Building a Workplace Culture That Embraces Diversity

Posted on August 2, 2013August 20, 2014 by Deirdre Pickerell, PhD 1 Comment

I’ve spoken and written about the benefits of diversity for years and on six continents. However, as the adage goes, “we teach what we need to learn” and I’m definitely still learning. This year I’ve had the privilege of co-leading a research team to learn from internationally-trained professionals themselves about the challenges in the foreign […]... Read More

Portrait of smiling business people with thumbs up against white

Diversity Within the Workplace

Posted on June 11, 2013August 20, 2014 by Deirdre Pickerell, PhD Leave a comment

It’s always interesting to me how work clusters within Life Strategies – we seem to go through seasons of topical presentations, typically driven by external requests not intentional marketing. The theme of our current season is “diversity within the workplace.” Earlier this year we conducted research for S.U.C.C.E.S.S. and its government funders on challenges associated […]... Read More

SEED Toolkit Update

Posted on April 4, 2013August 20, 2014 by Deirdre Pickerell, PhD 1 Comment

The SEED Toolkit has been updated with new resources and links to help employers to better embrace diversity in the workplace. Find the SEED Toolkit at http://embracingdiversity.ca. Originally posted April 4, 2013 by Miranda Vande Kuyt... Read More

Appreciation in the Workplace

Posted on September 28, 2011August 28, 2014 by Deirdre Pickerell, PhD Leave a comment

It’s almost Thanksgiving, so we conducted a brief survey about appreciation in the workplace. We appreciate all the thoughtful responses we got – clearly appreciation is alive and well which was encouraging to hear! The good news was that a third of our respondents had been appreciated within the past 24 hours and an additional […]... Read More

Supervisory Skills: One Key to Workplace Success

Posted on September 13, 2011August 28, 2014 by Deirdre Pickerell, PhD Leave a comment

We’ve just completed work on a supervisory skills framework and training guide for the Asia Pacific Gateway Skills Table. We’ve previously supported many organizations to develop their managers and leaders, and supervisors have a crucial liaison role to play – communicating management expectations to front-line employees and also communicating worker needs and concerns to the […]... Read More

Immigrant or Expatriate? There’s a Difference

Posted on May 27, 2011August 28, 2014 by Deirdre Pickerell, PhD Leave a comment

Some people think that anybody working in Canada who’s “from away” is an immigrant – but that’s not always the case. However, we rarely think of Canadians working abroad as having emigrated (i.e., left Canada permanently). Instead we consider them expatriates. This is an interesting shift in perspective, with all sorts of career/life implications. Expatriates, […]... Read More

Workplace Conflict

Posted on February 9, 2011August 28, 2014 by Deirdre Pickerell, PhD Leave a comment

Conflict can be distressing in the workplace. A quick Google search for “workplace conflict 2011” revealed almost 59 million hits, including recent research from the UK, courses in Canada and Australia, blogs, headlines about workplace violence, and articles targeted to diverse industries and organizational structures. Workplace conflict is a hot topic! In many cases the […]... Read More

Appreciation Makes a Difference!

Posted on September 13, 2010August 28, 2014 by Deirdre Pickerell, PhD Leave a comment

Appreciation is a core component of two of Life Strategies’ models: Employee Engagement and Let’s CHAT! (a coaching tool). The element was embedded into both models for very similar reasons – many people today feel underappreciated…and appreciation does make a significant difference. According to the Bully Free at Work Blog, Appreciation is one of the […]... Read More

Closeup of business colleagues laughing and standing

Diversity and Employee Engagement

Posted on April 29, 2009September 2, 2014 by Deirdre Pickerell, PhD 1 Comment

Living in Canada, we are surrounded by diversity – economic, geographic, cultural, and ethnic diversity. With all of this diversity in our midst, it is a bit of a wonder how society can at times be reluctant to embrace it. Perhaps I’ve become more attuned to the concept of diversity since it has been the […]... Read More

Sustainability: Building Individuals and Organizations to Last for the Long Term

Posted on September 10, 2008August 29, 2014 by Deirdre Pickerell, PhD Leave a comment

There’s a lot of talk about sustainable environments, economies, and resources. However, what about people and the places where they work? At least a dozen times each day I hear people say how busy they are…in many cases, they wear their busyness as a badge of honour. The Context I juggle many professional roles – […]... Read More

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