There was now a lineup of staff wanting to work in those days at this particular facility, because it's a cool program. What was the cost? Absolutely nothing. Whereas the leadership, and this is important... there was some initial pushback from, I suspect, the lawyers within this healthcare setting. What if Johnny trips and breaks his nose? And the executive director told lawyers to go away, said that's fine, I'm with it, and so on. The program was a wonderful success and got expanded to, I believe, some other facilities. And this was some years ago, and I didn't hear much about it for a while. And I hope it still continues. But what I did hear a few years ago is that some of the kids that have been involved in program had aged out, they're now teenagers, maybe even young adults. And on their own initiative, they continued the program, kind of a volunteer involvement program within the setting. And I love that story because it identified a specific problem, so it was a measurable problem, actually, staffing. Identified a solution that came from the people who worked there, didn't cost anything, and actually addressed the problem. So, that to me is a concrete example of a collaborative, psychologically healthy workplace practice. JO  25:42 So Merv, if you can put on a CEO hat for a few minutes, did the research findings suggest specific measures of cost versus benefits of a mentally healthy workplace? And if not, what does your experience tell you? MERV  25:58 Great question. And this is a challenge in some ways, because we don't have great quantitative financial indicators. We can look at disability costs, we can look at retraining costs, we can look at recruitment costs, as well, we can look at insurance, WorkSafe costs as well. But those are what are referred to as trailing indicators. That's after the cow has left the barn, if you will, in some ways. Leading indicators are things you measure at the outset. And those are a little softer and harder to track, and may rely more on qualitative kind of information. So, you can pick up through surveys, through initial interviews, those kinds of things. I think there's a lot of work that needs to be done in this area to quantify or qualify, if you will, the kind of measures that you want to look at, and the cliche is, if we don't measure something, you can't know if we have an impact. And that's certainly true here, we have work to do in this area.  JO  26:57 Along that same vein, barriers to successful implementation of the standard listed in your report include inconsistent or limited access to psychological health data. Tell us more about that.  MERV  27:13 It's exactly that kind of thing. It's not having the data that indicates, and certainly for both ethical and practical reasons, I'm not a fan of, for example, doing a survey or a measure of depression amongst all employees. I think ethically, or practically, that can be intrusive and, ethically, what you find you need to do something with it. So, it's going to involve asking employees and new recruits and retirees about their experiences and trying to capture what's important to them, what would be some of the indicators for them. Being realistic about it, if I can go back a little bit to talking about the business case for psychologically healthy workplace, and so on, the expectation amongst many was that companies or organizations would be doing this because it would save them money. And there's lots of consultancies and programs that are trying to sell on those grounds. We found that yeah, that mattered to some of them, some more than others. But in many cases, in fact, the majority of cases, the main reason they were adopting the standard and cared about psychologically workplaces was for a practical reason... i.e., people are struggling, if people are not at work, if people are fighting with one another… it's not good for the organization as a whole. So, practically, it makes sense to look after people. And also ethically it's just the right thing to do, in many ways. JO  28:31 Given the research and your experience, what do you think are the most difficult changes in attitude for leaders to make that needed transition toward a more psychologically healthy and safe workplace? MERV  28:46 Firstly, I think a recognition... and this is happening slowly but is happening... that this is not a fad. This is not flavor of the month. This is not fluffy. This is not a nice thing to do off the side of your desk... like let's raise funds for a particular charity on March 17, whatever the case may be. This is something that is important and will continue to be important. So, it needs to be embedded within your organization. Another thing is really critical, I think, is a recognition that this is a joint issue. This is a collaborative issue between workers and organizations... with employers and employees, I think there's a joint responsibility there. To be a little bit simplistic about it, a construction organization has some obligation to provide safety equipment, to provide a hardhat and so on… the employees, the worker… has responsibility to wear them. So, when you work jointly as opposed to finger pointing, where if it's saying "this is all about toxic workplaces and bad managers, not my responsibility at all," that's not going to help. And, if on the other hand, the perception perhaps unspoken, or the belief unspoken, is "this is all a bunch of wimps, why can't people just suck it up," that's not going to help. You need to work together. JO  29:54 So, were there any research findings that surprised you? MERV  29:58 One of them was one I just mentioned, quite frankly, in fact, that people did this for practical and ethical reasons, not financial reasons. Come back to the comment about leadership. One of the pioneers in Canada some years ago was Michael Wilson, our former finance minister, whose son died by suicide some years ago. This made it personal for him and for his family. And so, he worked hard to make it a corporate issue. What was surprising and encouraging was the fact that people got it and came up with innovative solutions. The thing that was a little bit worrisome, quite