tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13061380388114028762024-02-23T21:02:54.036-05:00Psychologues Consultants Y2 - HRMPsychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-76530742927525860732017-08-15T15:00:00.000-04:002017-08-15T15:00:27.969-04:00Actions and Reactions: Proving That You Are Right or Acting with Kindness?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/conflit-au-travail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><center><img border="0" height="180" width="578" src="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/conflit-au-travail.jpg" alt="Conflit au travail" /></a></center></div><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;">It happens to everybody to regret having said certain things and/or to have made certain gestures in times of stress or conflict.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;">As a psychologist and coach, clients regularly ask me for advice as to how to better manage their interpersonal relationships, both personal and professional. Many feel overwhelmed and admit they react badly when stressed or confronted with arguments or conflict. I’ve noticed that more often than not, my clients admit their reactions in such interpersonal situations are emotional and / or impulsive and do not necessarily help solve the problem. <strong>Unfortunately for some, even for many, showing that they are right (and that the other party is wrong) becomes their objective (consciously or unconsciously) in such interpersonal exchanges.</strong> This leads to losing sight of the fact that the ultimate goal is rather to establish interpersonal relationships that allow us to live a more fulfilling, positive and productive personal and professional life. Adopting an interpersonal style that is too rigid or even unpredictable or avoidant in such situations leads rather to increasing the level of tension, frustration, distrust, and interpersonal dissatisfaction and this directly affects our capacity to function well and be productive.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;">I often meet with clients who tell me that they are stressed, disappointed, sad, and frustrated by their inability to resolve their disagreements in their life with their partner. This inability adversely affects their couple life and can contribute to a breakup in the long run. Similarly, some of my clients experience interpersonal difficulties at work (with colleagues and /or superiors) which undermine their professional success and ability to hold a job.</p><a name='more'></a><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;">Although inadequate communication and an overly rigid/ unstable interpersonal style are at the root of many couple problems and tension and conflict at work, it is important to note that too often people’s behaviour is greatly affected by the thoughts, words, and actions of others. <strong>It is important to be aware of the fact that our behaviour should, as much as possible, be aligned with our core values in life, rather than being reactive to the behaviour of others.</strong> It is key to show empathy in our interpersonal exchanges. Furthermore, if you consider that another person’s actions towards you often reflect the state of their own relationship with themselves rather than an affirmation with regard to your worth as an individual, it will be easier for you, in time, to react emotionally less often or not at all. Our communication and interpersonal relationships will therefore be more predictable, less reactive, and will reflect our core values even when we disagree with the words or actions of our life partner or our colleagues/bosses.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;">I often ask my clients to consider <strong>the benefit of acting with kindness and empathy rather than trying to be right, at all cost, when caught up in tense interpersonal exchanges</strong>. Often, they realize that they put aside this important value in order to try to emerge the winner in a disagreement. They also realize that in the long run, they are rarely real winners in trying to be right at all cost. Some of my clients notice that their tendency, sometimes incontrollable, has led them to emotionally hurt and drive away their life partner or their work colleague when that really wasn’t their intention. If their reactions were aligned rather with the value of acting with kindness, they would really come out the winners in the long run; and this even if the other party does not prioritize this same value. Many wise men from different religions have noted that <strong>the world needs people who act with kindness more than those who are right</strong>. Meanwhile, it is important to note that even though disagreements, arguments, and conflict are part of our lives, they must be conducted with respect and without assailing the physical or psychological well-being of the parties involved.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;">In trying to understand why certain individuals have a more pronounced tendency to defend their points of view, words, and actions, I have noticed, in the more extreme cases, the existence of an interpersonal rigidity (even a personality disorder), an emotional instability, distrust, and often a lack of confidence accompanied by a fear of rejection. This tendency often affects these people in most of their interpersonal exchanges, both personal and professional. <strong>At work, they are often identified by their managers as being difficult-to-manage employees who gnaw away at their managers’ time and work less well as part of a team.</strong> Many managers feel overwhelmed in such situations and seek the help of specialized coaches/psychologists in order to find solutions (e.g. manager and/or employee coaching). Similarly, their interpersonal rigidity often affects their couple life and increases the risk of relationship breakdown. Helping them realize the negative impacts of their interpersonal style and to adopt feelings and actions that favour better exchanges and communication often becomes the principal objective of therapy/coaching. The success of such interventions depends largely on the degree to which the person recognizes the problem (introspection) and really wants to change. Often, their resistance to change is heightened by distrust and a fear of realizing that they must improve their interpersonal skills. They often fear reprisal at work or in their career paths and/or negative impacts on their couple and family life. Unfortunately, not accepting such an approach will often have even more negative impacts.