Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER August 7, 2017 18 INSIGHT HORSING AROUND GLOUCESTERSHIRE, U.K. — A police offi cer in the U.K. got into trouble recently when he called in sick three times over a nine-month period, but actually went to the horse races, according to the Tele- graph. Police constable Jonathan Adams may just have pulled it off if a TV station hadn't fi lmed him cele- brating after a horse he owned won a race. e offi cer now faces alle- gations of gross misconduct under "honesty and integrity," and could be dismissed from the police force. But his lawyer said Adams had a stress-related condition aggravated by his workplace. "He tried to allevi- ate that by his affi nity and closeness to horses," said Richard Shepherd, adding there are many diff erent ac- tivities a police offi cer can under- take to relax, such as sailing or going to the gym. " ey might sit in front of the telly watching (the TV show) Judge Rinder," he said. " ere is a value judgment because he went horse racing." THAT NAGGING FEELING LONDON, U.K. — Yet another executive found himself in hot water recently. Sir Andrew Mor- ris, head of the National Health Service (NHS) in Britain, was speaking before a health think tank audience about life expectancy. "Usually, the blokes die off earlier because they're nagged to death by the other half," said the 61-year- old, according to the Independent. Life expectancy is 79.1 years for men in the U.K. and 82.8 years for women. e comment did not go over well. "Sir Andrew Morris just made an extraordinary, sex- ist comment. Dinosaurs still roam in East Berkshire," tweeted Jon Rouse of the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partner- ship. Morris, who is CEO of the Frimley Health NHS Foundation, later apologized "unreservedly for any off ence caused." MISGUIDED INTENTIONS LOS ANGELES, CALIF. — Also striking out on the feminist front was actor Ashton Kutcher. After announcing he would be hosting a "live, open dialogue about gender equality in the workplace and in tech," the star — who is also a ven- ture capitalist — included a list of questions on LinkedIn hoping to start a discussion, according to US Magazine. e fi rst? "What are the rules for dating in the workplace? Flirting?" Also on the list: "Where does the line between work life and social life stop and start?" and "Should investors invest in ideas that they believe to have less merit so as to create equality across a portfolio?" Many critics called the questions off ensive and embar- rassing. "Yikes, these are defi nitely not the right questions," said Jo- elle Emerson, CEO of Paradigm. "Most rely on flawed assump- tions and perpetuate problematic myths." Kutcher later thanked peo- ple for their feedback. "I've already offended some folks by asking the wrong questions. I'm certain, given the sensitivity of the topic, I will say other things wrong," he said. "Hope we can fi nd space to be wrong in the pursuit in getting it right." BRINGING BACK THE '70S CALGARY — TV hosts on Global News in Calgary had a good laugh recently when the meteorolo- gist had trouble talking about the ParticipAction activity of the day listed on the screen: Swinging. "I can't do this," said Jordan Witzel. "What?... It was acceptable back when Hal and Joanne were kind of the face of ParticipAction: Go to the Dollar Store, get a fi shbowl… You gotta put your keys in a bowl." e show's two anchors, Amber Schinkel and Scott Fee, had a hard time keeping a straight face. "Oh, swinging at a playground," joked Witzel in mock enlightenment. "Either way, you get your activity in for the day, I guess." He then went on with the weather forecast. W EIRD ORKPLACE THE Vol. 30 No. 13 – August 7, 2017 PUBLISHED BY Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. One Corporate Plaza 2075 Kennedy Rd. Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 ©Copyright 2017 by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. All rights reserved. CANADIAN HR REPORTER is published 21 times a year. Publications Mail – Agreement # 40065782 Registration # 9496 – ISSN 0838-228X Director, Media Solutions, Canada: Karen Lorimer - (416) 649-9411 karen.lorimer@thomsonreuters.com EDITORIAL Publisher/Editor in Chief: Todd Humber - (416) 298-5196 todd.humber@thomsonreuters.com Editor/Supervisor: Sarah Dobson - (416) 649-7896 sarah.dobson@thomsonreuters.com News Editor Marcel Vander Wier - (416) 649-7837 marcel.vanderwier@thomsonreuters.com Employment Law Editor: Jeffrey R. 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Address changes and returns: Send changes and undeliverable Canadian addresses to: SUBSCRIBER SERVICES Canadian HR Reporter One Corporate Plaza 2075 Kennedy Rd. Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 CUSTOMER SERVICE Call: (416) 609-3800 (Toronto) (800) 387-5164 (outside Toronto) Fax: (416) 298-5082 (Toronto) (877) 750-9041 (outside Toronto) Email: customersupport. legaltaxcanada@tr.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR todd.humber@thomsonreuters.com CHRR reserves the right to edit for length and clarity. Todd Humber EDiTOR'S NOTeS My job is, without doubt, killing me I f you drive to work, your com- mute is making you dumb. But I'm not pointing fi ngers here — it's taking a toll on my intelli- gence, too. Or is it? See, I'm not quite sure. Because I drive more than one hour to work each way and, according to a re- cent study, that means my brain- power is slowly being drained. Academics at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom spent five years looking at the lifestyles of half-a-million Britons from the ages of 37 to 73. ey subjected them to intelligence and memory tests, and the results weren't pretty for folks who spend long hours behind the wheel. About one in fi ve of those who drove more than two to three hours per day. At the start of the study, these 93,000 people had "lower brainpower." And their