frankly... and this isn't intended to be a criticism, but it was a reflection of the level of knowledge and resource at the time... was that there was a tendency, even in well-intentioned organizations, to pick programs or initiatives, if you will, off the shelf. So, not considering whether or not it was a good fit, or whether address their particular needs, whether it was a good fit for the organization. And I do think there's a real need to customize it and adapt it back to your earlier point, in order to make things implemented effectively and sustainable. JO  31:02 That brings me to a question about customization. And you just mentioned that every business is unique... it has a special mandate and special plans and policies and programs and objectives. So, I suppose that while the standard and your research findings give people a general idea of how to make this work, they really to have to be so focused on their individual needs. MERV  31:32 It's a good point... we're all special in our own special way, but we also share a lot in common. So, it's finding a balance. I've heard from some sectors and some organizations where, "we're unique"... "you don't understand"... or "this doesn't apply to us, because we're very unique and different." Well, you're not that different. So there's gonna be some things that are universal, some things are going to be specific, balancing those two and asking people, gathering data... there's more and more tools out there that will do this... about what's the fixed snapshot...  what the organization looks like. And using that information to guide, be it policy or practice, or training, or new positions. JO  32:12 And that brings us to another one of your promising practices, which is measuring approaches that track the rate and impact of change. MERV  32:23 Yes, indeed. And I talked about the importance of measurement... an ongoing kind of measurement. These days, and under the current circumstances, people are being bombarded with surveys and being asked questions. I think there's absolutely merit in that, but one needs to be succinct. You need to be discreet and respectful of people's time and so on, or you're not going to get good information. Back to effective communication, in a sense, but tracking it on an ongoing basis, and then being flexible enough to change your approach if you're getting meaningful data or data suggests you need to change things. JO  32:57 While preparing for this, we talked about how increased stress fosters psychosocial issues that require psychosocial solutions. First, what is a psychosocial issue, and a related psychosocial solution that you can share with us? MERV  33:17 "Psychosocial" basically just reflects psychological... individual and societal/social kinds of factors... be they income equality, be they poverty, be they individual coping. It's a psychological aspect of things, as opposed to the, if you will, physical aspect of things. And what I mean by that, in this context, is I do have some concern. COVID, the pandemic, is indeed a physical risk, if you will, however, the response... our human response, or social response... is a psychological one, a psychosocial response in many ways. And frankly, it therefore requires, I would suggest, psychosocial, psychological kind of responses that we've talked about. The organization can do policies to provide appropriate and meaningful support… communication could actually support people's psychological health. JO  34:07 You conducted your research between 2014 and 2017. Are you aware of any emerging research or any groundbreaking trends or best practices that support this move toward more mentally safe and healthy workplaces? MERV  34:25 I think it's an evolving situation. One thing which I think was pretty cool, and I've seen this in several different sectors, are what's referred to as communities of practice. And that is something coming... I think I was first aware of it in the healthcare context... but it's basically organizations or groups with common features, getting together and learning from one another. There was initiative actually, that came out of I believe, UBC Okanagan in collaboration, I think it was with Waterloo, for a kind of communities of practice for universities and colleges, where they took an opportunity to meet to discuss with one another what they were doing, what was working, what wasn't working. So, learning from one another... I think that's very promising. That's a great thing. And frankly, I think the same thing can happen on a more micro level, within an organization or a group, just creating a space... creating opportunity... for the key people to talk about these issues, and identify possible solutions moving forward. I'll throw a bit of a side comment in this one. And this one was a bit surprising to me too, certainly, when it comes to programs and things like employee assistance programs, and policies and benefits and so on. Those are typically the purview of large organizations, and smaller mom and pop businesses may not have that opportunity. That part may be true in terms of having the money and size to initiative things, but I think smaller organizations actually can be a lot more nimble. The leader or manager, whomever, within a department or a small construction crew, or whatever the case may be, is more likely to be in touch... more immediate contact... with the people he or she is working with, and therefore can come up with things on the fly... perhaps a lot more readily than large organizations that go through a kind of bureaucratic process. That creativity is certainly encouraging. JO  36:17 Have you conducted any other workplace research that you'd like to share? MERV  36:21 Let me add one more comment to what we're saying earlier. The other thing, which I think is promising is, we're now seeing organized labor and contracts pay more attention to psychological safety in the workplace, and a great example is here in British Columbia, where the nurses union in a prior contract, essentially... and the employer agreed with this... mandated adoption of the national standard across of all health care. So, I think that was another positive thing. Back to your question. So, on new things we're doing... certainly my colleague, Dan Bilsker, and I have been working with support from WorkSafe, frankly, with BC Emergency Health Services for about the last three years. And very much what I was saying a moment ago, recognizing that paramedics and dispatchers have unique work circumstances, and it's a unique organization. So, we've started by learning from them what resiliency looked like, what some of the stresses of the job were, what some effective coping methods were. And on the basis of that have created a workbook, a resilient coping workbook, which we're currently in process of disseminating throughout the organization.  