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;">In conclusion, most people face certain interpersonal challenges in times of stress, tension, or conflict. It is important not to let the other person largely influence and dictate our reactions. Our reactions must be aligned with our ultimate values and objectives (in the short and long term). I encourage you to try more often to act with empathy and kindness rather than investing effort to show that you are right or that the other person is wrong. If you find that you have an extremely rigid or even volatile interpersonal style, it would be beneficial to see a psychologist or coach who specializes in this. Finally, don’t forget that trying to improve as a person is a noble objective to have.</p><div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; margin: 10px 0px 10px 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana; float: right; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Yaniv M. Benzimra, Ph.D.<br />Psychologist and Management Coach<br /><a href="https://www.y2cp.com/en/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists</a></p><img style="display: block; float: right; margin-right: 10px;" src="http://www.y2cp.com/about/staff/employee/photos/2.jpg" alt="" title="Dr. Yaniv Benzimra" /></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Please contact <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/about/staff/employee/?id=2" target="_blank">Dr. Yaniv M. Benzimra</a> by phone at 819-777-7744 x248 or by email at <a href="mailto:yaniv.benzimra@y2cp.com">yaniv.benzimra@y2cp.com</a> for more details.</p><a class="LienActionBleu" href="https://www.y2cp.com/en/coaching/" target="_blank">Learn more</a><a class="LienActionVert" href="https://www.y2cp.com/en/contact-us/" target="_blank">Contact Us</a>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-264491317057458002017-08-03T15:45:00.002-04:002017-08-03T16:32:28.394-04:00Actions et réactions : essayer d'avoir raison ou agir avec bonté ?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/conflit-au-travail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><center><img border="0" height="180" width="578" src="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/conflit-au-travail.jpg" alt="Conflit au travail" /></a></center></div><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;">Ça arrive à tout le monde de regretter d'avoir dit certaines choses et / ou d'avoir poser certains gestes en moments de stress ou de conflits.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;">En tant que psychologue et coach, des clients me consultent régulièrement pour avoir des conseils sur comment mieux gérer leurs relations interpersonnelles et cela autant sur les plans personnel que professionnel. Plusieurs se sentent dépassés et disent mal réagir lorsque stressés ou confrontés à des arguments ou conflits. Je remarque que plus souvent qu'autrement mes clients avouent que leurs réactions lors de telles situations interpersonnelles sont émotives et / ou impulsives et ne facilitent pas nécessairement la résolution du problème. <strong>Malheureusement pour certains, même pour plusieurs, démontrer qu'ils ont raison (et que l'autre partie a tort) devient leur objectif (consciemment ou inconsciemment) lors de tels échanges interpersonnels.</strong> Ceci amène à perdre de vue que l'objectif ultime est plutôt d'établir des relations interpersonnelles qui nous permettent de vivre une vie personnelle et professionnelle plus satisfaisante, positive et productive. Adopter un style interpersonnel trop rigide ou encore trop imprévisible ou évitant lors de telles situations mène plutôt à augmenter le niveau de tension, frustration, méfiance et insatisfaction sur le plan interpersonnel et cela affecte directement notre capacité de bien fonctionner et d'être productif.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;">Je rencontre souvent des clients qui me confient êtres stressés, déçus, tristes et frustrés par leur incapacité de régler leurs désaccords dans leur vie de couple. Cette incapacité affecte négativement leur vie de couple et peut contribuer à une rupture relationnelle à la longue. De même, certain de mes clients éprouvent des difficultés interpersonnelles au travail (avec leurs collègues et / ou leur supérieur) qui nuisent énormément à leur succès professionnel et à leur habilité à maintenir un emploi.</p><a name='more'></a><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;">Quoiqu'une communication inadéquate et un style interpersonnel trop rigide / instable soient à la source de plusieurs des problèmes de couple et de tension / conflits au travail, il est important de préciser que trop souvent le comportement des gens est grandement affecté par les pensées, paroles et actions des autres. <strong>Il est important de prendre conscience que notre comportement doit, autant que possible, être aligné avec nos valeurs principales de vie; au lieu d'être réactionnel aux comportements des autres.</strong> Il est clé de faire preuve d'empathie dans nos échanges interpersonnels. De plus, si vous considérer que les actions d'un autre envers vous reflètent souvent l'état de leur propre relation avec eux-mêmes plutôt qu'une affirmation à propos de votre valeur en tant qu'individu, il sera plus facile pour vous, avec le temps, de moins ou ne plus réagir de façon émotive. Nos communications et relations interpersonnelles seront ainsi plus prévisibles, moins réactives et reflèteront nos valeurs clés même quand nous sommes en désaccord avec les propos ou actions de notre partenaire de vie ou nos collègues / patron.