cognitive function only declined as the years passed compared to their counterparts who spent little time in traffi c. "Cognitive decline is measure- able over fi ve years because it can happen fast in middle-aged and older people," said Kishan Bakra- nia, a medical epidemiologist at the university, in an interview with e Sunday Times. " is is associated with lifestyle factors such as smoking and bad diet — and now with time spent driving." As someone who drives long hours to work each week, I fi nd this a tad unsettling. Pile this on top of all the other stories we've written about the dangers lurking in the workplace (at least I can still remember some things) and there's only one con- clusion: My job is, without doubt, killing me. Sedentary offi ce work is short- ening my life expectancy. Which reminds me, I should stand as I'm writing this — but then I won't be able to reach the keyboard. ere's a dearth of standup workstations around here, and I bet many of you don't see too many dotting your offi ce landscape either. e indoor air quality in most workplaces is suspect. Sick Build- ing Syndrome is a real thing. As is Building-Related Illness — both have lengthy defi nitions on the Environmental Protection Agen- cy's website. Factors such as humidifi cation systems, cooling towers, wet sur- faces and water-damaged building material can cause all sorts of is- sues, including non-scary things like an occasional day off for not feeling well or terrifying ailments such as pneumonia and Legion- naires' disease. at photocopier and printer you slave over isn't just produc- ing pretty reports — it's spewing toxic gases including ozone, ni- trogen dioxide, volatile organic compounds, radiation, particulate matter, paper particles, nano par- ticles and extremely low-frequen- cy electromagnetic fi elds. The end result of long-term exposure is "high-oxidative stress and systemic infl ammation, lead- ing to high risk of cardiovas- cular diseases," according to an academic study out of Avinashi- lingam University in India that looked at photocopier operators in that country. Your offi ce chair — the one that's killing you by being so cushy and comfortable — might also be let- ting off gassing chemicals. Same goes for your carpet and that custodian's closet jammed full of cleaning supplies and pesticides. And it's not just what's happen- ing inside the building that mat- ters. Pollution outside can work its way in. Do you have a highway close by? Enjoy all that rubber particulate coming off tires. In the famed smoggy air of Los An- geles, it's the 13th most signifi cant source of air pollution. Is there a railway in the vicin- ity? A University of Washington study examined a Seattle house lo- cated 20 metres from a railway and found the level of tiny particles to be more than double that of coastal locations far from the train tracks. And we haven't even touched on the massive toll of stress and anxiety. e workplace really is a hypochondriac's nightmare. But it shouldn't be — and it's time for a reality check. at time you spend commuting behind a wheel? Listen to some news or podcasts on occasion and you'll stay engaged and learn a thing or two. Plus, the same research- ers found using a computer for a couple of hours per day is just as stimulating as driving is numb- ing. So it's really a wash if you're plugged in during the day. (And for those who take tran- sit to work, don't get all high and mighty — your TV watching hab- its have the same negative impact. And sitting zoned out on a bus or subway train is hardly any better.) Your sedentary life? You're hardly alone — and the jury is out about how much sitting time is too much and whether or not you can cancel it out with exercise and just being out and about. at air quality? It takes pro- longed exposure and exception- ally high doses to have a signifi - cant impact. So, take a deep breath. Your job, in all likelihood, isn't killing you. But I did fi nd one particu- lar bit of research I can fully get behind with this headline in the Independent: "People aged over 40 perform best with a three-day working week, study fi nds." Cognitive performance for older workers tends to max out at 25 hours per week — at that point, fatigue and stress take over. As a 40-something, I can say with authority: at research simply makes too much sense to ignore. CAUTION: FALLING PLASTER BIHAR, INDIA — Government workers at an offi ce in Bihar, India, have considerably more to worry about than ergonomics or cubicle clutter, ac- cording to the Hindustan Times. A video of four workers shows them wearing motorcycle helmets to avoid being injured by falling plaster. "Many employees have reportedly sustained injuries due to falling of plaster from the ceiling. e situation has (been) aggravated due to rains. e entire building also leaks, compromising the safety of offi ce equipment, records, especially computers," said worker Ranjit Singh. e building construction department had declared the building unfi t for use a couple of years ago and, after several delays, a sub-divisional offi cer said the government is in the process of shifting the offi ce. Credit: AleksandrN (Shutterstock) — Government workers at an offi ce in Bihar, India, have considerably more to worry about than ergonomics or cubicle clutter, ac- . A video of four workers shows them wearing motorcycle helmets to avoid being injured by falling plaster. "Many employees have reportedly sustained injuries due to falling of plaster from the ceiling. e situation has (been) aggravated due to rains. e entire building also leaks, compromising the safety of offi ce equipment, records, especially computers," said worker Ranjit Singh. e building construction department had declared the building unfi t for use a couple of years ago and, after several delays, a sub-divisional Credit: AleksandrN (Shutterstock)

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