JO  37:26 I'm wondering if you can tell us a story about an organization that moved from being perhaps not so focused on psychological health and safety, to embracing a psychological contract that really made a huge difference in the lives of all the people who work there? MERV  37:45 The beautiful example of an organization that took evidence-informed steps... there is a financial institution, I guess I can name them... VanCity (Vancouver City Savings Credit Union). Being a financial institution, they experience robberies. Now, as I said earlier, historically, WorkSafe did not cover psychological injuries, with the exception of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Well, frankly, being robbed or held up within a finance institution can be very traumatic event. So, it actually was data of days lost following a robbery. What VanCity did some years ago, again, I hope the program is still in place was, hey, okay, let's talk to people. What can we do here to actually sort of address this issue? We can't necessarily stop robberies, per se, but what can we do to address the impact psychological impact on staff who've gone through such a troubling, and potentially traumatic event? And what they came up with were a couple of things. First of all, they used and bolstered their employee assistance program, and so on, made that available. If there was a robbery in a particular branch, I believe the CEO, the head of the organization, communicated very quickly with that particular branch and said, "How are you guys doing? Are you okay?" So, leadership, they connected, in some sense said, "Something happened here that wasn't good... is troubling." And then they said, "What can we do? How can we help?" And they put funds and resources aside, said, "Okay, you guys just been through a bad event or troubling event. How can we help? Here's some funds… you want a pizza party, you want tickets to a baseball game, you tell us something that would help, if you will, recover or move forward from a difficult event." Because they had some data on lost time, they could actually measure the impact. And they also were able... circumstantially, back to your question about applied research, frankly...  they couldn't, because it's the real world that said, roll it out to all the organizations. So, those branches that adopt the program, great, but there were also some new branches, new people came on. So, they actually had a control group, and they can compare those branches that didn't have this kind of a program and those that did, and indeed, there was a notable difference between the two, and lost time went down and continued over time. And they were then able to spread the program. So, that one, I don't say they're in bad shape, but they started by identifying a problem, and asked people and then did something about it that was measurable. JO  40:12 I'd like to end our time together with you sharing about what I think is one of the most important pillars in a workplace mental health program… and that's trust. How can leaders best build trust with their employees around psychological health and safety? And how can employees come to trust their leaders? MERV  40:33 Part of my response is, how long has it tried to measure growth, tried to understand what the level of trust is. I did hear about an organization awhile ago, and the CEO talked about a "trust meter," in a sense, and not something that's necessarily quantified, but recognizing that trust is a very fragile entity. Trust is based on a perception, it's a belief, the belief that you as an employer, in this context, are concerned about my interest, and you're going to sincerely try to do what you're saying you're going to do. And that belief is going to be based on past behavior. It's a perception kind of thing, not something you put your finger on. But yes, I absolutely agree is critical to all interactions, not just with respect to psychologically healthy workplaces, but just the effectiveness of an organization, of a group effort. There's a concept that has been floating around for a number of years, which I think is useful...  people talk about "psychological contract" is context between employer and employee. The psychological contract is the implicit mutual reciprocal understanding between the two parties... between the employer and the employee... as to what they expect of one another. As an employee, I expect to be treated fairly. I expect to be compensated fairly. I expect opportunities to learn new things and do new things. I expect my opinion will be listened to. I'm willing to put that extra effort in if need be. As an employer, I expect my employee to do his or her job, to ask questions, to respect leadership, and follow the appropriate practices, and to put your shoulder to the wheel a little bit more, if needed, if there's some kind of crisis or emergency. And that contract is fragile, and very fluid, and perhaps more fluid during a COVID response. But if that contract... unspoken... it's not a job description, it's not a labor contract, per se, it's unspoken... if that's broken on either party, results can be very, very deleterious to either side. JO  42:32 How can that psychological or can that psychological contract be moved from being implicit to explicit?  MERV 42:42 Crazy as it may be, talk about  it... try to take the covert and make it a little bit overt.  