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;">Je demande souvent à mes clients de considérer <strong>l'avantage d'agir avec bonté et empathie plutôt que d'essayer d'avoir raison, à tout prix, lors de leurs échanges interpersonnels tendus</strong>. Souvent, ils réalisent qu'ils mettent de côté cette valeur importante afin d'essayer de ressortir ‘gagnant' d'un désaccord. Ils réalisent également qu'à la longue, ils sont rarement réellement gagnants à essayer à tout prix d'avoir raison. Certains de mes clients remarquent que leur tendance, parfois incontrôlable, les a mené à blesser émotionnellement et repousser leur partenaire de vie ou un collègue de travail; alors que cela n'était pas vraiment leur intention. Si leurs réactions sont plutôt alignées avec la valeur d'agir avec bonté, ils ressortiraient réellement gagnants à la longue; et cela même si l'autre partie ne priorise pas cette même valeur. Plusieurs sages provenant de différentes religions ont d'ailleurs noté que <strong>le monde a plus besoin de gens qui agissent avec bonté que des gens qui ont raison</strong>. Il est important cependant de souligner que quoique les désaccords, arguments et conflits fassent parties de notre vie, ils doivent êtres menés dans le respect et sans atteinte au bien-être physique et psychologique des parties impliquées.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;">En essayant de comprendre pourquoi certains individus ont une tendance plus accentuée de défendre leurs points de vues, propos et actions, j'ai remarqué dans les cas plus extrêmes la présence d'une rigidité interpersonnelle (parfois même d'un trouble de la personnalité), d'une instabilité émotive, de méfiance et souvent d'un manque de confiance accompagné par une peur du rejet. Cette tendance affecte souvent ces individus dans la plupart de leurs échanges interpersonnels, autant dans leur vie personnelle que professionnelle. <strong>Au travail, ils sont souvent identifiés par leurs gestionnaires en tant qu'employés difficiles à gérer qui grugent énormément de temps de leurs gestionnaires et qui travaillent moins bien en équipe.</strong> Plusieurs gestionnaires se sentent d'ailleurs dépassés dans de telles situations et sollicitent l'aide de coachs / psychologues spécialisés afin de trouver des solutions (ex. : coaching du gestionnaire et / ou de l'employé). De même, leur rigidité interpersonnelle affecte souvent leur vie de couple et augmente le risque de rupture relationnelle. Les aider à reconnaître les impacts négatifs de leurs styles interpersonnels et à adopter des pensées et actions qui favorisent de meilleurs échanges et communications devient souvent l'objectif principal de thérapie / coaching. Le succès de telles interventions dépend énormément du degré auquel l'individu reconnaît le problème (introspection) et désire réellement changer. Souvent leur résistance au changement est accentuée par une méfiance et une crainte de reconnaître qu'ils doivent améliorer leurs habiletés interpersonnelles. Ils ont souvent peur de représailles sur leur emploi ou cheminement de carrière et / ou d'impacts négatifs sur leur vie de couple / familiale. Malheureusement, ne pas accepter une telle démarche va souvent avoir des impacts encore plus négatifs.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;">En somme, la plupart des gens rencontrent certains défis sur le plan interpersonnel surtout en situation de stress, tension ou conflits. Il est important de ne pas laisser l'autre personne grandement influencer et dicter nos réactions. Nos réactions se doivent d'êtres alignées avec nos valeurs et objectifs ultimes (à court et long terme). Je vous encourage d'essayer plus souvent d'agir avec empathie et bonté plutôt que d'investir de l'effort afin de démontrer que vous avez raison ou que l'autre personne à tort. Si vous constatez que vous avez un style interpersonnel extrêmement rigide ou encore volatile, il serait bénéfique de consulter un psychologue ou coach qui se spécialise avec cela. Enfin, n'oubliez pas qu'essayer de s'améliorer en tant qu'individu est un objectif noble à avoir.</p><div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; margin: 10px 0px 10px 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana; float: right; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Dr. Yaniv Benzimra,<br />Psychologue et Coach en Gestion<br /><a href="https://www.y2cp.com/fr/" target="_blank">Psychologues Consultants Y2</a></p><img style="display: block; float: right; margin-right: 10px;" src="http://www.y2cp.com/about/staff/employee/photos/2.jpg" alt="" title="Dr. Yaniv Benzimra" /></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">S.V.P. contactez le <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/about/staff/employee/?id=2" target="_blank">Dr. Yaniv M. Benzimra</a> par téléphone au 819-777-7744 poste 248 ou par courriel à l'adresse <a href="mailto:yaniv.benzimra@y2cp.com">yaniv.benzimra@y2cp.com</a> pour plus d'informations.</p><a class="LienActionBleu" href="https://www.y2cp.com/fr/coaching/" target="_blank">Apprenez-en plus</a><a class="LienActionVert" href="https://www.y2cp.com/fr/nous-joindre/" target="_blank">Contactez-nous</a>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-48420360929785098592017-01-13T13:48:00.000-05:002017-01-13T13:49:28.674-05:00L'importance de favoriser des communications franches et claires dans votre organisation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/groupe-discussion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><center><img border="0" height="180" width="578" src="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/groupe-discussion.jpg" alt="Groupe d'employés en discussion" /></a></center></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>L'on ne saurait suffisamment insister sur l'importance des communications franches et claires.</strong> Il s'agit de l'une des caractéristiques les plus importantes des organisations de haut rendement. La plupart des problèmes de toute sorte peuvent découler d'une mauvaise communication ou d'un manque de compétences en communication telles que l'écoute attentive ou la prestation de rétroaction constructive.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Il est important de communiquer de façon continue afin de tenir l'équipe à jour, concentrée et allant de l'avant.</strong> Les employés doivent se sentir libres de faire part de leurs idées et de leurs opinions à leurs collègues et à leurs superviseurs en tout temps. Lorsqu'ils s'expriment, ils doivent s'assurer de la faire de façon claire et concise.