What / Now What ? Discussion Overall Synopsis Prepared by: Trudy Boyle and François Lagarde

What / Now What ? DiscussionOverall Synopsis

Prepared by: Trudy Boyle and François Lagarde

What ? Now What?

• To make the Conference more interactive, delegates were invited to share their opinions on key ideas, possible implications and immediate actions as a result of the sessions.

• The following questions were used to stimulate discussion:– What?

• What are the two to three key ideas from the session that had the strongest impact on you?

– Now What? • What concrete implications do these ideas have for your work?• What are the immediate actions or possible next steps that you are

likely to take as a result of this session?

• This document is a summary of answers offered by participants following sessions and keynote speeches.

Thursday, October 18Opening Keynote – Heather Menzies

• What?– Speaker walked the talk: calm, and asked us not to take notes.– So busy with technology that the speed and distress it causes goes unnoticed

and is not productive (multi-tasking, presenteeism, interruption, distraction).• Stress is the social equivalent of global warming.

• The “quick click” pace can get in our blood.

• It’s a big beast - an overwhelming digital environment.

• Urgent vs. important: a need to understand what expectations to respond to.

• Societal expectations of immediate reaction/response to every request.

• Stress is a collective experience not an individual one.

• The quantity of useless email copied to everyone is more for show than substance.

• E-mails are abused and can be abusive.

• 30% of e-mails are unnecessary.

• Busyness does not equate with productivity.

• Societal pressure to multi-task and be busy. Compete to see who is the busiest

• Half-plugged in through multi-tasking and dismissing the people in your life. (Home, work and friends.)

• Observable technology induced presenteeism (eg blackberry in meetings).

• Presenteeism is the silent scourge of productivity.


• What? (cont’d)

– So busy with technology that the speed and distress it causes goes unnoticed and is not productive. (cont’d)

• Technology has made us more distracted vs. more efficient.• Conflicting priorities at all levels.• Nothing done in depth.• We hide behind our busyness.• In addition to multi-tasking and overload a regular barrage of unexpected work.• Multi-tasking is not effective or productive. We need reminders of this fact.• Technology is effective but it gives us a reason to procrastinate and be “too busy.”• Losing the ability to concentrate. • We have normalized all forms of interruption.• Distraction: I had best do one thing well than many things poorly, especially when I meet

with employees.• Surprise that multi-tasking is not only not-productive but leads to attention deficit culture.• Working 24/7 is not effective.• Do we hide in the chaos?• Coup by capitulation.• Media spins the date for their purposes.



– False accountability: people busy doing on-line reports in order to fulfill performance measurement standards.

• Cult of Efficiency means things only get done if they make $dollars or save $dollars.

• Loss of control over our environment: following someone else’s script.

• The story about the baby in-care who died.• Qualitative data/measures also valid.• Over-focus on engineering solutions.• Over-focus on the quantitative means less-focus on the

qualitative.



– Lack of people interaction.• E-mail causes a lack of face-to-face communication

even when a colleague is close by.• Technology can be dehumanizing and we forget how

to connect with each other.• Everyone I know is too busy to talk.• Difficulty getting to know the people you work with.



– Costs to human life and impact on business and what we need to do about it.

• Lack of reflection time.• Nothing in depth-skimming what you read.• The high percentages of people who don’t take time to read and

relax.• 75% of children under two view two hours of TV a day.• Kids-in-training to be workaholics in an attention deficit culture.• Based on research these problems are global• “Under” recognition of the impact of stress.• Stats don’t support the fact that it’s the workplace that is the root

cause.• Is it all so negative?• Technology is “dumbing” us down.


• Now What?– Take technology breaks

• Perhaps make it Friday afternoons.• Don’t respond to e-mails and interruptions instantly.• Declare a moratorium on sending unnecessary e-mail.• Create electronic free zones.• Turn off automatic e-mail notification.• Communicate only to those who need to know.• Leave the blackberry in the car on the week-ends and keep it turned off.• Turn off the blackberry.• Experiment with workplace responses such as e-mail free Fridays.• Create meeting free days.• Standardize the purpose of email.• E-mail etiquette training.• Let voice mail take messages when you are with someone.• Recognize the level of distraction and the impact on all aspects of our work and

personal lives.• Don’t automatically respond to the buzz of chaos.• “D” words: deconstructing the digital words and THINKING for ourselves.


• Now What? (cont’d)– What really matters?

