The 2008 Healthy 
Workplaces Conference Summary

The opening keynote speaker to the 2008 Healthy Workplaces Conference, Toni Newman, states that to succeed in today’s complex world we should not be slaving to the “do more, be better” mantra, that never gives us a moments peace. Rather, we need to “be different”. 

Think about the companies everyone is talking about, Google, HOK, Delta, RIM, IBM. They are successful because they stopped trying to be more than everybody else, and chose to do something nobody had ever thought of before: something different. This concept embodied exactly what the 2008 Healthy Workplaces Conference at Niagara-on-the-Lake was all about: how to be different. With the theme Be Innovative, keynotes and speakers shared not only the “why’s” of being different, but also the “how”. Following the Your Workplace mandate of being a hands-on resource tool, attendees developed practical tips and tools to take back to their places of work and immediately start implementing. Inspiration, provocative thoughts, compelling ideas, beautiful design and healthy food were in abundance.

“I am incredibly touched by your vision, the quality of the conference, the welcome and more.”

Road to Zero – We are all responsible

The Honourable Steven W. Mahoney, P.C. is shocked at the state of compensation in Canada. We live in a country of the greatest technological education and awareness–or so we think–and yet we as a society do not connect the dots. The general attitude is that safety and prevention “don’t affect us”, “we don’t have to deal with it.” Well, Mr. Mahoney doesn’t believe that. He believes that there are no accidents. They are ALL preventable. And we have a duty to make our workplace the safest in the world.

Society is what changes people’s habits. Like drinking and driving. The campaign raised awareness, and kept it on the table, but it was society who made it no longer acceptable. That’s the only way to eliminate dangerous habits: change society’s outlook. We have to take health and safety out of the workplace and put it everywhere in society; it is socially and morally the right thing to do.

Mr. Mahoney’s hope is that we take this message into our communities and spread the word that we are responsible for our own safety. It is our right.

WSIB Statistics

• In the last hour, 40 claims have been filed
• That’s 1000 claims a day
• 360,000 claims in Ontario annually
• Every year 100 people are lost to a fatal workplace accident
• That’s 2 a week.
• 2 /10 are under 24 years-old.
• 330 people die from workplace illness (i.e. asbestos)
• The financial impact in Ontario alone is $15 billion a year in workplace illness/accidents /fatalities

“I am very inspired to return to the workplace and make a difference.” 

What does being different look like?

Toni Newman wants us to live outside of our comfort zones. Why? She wants us to get in the mindset for generating innovative–and strategic–ideas. New ideas are what will make us successful; not being better, but being different. Fitting in is failing in today’s global economy, if you’re not standing out, you’re invisible. If a new idea doesn’t make you a little bit uncomfortable, then someone else is already doing it. If you ask yourself the same question your competitors ask, or if you ask yourself the same question, you are getting nowhere.

According to Ms. Newman, there are two kinds of people in the world: “why” people and “why not” people. A polling of the audience says that  “why” people make us feel small, cranky, restricted, deflated and defensive. Inside each and every one of us there is a “why” side and a “why not” side. The first step in being different is to bring your “why not” to work.

Start with the end in mind: what do you want people to do. Break it down step by step. The greatest role of innovation is not just coming up with ideas, but communicating them, so people can act on them.

How do we innovate?

1. Ask the right question, keeping the end in mind.
2. Dream big, think small.
3. You are only as good as your last idea (the last idea is already routine).

Innovative ideas criteria:

1. surprising       
2. strategic
3. seductive            
4. sustainable

Toni Newman’s hope for all of us when we leave the Healthy Workplaces Conference, that we have one idea that is so out there, that when we present it back at our place of work and they say “you can’t do that,” we will have the courage to say “why not?” 

Why do we need to innovate?

To feel alive.
To survive.
To be heard.

“Your attention to detail… WOW!”

The Secret Message of Water

Dr. Marasu Emoto from Japan believes in the power of water. Water responds to good and bad energy through vibration. Water can remember whatever thought or feeling we send to it. Good words and feelings encourage the water to vibrate into beautiful crystals. But sad words, prayers, music, photographs, vibrate the water differently: water doesn’t form into crystals at all.