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Malheureusement, <strong>la plupart d'entre nous ne savent pas très bien écouter</strong>. Nous pourrions, pour la plupart, améliorer nos communications si seulement nous écoutions mieux - écouter avec un esprit ouvert pour entendre le message de façon intégrale avant de tirer une conclusion et travailler en vue d'une compréhension mutuelle. Trop souvent, nous laissons des distractions nous empêcher de consacrer toute notre attention à l'interlocuteur et nous laissons nos biais et nos préjugés servir de base à notre compréhension. Travailler à l'amélioration de nos communications organisationnelles nous permettra d'<strong>augmenter la confiance, réduire les problèmes et bâtir des relations interpersonnelles saines</strong>.</p><a name='more'></a><p style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Une culture dans laquelle les gens contribuent ouvertement leurs idées et leurs pensées ne naît pas du jour au lendemain.</strong> Il faut prendre des mesures délibérées afin de créer un environnement où les communications sont attendues, appuyées, claires, candides et pertinentes. Autrement, les organisations deviennent boiteuses et dysfonctionnelles. Il est important de bien utiliser les systèmes et mécanismes de communication, de s'assurer que les gens reçoivent les renseignements à temps et de créer un environnement dans lequel les gens partagent leurs idées et leurs opinions même lorsqu'ils sont en désaccord avec vous.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Avec les <strong>percées technologiques</strong> que nous avons connues au cours de la dernière décennie, les méthodes de communication ont changées et se sont améliorées énormément, nous permettant d'avoir des renseignements continus en temps réel et de rendre possible le télétravail et les équipes virtuelles. Les courriels, bulletins électroniques, les cellulaires, l'internet, les technologies de la vidéoconférence, etc. deviennent rapidement les moyens de communication préférés de la société d'aujourd'hui. De nombreuses organisations s'efforcent de trouver des moyens efficaces de faire face aux défis (par ex. difficultés de se détacher du travail, même à la maison, les communications se faisant surtout par courriels) et d'exploiter les avantages (par ex. être constamment informé des changements et être en mesure de réagir plus rapidement) que présentent ces nouveaux moyens de communication.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Les <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/">Psychologues Consultants Y2</a>, une firme se spécialisant en G.R.H. auprès d'<strong>organisations gouvernementales</strong>, ont mené plusieurs <strong>évaluations en milieu de travail</strong> auprès de départements et agences gouvernementales. Les résultats de la plupart de ses études reflètent l'importance de favoriser une communication franche et ouverte dans les organisations.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Nous sommes intéressés de savoir ce que vous vivez dans votre milieu de travail et quelles sont vos suggestions pour améliorer l'efficacité de la communication interpersonnelle et organisationnelle.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Vos pensées et suggestions sont les bienvenues et nous aident à approfondir nos connaissances quant au sujet de la communication.</p><div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; margin: 10px 0px 10px 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana; float: right; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Dr. Yaniv M. Benzimra, Ph.D.<br />Psychologue<br /><a href="https://www.y2cp.com/fr/" target="_blank">Psychologues Consultants Y2</a></p><img style="display: block; float: right; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://www.y2cp.com/about/staff/employee/photos/2.jpg" alt="" title="Dr. Yaniv M. Benzimra, Ph.D." /></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Si jamais vous avez des <a href="https://www.y2cp.com/fr/nous-joindre/" target="_blank">questions et/ou commentaires</a>, n'hésitez surtout pas à nous en faire part. Merci !</p><a class="LienActionBleu" href="https://www.y2cp.com/fr/psychotherapie/" target="_blank">Apprenez-en plus</a><a class="LienActionVert" href="https://www.y2cp.com/fr/nous-joindre/" target="_blank">Contactez-nous</a>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-33574753718601137782016-12-22T12:36:00.003-05:002016-12-22T12:40:51.407-05:00Itching for a conflict?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/conflict-employees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><center><img border="0" height="180" width="578" src="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/conflict-employees.jpg" alt="Employees in Conflict" /></a></center></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">On the surface, a conflict-free life may seem ideal. Many individuals seem to be on the lookout for a stress-free life — things are simple, challenges are few and interpersonal conflicts are non-existent.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Most experts agree, however, that <strong>conflict can not always be avoided — it is a part of life</strong>. But it can also be a positive experience since it often presents an opportunity to better understand those around us and improve our interactions with them.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">In a conflict, the positions and concerns of two individuals may first appear to be miles apart. During a conflict, individuals can be assertive (even aggressive) in trying to satisfy their wants and needs. Alternatively, they can cooperate and try to placate the other person, or attempt to reach a compromise — or respond to the needs and wants of both parties.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Conventional wisdom recognizes, for example, that often <em>"Two heads are better than one"</em> and as such we should collaborate in a conflict situation. On the other hand, some would argue that <em>"Might makes right"</em> and we should try to win at any cost.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">As psychologists, we have seen that individual manage conflict in a variety of ways. Conflict management strategies suggest using a set of <strong>social skills</strong> (e.g. listening, assertiveness, cooperation, problem-solving, persuasion, negotiation). While each conflict situation will often determine the best conflict-handling strategy to be used, <strong>we all have our preferred ways of managing interpersonal conflicts</strong> and often resort to one strategy type over others.