• Give real consideration to what is “the right thing to do” for people rather than striving for efficiency and dollars.

• Are you “smart busy” or “dumb busy?”• De-sexify long working hours.• Focus on one task at a time.• Stop and think.• Be a role model.

– Face-to-face conversations• Talk to the person in the same office rather than e-mail.• Return to being a professional person, neighbour and friend who makes time to

talk.• Take baby steps: host a lunch to discuss these items.• Re-schedule meetings if you can’t give your full attention.• Start meetings with 1-2 minutes of silence, breathing, closed eyes etc.• Create stress free zones and times for dialogue, conversation and

decompression.• Active listening.


• Now What? (cont’d)

– Set boundaries for personal time.• Reclaiming our right to be rested.• Continue to create boundaries and stick to them.• Continue to take time for things that are important.• Take breaks.• Don’t be a slave to others schedules. • Be accountable to self.• Take a mental stress break.• Experiment to find solutions.• No home voice mail.• More play time with my kids on days off.• At the beginning of each day hi-light one key thing to do and do it.• Learn to cope personally.• Delegate.• Socialize more.• Encourage young families to “turn off” and spend family time face-to-face.• Slow activities: walk, tea break, read thoroughly, etc.• Be present in the “here and now,” and be engaged in what I am doing.• Taking time for you to help ensure your own health and wellness.• Accumulate less.• Work to establish equilibrium and balance.• Take time away from work.• Go to the gym.


• Now What? (cont’d)– Need to cultivate the cascading effect of positive wellness change

• Create a workplace culture that de-normalizes workplace chaos-start with awareness.• Keep talking about the need to change and keep looking for the right words.• Find senior managers that can help dispel the myth of 24/7. Seek ambassadors to help change the culture.• Attempt to get senior management to commit to one change.• Look at evidence (costs and anecdotal) to challenge standardization vs. creating more.• Create and cultivate a wellness language that resonates with existing managerial • Learn from other cultures.• Opportunity for policy development e.g. cell phone and blackberry use language.• Translate into dollars, the impact of maintaining the status quo and “not doing.”• Open-minded practices to support “down time” “flex time” and “tele-commuting.”• Create a sustainable program.• Devote a % of management meeting time to discuss issues related to workplace health and balance.• Cultivate a sense of engagement to improve caring and loyalty and dampen impatience.• Be part of the solution.• Strategic plans need to include the human element.• The degree to which we have to humanize the workplace.• Could this conference create a formal resolution passing process lobbying government for action in

workplace wellness regards?• Might lack of employees force us to slow down by closing stores and restaurants on Sundays and

Mondays, as an example?• We are the medium delivering the message.• Quiet revolution.• Constant reminders are necessary

Thursday, October 18Concurrent Sessions

• What?– Language

• We can change our stories and patterns.

• Finding the right language that resonates with union and management.

• Recovery days vs. sick days.

– Management/Leadership• Letting people know they are missed when not at work.

• Everyone is a leader. Foster the trust.

– Policy• The powerful connection between wellness and less absenteeism.

• Concept of “psychological safe” workplaces expanding to become a legal requirement.

• Linking manager’s performance to implementing health and wellness plans vs. only financial targets.


• Now What?– Self

• Catch yourself and step back when thinking negatively.• Find a mentor to emulate.• Be a model to children and leave time for self.• When on vacation, set up “auto response” that indicates you will not be

checking e-mail.

– Management/Leadership• Give permission to others to say “the water’s too hot.”• Take personal responsibility to develop psychologically safe work

practices.• Link talented employees to teach others how to take mini-retreats.• Create a culture of importance for health and wellness.

– Policy• Work with insurance companies to provide clients with many options

from the “helping” disciplines. (not just registered psychologists)• Investigate labour legislation.


• What?– The cost of doing nothing is more expensive than the cost of doing

something.

– Communication! Communication! Communication!

– Personalize your presentation. Be who you are.

– Use stars to keep track of your points and keep you on track.

– Use the metaphor of a dinner party when planning your presentation.

– Think of a prism: bring in the colours through action, stories, dialogue etc.

– Pay attention for opportunities to use “call backs.”

– Evoke emotions through stories.

– If you have to use power point use it sparingly and only one point per slide.

– Put distracters “on stage” by walking to their table and speaking from there.

– Remain present for your audience.