Asking supervisors, managers, leaders... asking and meeting in a very authentic way with the people they work with. And asking them how it's going. Are your expectations being met? Are there things that we need to do? So, again, it's going to be communication, it's going to be communication that's succinct, not overwhelming people, that's going to be humble, for lack of better word, not promising things that you can't deliver. And it's gonna be fair, saying that I don't have that information, but here's what I'm going to do to get it. Or, we don't have that service right now, that program right now, that initiative right now, but here's what we might do, or here's what might be available instead. And, particularly, helpful... what is going to be helpful, not just empty language. I do feel concerned about the language especially... it started with the pandemic, was, "We're all in this together." Well, no, we're not. We're all in this, yes, but we're not necessarily together. Many of us… and many organizations and sectors and individuals… have their own circumstances that are very different from others. A little bit of a Kumbaya, we're all in this together, can sound false. If you're a single mom who's lost your job in the hospitality sector, and has a special needs kid at home, your circumstances are very different. So, humility is called for. JO  44:02 So, in closing, Merv, I'd like you to imagine that you're standing in front of a group of 100 CEOs from a variety of sectors and industries. And that you can say one thing to them about workplace mental health, and that they would not only take you seriously, but they would move forward, really being open-minded about potential change within their organizations. What would that one thing be? MERV  44:33 I think it would be, in essence, this attention to the psychological health and psychological well being of organizations under the people who work in them is not a fad... is not going away. It's very real. Work has changed in many ways. Whereas in earlier times, many jobs involved primarily physical labor. Increasingly, jobs these days require psychological labor. We used to talk about "putting your back into it" to describe the physical efforts that were required for doing a lot of work. And perhaps not surprisingly, the majority of workplace injuries and disability were musculoskeletal back injuries. Nowadays, we expect people to "put their head into it," they put their psychological skills and learning and knowledge into a thing. And correspondingly, when that's not supported, you're gonna see psychological injuries. So, this is very real, it's good for the worker, it's good for the workplace. And it is absolutely essential to the resilience and success of the organization. JO  45:36 Marv, I understand that you're involved in some research around trust. Can you tell us what that's all about? MERV  45:43 Years ago, actually, before the creation of standard, actually, we created a tool called Guarding Minds at Work, which has had a lot of uptake... it measures, psychosocial risks in the workplace. It's a survey-based tool and we have noticed... and along with another colleague, Dr. Graham Lowe... that trust, as you pointed out, is really a key ingredient. But we need to try and measure it to understand it. So, what we did is use our existing data around this Guarding Minds at Work tool and looked at what kind of factors, what kind of considerations, were related to a basic question, "Do employers and employees trust one another?" And they come across things that we've talked about, like communication, and honesty, and sincerity, and practicality, and culture. And we've created a tool called the Trust Building Survey, that we're currently in the process of informing a variety of groups in Canada and elsewhere about this tool to trial it… to use it. Frankly, as a snapshot, it's not long, it's about a 20-item, survey, but take a snapshot of where an organization is at at various points. And I think because things are so fluid with the world in general, and the pandemic response, in particular, it is very worthwhile for organizations and departments to take that snapshot at various points over time to try and capture an evolving and ever-shifting nature of the situation. JO  47:05 Is that opportunity to be involved in the research still open to organizations? MERV  47:12 Absolutely. Yes, we welcome inquiries from various groups, organizations that want to help us use this tool, apply this tool within your organization. So, we can all learn about trust as it evolves over time. JO  47:25 And how would people connect with you? MERV  47:27 They can connect through my email, my email is Merv... m-e-r-v at p-s-y-c-h-s-a-f-e-t-y dot org.  JO  47:39 Well, that's amazing. I think that trust in the workplace is a huge issue. And maybe a little further on into your research, we can do a whole episode on that. MERV  47:49 Terrific, that would be wonderful. JO  47:51 That's amazing. Merv, thanks so much for kicking off part one of this episode. MERV  47:57 Absolute pleasure. And I really appreciate the you're paying attention this issue and spreading the word, as you will… we've come a long way, but we've got a long way to go. JO  48:05 My pleasure. Thanks again. I'm excited because you're wise and wide ranging insights...  