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>To better manage conflict, we first need to listen</strong> — actively — and try to understand the other individual's points of view, concerns and motives. Only once this is done thoroughly can we, more appropriate and more equitably, find the solution to the conflict. In difficult or litigious conflicts, involving third-party experts (e.g. psychologists, therapists, HRM consultants, lawyers) to mitigate the conflict may be required.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">I believe that it is mostly during challenging or conflict situations that we are put to the test and can show how best to surpass ourselves. As such, <strong>we should see conflict as an opportunity</strong> — one that we can deal with efficiently and effectively with the right strategy — and not as a threat.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">It's important to remember that conflict — more often than not — allows individuals to further explore the needs and wants of others and, most importantly, to resolve differences, find solutions to problems, and lead healthier interpersonal relationships.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">With all this in mind — why not look forward to your next conflict?</p><div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; margin: 10px 0px 10px 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana; float: right; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Dr. Yaniv M. Benzimra, Ph.D.<br />Psychologist<br /><a href="https://www.y2cp.com/en/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists</a></p><img style="display: block; float: right; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://www.y2cp.com/about/staff/employee/photos/2.jpg" alt="" title="Dr. Yaniv M. Benzimra, Ph.D." /></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">If you have any <a href="https://www.y2cp.com/en/contact-us/" target="_blank">questions and/or comments</a>, don't hesitate. Thank you!</p><a class="LienActionBleu" href="https://www.y2cp.com/en/coaching/" target="_blank">Learn more</a><a class="LienActionVert" href="https://www.y2cp.com/en/contact-us/" target="_blank">Contact Us</a>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-47357906131796146082016-06-01T11:36:00.000-04:002016-06-01T11:44:55.150-04:00Conseils sur la rédaction des examens du gouvernement (surtout les examens électroniques)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;"><img border="0" height="180" width="578" src="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/examen-crochets-x.jpg" /></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Bien que tous les examens du gouvernement associés aux processus de sélection ne soient identiques, plusieurs se ressemblent. C'est pourquoi nous avons rassemblé certains conseils pour ceux et celles qui seront peut-être appelés à les écrire. Nombre de ces conseils peuvent vous paraître évidents, mais selon notre expérience chez les PCY2...</p><ol><li>Lisez en premier les instructions de l'examen — du début à la fin.</li><li>Suivez les instructions. S'il y a une limite du nombre de pages, ne la dépassez pas. Il y a des chances que si vous produisez un texte de deux pages, et que la longueur maximale stipulée dans les instructions est d'« une page », votre deuxième page ne soit pas comptée.</li><li>Soyez aussi complet que possible (à l'intérieur du temps et de l'espace alloués).</li><li>Ne faites que ce qui est demandé dans les instructions. Si la question demande de donner cinq exemples, il n'est pas nécessaire d'en offrir un sixième.</li><li>Gérez votre temps. Si vous devez faire trois tâches, essayez d'allouer un certain temps pour chacune en fonction du degré de difficulté / complexité. Souvent, les candidats manquent de temps lorsqu'ils répondent à la dernière question.</li><li>Sauvegardez vos documents à intervalles réguliers.</li><li>Utilisez un langage simple. Rédigez de façon claire. Vérifiez votre orthographe, votre grammaire, votre ponctuation et votre syntaxe.</li><li>Servez-vous des sources de l'Internet pour rechercher rapidement les renseignements de base pertinents pour vos réponses — si l'examen est transmis de façon électronique. Mais surveillez votre temps.</li><li>Rédigez dans vos propres mots ou citez vos sources. Simplement copier et coller du texte des documents provenant du Web (dans le cas d'« examens électroniques ») n'est habituellement pas permis.</li><li>Rappelez-vous que le contenu est plus important que le format.</li></ol><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Et finalement (ou peut-être en premier lieu) préparez-vous. Consultez le site Web du ministère / de l'agence qui parraine le processus de sélection puisqu'il renferme normalement le Rapport sur les plans et les priorités (RPP), le Rapport ministériel sur le rendement (RMR) ainsi que d'autres documents pertinents sur le mandat, les priorités, etc.</p><div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; margin: 10px 0px 10px 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana; float: right; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Leaman Long, B.A., B.Ed.<br />Consultant en GRH<br /><a href="https://www.y2cp.com/fr/elaboration-et-gestion-de-sondages/" target="_blank">Psychologues Consultants Y2</a></p></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Si jamais vous avez des <a href="https://www.y2cp.com/fr/nous-joindre/" target="_blank">questions et/ou commentaires</a>, n'hésitez surtout pas à nous en faire part. Merci !</p><a class="LienActionBleu" href="https://www.y2cp.com/fr/elaboration-et-gestion-de-sondages/" target="_blank">Apprenez-en plus</a><a class="LienActionVert" href="https://www.y2cp.com/fr/nous-joindre/" target="_blank">Contactez-nous</a>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-23753713792774920652014-11-20T12:22:00.000-05:002014-11-20T12:23:45.762-05:00Government Recruitment: Thinking about hiring an HR Consultant? Why not?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;"><img border="0" height="180" width="578" src="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/employes-differents-domaines.jpg" /></div><p>In today's world, many managers have to cope with <strong>fewer resources</strong> and <strong>increasing workloads</strong>. Increasingly employee onboarding and retention are important but so too is the initial staffing process.