Human being are made up of over 70% water. Therefore, the same impact on water will impact us as well. When you say or think words of love and gratitude to water, your words will resonate within yourself and with water everywhere, and elsewhere another person, plant, or animal will fill up with your positive energy. Through water and good words, we can ensure a more peaceful and positive world.

Using water, you can heal yourself and others with your happy energy. That is the secret of water.

Dr. Emoto’s hope is that every morning, when we wash our faces, we look in the mirror and tell ourselves that we’re beautiful. That message will positively impact the water molecules in our body.

Vitamin C for Employees

Luke De Sadeleer’s job is to help people at work create an environment where they are not only passionate about what they’re doing, but where they’re able to create passion in the people around them. There are seven behaviours that can help us create this passion:

1. Change. Change is about CHOICE. We change if we want to change. If we are included in the change process and our feelings or thoughts are taken into account, then we will embrace that change.
2. Career. Peak performance can be achieved when we love what we do. Find out what you love, not necessarily what you are skilled at, but what your unique talent is, and do that for a career.
3. Culture. Values need to be similar or a relationship can’t last. We must create an environment where our values are in line with the organization–that’s when we have synergy. The right person doing the right thing in the right place.
4. Coaching. We need to seek out coaches throughout our life. They can help ordinary people achieve extraordinary things.
5. Communication. Active listening is a gift. This is what gives people energy in the workplace. Help managers understand that listening is a critical skill. It takes more energy to actively listen than to talk.
6. Conflict. Conflict is normal. Don’t avoid it. As adults we are responsible for our own attitudes and behaviours.
7. Connection. Feelings and connections with others are the core of creating healthy workplaces. If we’re emotionally connected, that’s when we’re going to create the most powerful events in our lives.

For many people, delving into these emotional, personal depths can take them far beyond their comfort zones. When the pain of changing becomes less than staying the same, people will change.

“A powerful conference that will affect not only workplace wellness, but also my personal wellness. Thank you. I am speechless and moved more than I thought possible. You delivered!”

Award Winners: Innovative Ideas at Work

In 2007 at the Healthy Workplaces Conference, Rob Ellis, President of Our Youth at Work, demonstrated his commitment to healthier, safer workplaces by initiating the national Innovative Ideas at Work challenge to YW membership. Your Workplace was delighted to match his effort.

The purpose of the award is to recognize the innovative ideas that organizations are implementing in the following categories: Lifestyle & Health, Team & Workplace Culture, and Physical Workspace and Health & Safety. At our 2008 conference we announced the winners of the challenge. Four Canadian organizations demonstrated exemplary efforts putting their innovative beliefs into practice, and we are happy to reward these health–driven organizations.

City of Kingston, See it, Say it, Share it

The City of Kingston’s Community Services Department was recognized for a program that encouraged fellow employees to report “good news”. These positive efforts put forth by employees of the City and as co-workers, would then be formally shared.

Extendicare Kingston, You can “talk the talk” but can you “walk the walk”?

A committee of workers, with the support of management, has developed an in-house fitness and diet program for staff. Every employee was supplied a pedometer and prizes were awarded to the person who put the most mileage on it during a set period of time.

Nova Scotia Public Service Commission, Healthy Workplace Initiatives

Developed a unique product that would inform and educate 1,500 managers about the Healthy Workplace Policy and inspire them to do what they could to strengthen and promote a healthy organizational culture in their work units.

Niagara Casinos, Active Lifestyle Challenges

Committed to providing employees with the knowledge and tools on how to lead healthier lifestyles and enhance associates’ work and personal lives. This support has encouraged employees to lose weight and eat better, producing measurable improvements in the workplace.

AUTHOR YW STAFF
PHOTOGRAPHY by PHOTOGRAPHY WITH GRACE, CONFERENCE DESIGN BY QDESIGN (www.qdesigncp.com)