after 40 years of working in this field... I think they set the stage perfectly from my next conversation with Trudy Rondou and Lisa Smith from WorkSafe BC, which is a progressive provincial government agency in British Columbia, Canada. But before we get to that, listeners can visit the Mental Health Commission of Canada's website at m-h-c-c dot c-a to learn more about the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, the subsequent Case Studies Research Project, and a variety of tools to help organizations meet their goals. As mentioned earlier, you can connect with Merv about the research project or other workplace mental health issues at m-e-r-v at p-s-y-c-h-s-a-f-e-t-y dot org. Now to help us get a feel for what's happening with workplace mental health from a provincial perspective, I'm here with WorkSafe BC's Trudy Rondou and Lisa Smith. WorkSafe BC promotes safe and healthy workplaces for about 230,000 employers and more than 2.3 million workers. Its services include education, prevention, compensation and support for injured workers and no-fault insurance to protect both employers and workers. Trudy, let's start with you. First of all, thanks so much for being here. TRUDI  49:54 Thank you... I'm really pleased to be here. This is the topic I'm pretty passionate about, so I'm excited to be involved. JO  49:59 WorkSafe BC's vision is… British Columbians free from workplace injury, disease and death. To that end, there's a strong focus on prevention through policy and education. What does that look like in your world as senior manager of prevention programs? And why are you so motivated to help? TRUDI  50:20 As senior manager now in prevention programs, I actually have a new department called Mental Health and Psychological Safety. And while WorkSafe BC has been dealing with mental health from a claims and compensation point of view for a number of years now, this is sort of the start of the shift to looking at mental health from a preventative perspective. So, we're really looking at what we can be doing with workers and employers to try to prevent those mental health injuries from happening. JO  50:49 And again, speaking to your motivation? TRUDI  50:52 Well, I guess I'm passionate because I do believe in the sense of prevention. I don't think that we have to wait for a mental health injury to occur before we can help treat. I think that early intervention has shown lots of signs of assisting people and mitigating their mental health issues.JO  51:08 So, it sounds like an upstream approach to health care is applicable in your industry as well. TRUDI  51:15 Absolutely. JO  51:17 What does WorkSafe BC require of employers to help prevent psychological injuries? TRUDI  51:24 We want businesses out there to recognize that psychological health is just as important as physical health. And I think that's a real mind shift for employers. Employers in the province have been dealing with the physical health and safety for years, and they're used to that. But recognizing now that psychological health of the workplace is equally as important is a new shift. And I think along with that, having an employer recognize that they can play a proactive role in psychological health... again, going back to that notion that it's not just about treatment. There are proactive upfront things that can be done. And we also want employers to implement policies and programs that support mental health in the workplace. JO  52:03 Building on that theme of proactivity. What are some of the emerging best practices employers are using? TRUDI  52:11 Employers who represent best practices always have leadership champions. So, it starts at the top and they have people who are in senior roles, who really advocate for mental health and normalize mental health as being part of a workplace conversation. We want employers who have policies in place... so, recognizing that any behavior that goes contrary to mental health is not allowed in the workplace... things such as bullying and harassment are not allowed in the workplace. And policies that are going to support proactive and positive mental health. Anti-stigma campaigns have been proven to be really successful, because there is a lot of stigma around mental health. And I think we'll talk a little bit about that later, but some of these campaigns that individual employers have done, again, trying to normalize mental health and make it part of the regular conversation. Training and education are certainly important. And that is training and things such as mental health literacy so people understand how to have the conversation, as well as coping skills so people can understand what they're feeling in times of stress. What are some resources that they can fall on themselves? What are some coping skills that they can have? And what kind of resources and supports are available? Many employers have informed Employee and Family Assistance Programs or ESAP programs, but in a lot of cases, employees aren't always aware of the supports that are offered through those programs. So, those are some of the things that progressive businesses are really doing to help.  JO  53:38 Do you have a specific example of an employer who has done a really good job with this? TRUDI  53:45 Yes, I can certainly think of an employer... it's actually a first responder organization... and they recognize the importance of the mental health of their workers. And if you think of first responders, they're exposed to traumas all the time in their job... they see and hear things that are quite exceptional that regular workplaces, and regular workers, don't see. And so, this employer wanted to implement everything they could, so they had leadership champions step forward. They created a very robust peer support program so that workers had somebody that they could relate to, to talk to. And they even went so far as to start hosting family nights, so they recognize the importance of first responder families. And they hosted these family nights so that they could get the first responders and their families together to talk about what mental health supports were available. JO  54:39 So, what is the return on investment for businesses that are doing this health and safety right? TRUDI  54:46 That's really interesting. There has been some research done recently by Deloitte, looking at the return on investment for mental health programs. So these aren't just health and safety programs. These are specific to mental health and they actually found there was a return on investment of about $1.60 to $2.20. So, for every dollar you were investing in your mental health program, you were getting a return of about $1.60 to $2.20. And you were seeing that return on things like less absenteeism, less workplace claims, and more presenteeism for people who are working. That report really focused on the fact that we should invest in proactive programs that promote positive mental health, in addition to treatment. So again, that report reinforced this messaging around prevention, and promoting positiv