</p><p>Hiring new staff through selection processes can be labour-intensive, complicated, and time-consuming for managers. Staffing a position or several positions can take many months.</p><p>Employees change jobs and/or are promoted often in government circles and in private sector organizations.</p><p>A structure staffing approach helps to ensure that managers can fill any vacant positions and get the <strong>right individuals</strong>.</p><p><strong>Hiring consultants</strong> in the private sector to look after recruitment processes is common, less so in government. However, some government organizations have started (or have been) using them.</p><p>The main reason to use <strong>HR consulting</strong> is simply to <strong>save time</strong>.</p><p>But there are a number of other advantages:</p><ul><li>Professional consultants can be chosen based on their qualifications, experience and competence as it relates to a particular assignment.</li><li>HR consultants work closely with managers advising them throughout the recruitment process and with public or private sector <strong>HR advisors</strong> to produce the most efficient and effective results.</li><a name='more'></a><li>HR consultants can develop new and innovative assessment tools, which are matched to the organization's requirements.</li><li>And <strong>HR consultants</strong> are impartial. Organizations requiring objective opinions are best served by a consultant who has no other ties to it. Results obtained by him or her are often more credible to candidates; they can be confident the consultant conducted a fair and equitable selection process for all applicants.</li></ul><p>Y2CP has a wealth of experience conducting selection processes (and work style/leadership assessments) on behalf of both public and private sector organizations.</p><p><strong>Need help with your recruitment processes?</strong> Simply <a href="https://www.y2cp.com/en/contact-us/" target="_blank">contact</a> the professionals at Y2CP.</p><div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; margin: 10px 0px 10px 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana; float: right; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Leaman Long, B.A., B.Ed.<br />HRM Consultant<br /><a href="https://www.y2cp.com/en/selection/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists</a></p></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">If you have any <a href="https://www.y2cp.com/en/contact-us/" target="_blank">questions and/or comments</a>, don't hesitate. Thank you!</p><a class="LienActionBleu" href="https://www.y2cp.com/en/selection/" target="_blank">Learn more</a><a class="LienActionVert" href="https://www.y2cp.com/en/contact-us/" target="_blank">Contact Us</a>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-52508213931058154082014-05-28T10:29:00.000-04:002014-06-04T15:55:47.370-04:00Becoming the Leader You Want to Be<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;"><img border="0" height="180" width="578" src="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/leader-reflechit.jpg" /></div><p>I recently had a client tell me, after a few sessions, that she was so relieved that I had not told her how she needed to change, or what she should be doing differently. There is nothing wrong with focusing on behavioural changes. However, in my opinion, it may not provide the complete answer and often does not address the root cause of symptoms.</p><p>If we assume that you are always in some sort of relationship (with yourself or others), then this would mean that what you call a "problem" is simply a reaction that you are having when faced with a situation that does not give you the outcomes you are looking for.</p><p>Often, in the face of such "problems", we tend to ask ourselves the following two questions: What is wrong with me or what is wrong with the situation or the other people involved? This leads to a judgment call and often to strategies that are aimed at controlling our own or someone else's behaviour. If you recognize yourself here, then I should ask: how's this working for you?</p><p>As women, our fallback position is often: What is wrong with me? or "What can I DO to fix myself?" What if there is nothing to fix? What if instead of focusing on your behaviour or the behaviours of others, you looked into what created an underlying relationship in a particular situation. Certain behaviour patterns need to be fully examined and experienced so they can generate a transformation from within us. Emotions are simply energy in motion, unless we stop that movement.</p><a name='more'></a><p>So, for instance, if you have the tendency of try and control yourself or others, what feeling are you avoiding by using this strategy? The more you are aware of what drives the behaviours you are trying to change, instead of the behaviours themselves, the more positive the results will be. For instance, in this case, it might be the fear of being rejected, humiliated, failing, being ridiculed, not being worthy, etc. that leads to you being "controlling". Unfortunately, these fears create behaviour patterns that repeatedly generate the same "problems" that we then try to "fix".</p><p>If you allow yourself to take a moment, stop, connect within to the underlying truth of your experience, letting that move through you, you will free yourself from what you have been avoiding. Instead of avoidance running you, you take back your power, your energy, and your innate intelligence. You are then able to be more fully present in yourself, to others and in situations that arise. You are better able to make choices that are informed by wisdom and emotional intelligence rather than reacting habitually and acting out. This, in my opinion, is what it takes to BECOME a leader.</p><div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; margin: 10px 0px 10px 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana; float: right; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Annick Chenier M.A.<br />Coach & Human Resources Consultant<br /><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/en/career-development/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists</a></p><img style="display: block; float: right; margin-right: 10px;" src="http://www.y2cp.com/about/staff/employee/photos/395.jpg" alt="" title="Annick Chenier M.A." /></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">If you have any <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/en/career-development/" target="_blank">questions and/or comments</a>, don't hesitate. Thank you!