• What? (cont’d)– Prepare: rehearse your voice, your body, check out the space, and

rehearse your material out loud.

– Would you pay to hear yourself speak?

– Role of neurotransmitters. (Lipton’s work)

– Bringing humanity back for all generations.

– Targeted Individualized Behaviour Modification Strategies decreases health care costs the most.

– Listen to employees.

– Elevate purpose and meaning and supportive relationships to the top of the list instead of traditional wellness activities and programs.

– Get buy-in by talking to all employees and making programs available to all sites and all shifts.

– Morale and stress are two different things. You can have high stress and high morale.

Thursday, October 19Concurrent Sessions• What? (cont’d)

– Employees need interesting work, appreciation, to be included, and part of decision making.

– Time to get past pushing “awareness” and on to doing something.– Important to get a “read” on your particular culture. Consider diagnostic

tests.– I’m the only one who can create change.– Health requires a strong core and alignment of actions and thought. If you

do not do what you believe or say you are out of alignment and health will suffer, until you return to alignment.

– Disease management can improve quality of life for participating employees.

– Retention has to be the #1 issue.– Break the silence on the human and social toll of stress, overwork and

scattered attention.– Reframing from personal stress to organizational stress.– Need to revisit the Canadian labour code to include psychological health

and the effect of too much stress.– Take care of self.– Sanity policy.

Thursday, October 19Concurrent Sessions• Now What?

– Make it a YES!– Be clear on what you want people to walk away with from your

presentation.– Take charge of your ending and have Q&A’s shortly before the end.– Take risks and follow through.– Do warm ups.– Make your presentations fun.– Have reasonable expectations.– Value of strategic reflection.– Take time to plan.– Organize data collections to make it easier to retrieve.– “Honour the resistance.”– Interact more with my team.– Start small. Think of one thing that will make a difference, and go from

there, one step at a time.– Use validated concrete measurement tools.– Work for good mental health in the workplace.

Thursday, October 19Concurrent Sessions• Now What? (cont’d)

– Get data from insurance carrier.– Include written action plans in same document as each report.– Deep abdominal breathing can help suppress anxiety, anger and stress as

can drinking more water and eating more fruit.– Good communication is required to define expectations and then follow thru

to try and align people’s thoughts and actions with the expectations.– Take a wholistic approach as a variety of factors influence and cause

stress.– Examine drug utilization and provider to assess the types of drugs being

used (recognizing confidentiality) to see if education could be offered for specific diseases.

– Benefits for part time employees.– Greater flexibility in the workplace.– Find ways to help people be more adaptable to shift work.– Get people in your organization talking – use warm-up exercises to help

people get in touch with their current environments.– Start using mini-breaks.

Friday, October 19Lunch Keynote – Christina Cavanagh

• What?– Can’t rely on IT for e-mail.

– Good tips on organization of e-mail

– Must take charge of e-mail.

– Reduce e-mail usage and increase personal contact.

– Amount of time spent on e-mail.

– Less e-mail saves money

– More synchronous communication

– Change subject line.

– Use “out of office” response.

– Designate a member of the team to offer e-mail tips at each team meeting.

– Become more aware of what I send.

– The quick tips.

– Practical reminders.


• What? (cont’d)– Develop awareness.

– It’s not private. Can be subpoenaed.

– E-mail management is a strategic issue.

– Identify e-mail challenges.

– Be a role model.

– Look for ways to reduce e-mails.

– Review e-mail policy to guide e-mail use and protect yourself.

– Colour code e-mails.

– Gather and analyze stats on e-mails.


• Now What?– Implement quick tips.– Call.– Install outlook.– Invoke password protection.– Re-direct incoming mail to specific folders.– Adjust how e-mail is tracked.– Adjust subject titles when doing filing.– Important to have an e-mail policy.– Adopt a policy, protocol, guidelines and instructions that addresses internal vs

external e-mail.– Auto-file e-mails, while on holiday and read at leisure.– Develop guidelines.– Send auto-response joke message to a client.– Look at my e-mail practices and policies.– Facilitate e-mail training.– Introduce instant messaging.

Friday, October 19Closing Keynote – Victoria Labalme

• It is the people you meet that make a difference in your life.

• Start changing my language (I’m happy instead of I’m busy) and model the concepts.

• Breathe!• Stop. See. Celebrate.

Documents

What / Now What ? Discussion Overall Synopsis Prepared by: Trudy Boyle and François Lagarde