</p><a class="LienActionBleu" href="http://www.y2cp.com/en/career-development/" target="_blank">Learn more</a><a class="LienActionVert" href="http://www.y2cp.com/en/?demande-information=1" target="_blank">Contact Us</a>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-46435417723884382762014-04-25T13:45:00.000-04:002014-06-04T16:01:07.511-04:00Leading authentically: a new paradigm for leadership<p><strong>Leadership</strong> has become quite the buzzword these days and with good reason: increasingly, it is being recognized that who we are and how we lead <strong>has a direct impact on the quality of our lives and the organizations that we collectively participate in</strong>.</p><p>Traditional notions of <strong>leadership</strong> have been mostly based on a command and control approach — keep emotions in check, mistakes/failure are not options, don't show your vulnerability, be strong and in control at all times, be directive, etc. For women, the pressure has been intense on them to fit that model, often at the expense of their true nature.</p><p>Lately, however, we are seeing a shift in what is required of leaders in these rapidly changing times. The shift, in my opinion, is happening not only at the physical level, but also at the level of our collective consciousness. It is no longer sustainable, nor as valued or recognized, to lead in a purely one-dimensional manner.</p><p>Let's explore notions of leadership from different perspectives. If we consider the "doing leader", there are a myriad of books that offer options on <strong>different leadership styles</strong>, such as servant leader, strategic leader, primal leader, thought leader, etc. This implies that we must "learn" to become leaders from the outside in, based on someone else's external definition of what is appropriate and required. It can become very stereotypical.</p><a name='more'></a><p>What if leadership does not begin with "doing" but with "being", from the inside out? What I mean is this: <strong>Think about considering leadership as the result of an authentic expression of yourself</strong>. When you open up for everyone to see who you are, by removing the masks and beliefs about who you should be, this can help you to become an authentic leader.</p><p>This way of engaging others involves the notion of <strong>CHOICE</strong> — choosing based on your past (acting naturally) <strong>OR</strong> choosing based on what is possible now (allowing yourself to reflect your true potential).</p><p>Instead of being led by past conditioning and external expectations, you are being guided by inner intelligence, wisdom and life that flow through your body — in other words, your authentic voice. By being open and available to all, you become <strong>more resourceful</strong>, <strong>creative</strong>, <strong><strong>present in the moment</strong></strong>, and <strong>able to lead authentically</strong>.</p><div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; margin: 10px 0px 10px 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana; float: right; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/about/staff/employee/?id=395" target="_blank">Annick Chenier</a><br />Leadership Consultant & Executive Coach<br /><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/en/coaching/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists</a></p></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">If you have any <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/en/coaching/" target="_blank">questions and/or comments</a>, don't hesitate. Thank you!</p><a class="LienActionBleu" href="http://www.y2cp.com/en/coaching/" target="_blank">Learn more</a><a class="LienActionVert" href="http://www.y2cp.com/en/?demande-information=1" target="_blank">Contact Us</a>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-83338112048471942002013-11-18T16:27:00.000-05:002014-06-04T16:05:54.429-04:00Pourquoi on ne peut plus négliger la problématique de la santé mentale au travail ?<p style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Saviez-vous que plus de 20 % des Canadiens souffrent d'une maladie mentale au courant de leur vie ?</strong> Cette statistique est en effet reconfirmée par les derniers statistiques de Santé mentale et de dépendance (CAMH, 2012). De plus, <strong>seulement 30 %</strong> de ceux qui souffrent de maladies mentales reçoivent les soins dont ils ont besoin. Enfin, <strong>moins de 50 %</strong> des Canadiens se disent prêts à en parler à des amis ou à chercher de l'aide d'un professionnel; cela en dépit de l'efficacité démontrée des différents traitements psychologiques et pharmacologiques qui existent.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">De nos jours, maintenir un bon équilibre vie-travail devient de plus en plus problématique pour la majorité d'entre nous. Selon plusieurs sondages, environ <strong>50 % des Canadiens ont des difficultés à rencontrer leurs différentes obligations professionnelles, personnelles et familiales</strong> (Santé Canada, 2008). Ces difficultés semblent s'aggraver avec une économie fragilisée où la plupart des organisations essaient d'en faire plus avec moins de ressources humaines et financières.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Étant donné le nombre significatif de personnes affectés par la maladie mentale, il n'est donc certainement pas surprenant d'apprendre que <strong>les coûts financiers de la santé mentale sur la société soient énormes</strong>, et <strong>représentent l'une des premières causes d'invalidité au travail</strong> (soient 70% des coûts totaux d'invalidité) ainsi que des cas prématurés de mortalité. Le stress à lui seul, représente une menace majeure pour le travail et la productivité, et totalise des coûts de <strong>14 milliards par année en Santé mentale au Canada</strong>. Tout ceci amène conjointement à une somme de <strong>51 milliards de $ / année en coût reliés aux soins de santé et perte de productivité au travail</strong> (Statistiques de Santé Canada, 2008).</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">C'est donc dire que <strong>la détresse psychologique et leurs impacts</strong> deviennent <strong>de plus en plus préoccupantes</strong> dans le monde du travail d'aujourd'hui, <strong>et incontournables</strong> dans d'analyse de la situation du travail en termes de résultats attendus et de productivité.</p><a name='more'></a><p style="font-family: Verdana;">En effet, de nombreuses recherches scientifiques mettent en évidence l'existence d'un lien intime entre la santé mentale travail et les formes d'organisation, de contrôle et de reconnaissance à l'exécution des tâches, de l'accès et de la gestion des ressources disponibles, de soutien personnel et social au niveau du travail (Bourgeois et coll., 2006;;= Dejours, 2004 et 2006; Karasek, 1990; Lazarus et Follman, 1984; Molinier, 2006; Siegrist, 1990).</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">C'est dire si l'on doit absolument se préoccuper de la santé mentale au travail et de s'attaquer sérieusement aux conséquences entre les différents niveaux de risques de santé organisationnelle et individuelle, leur environnement et les indicateurs de la santé mentale au travail (tels que les coûts de la dépression et du stress, de l'ampleur désastreuse du présentéisme et de l'absentéisme ainsi que des coûts cachés de plus en plus pesants en termes de qualité et de quantité de production ou de service, voir Davezies, 2006). À ce sujet, les chiffres de Santé Canada et d'autres organismes de recherches sont éloquents et parlent d'eux-mêmes (Santé Canada, 2002 et 2008; Statistics Canada, 2004 et 2011; Canadian Medical Association, 2008; Institute of Health Economics, 2008; Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2009).</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Cela est sans parler des <strong>impacts significatifs</strong> sur les collaborateurs et les dirigeants <strong>que provoquent des situations de suicide et de mal-être généralisé</strong> (Brun, 2005; INRS, 2007; Robert et Grosjean, 2006), atteignant le cœur de la confiance et de la motivation; variables essentielles et nécessaires au bon fonctionnement de toute organisation ainsi qu'à la réalisation de ses objectifs.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Ainsi selon nos constats, <strong>la santé mentale au travail est vécue à la fois comme cause et conséquence d'un environnement socio-économique, relationnel et organisationnel souvent de plus en plus dégradé</strong>. Ce triple impact se manifeste par une série de dysfonctionnements qui peuvent avoir pour conséquences, majoritairement de l'épuisement professionnel, des troubles de l'humeur (anxiété), de l'harcèlement moral et de la violence. Ces effets prennent alors souvent la forme de troubles mentaux graves, de dépression, de comportement mal ajusté, d'un stress pathologique en lien avec des capacités individuelles malmenées qui n'arrivent plus à faire face, l'abattement, la fuite des responsabilités et l'abandon de son poste face aux exigences et aux fardeaux des tâches de travail aggravés par des facteurs socio-économiques et environnementaux insécurisants.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">C'est donc tout <strong>l'ensemble de l'environnement organisationnel qui nécessite une approche globale et intégrative pour adresser ce mal-être</strong> (Nasse et Legeron, 2008), cette détresse psychologique et une dépressivité sans cesse croissante qui ne sera pas simplement un traitement des symptômes individuels les plus aigus, mais s'attachera beaucoup plus à une prévention, une éducation et un accompagnement professionnels sous formes d'analyses et d'interventions individuels et organisationnels.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Ces efforts doivent cibler avant tout l'atteinte d'une meilleure santé individuelle et organisationnelle; et peuvent prendre différentes formes (par exemple: appliquer des mesures pratiques et concrètes telles que la clarification et la réorganisation des rôles, une restructuration organisationnelle, dresser des objectifs qui favorisent la santé individuelle et organisationnelle, offrir de la formation continue et du coaching aux employés / dirigeants, etc.).</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>En effet, l'expérience d'Y2CP a montré que ce n'est que lorsque de telles pratiques sont appliquées et que la philosophie d'affaires s'aligne sur la reconnaissance que la réussite de l'organisation est intimement liée au bien-être de ses employés / gestionnaires ("Good Health = Good Business"), que la diminution des coûts reliés à des maladies mentales au travail est vraiment envisageable en s'appuyant sur l'atteinte d'une rentabilité élevée et à long terme.</strong></p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Pour répondre aux problématiques grandissantes de santé mentale au travail, les <strong>Psychologues consultants Y2</strong> ont développé, avec son <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/gestion-ressources-humaines/workplace_assessment/psychological-health-at-work/" title="http://www.y2cp.com/gestion-ressources-humaines/workplace_assessment/psychological-health-at-work/" target="_blank"><strong>nouveau département de Santé mentale au travail</strong></a>, des <strong>méthodologies d'analyses et des interventions pour améliorer la santé individuelle et organisationnelle</strong>. Nous offrons différentes <strong>solutions efficaces, novatrices, abordables, et applicables pour les petites, moyennes et grandes entreprises privées et publiques</strong>.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Pour de plus amples renseignements veuillez vous adresser à l'un de nos experts en santé mentale au travail.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Dr Xavier Émile Kauffmann, Ph.D.<br />Dr Yaniv M Benzimra, Ph.D.<br />Psychologues<br /><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/fr/sante-mentale/" target="_blank">Psychologues Consultants Y2</a></p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Si jamais vous avez des <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/fr/sante-mentale/" target="_blank">questions et/ou commentaires</a>, n'hésitez surtout pas à nous en faire part. Merci !</p><a class="LienActionBleu" href="http://www.y2cp.com/fr/sante-mentale/" target="_blank">Apprenez-en plus</a><a class="LienActionVert" href="http://www.y2cp.com/fr/?demande-information=1" target="_blank">Contactez-nous</a>
Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-47624486941154619182013-11-18T14:14:00.000-05:002014-06-04T16:02:59.293-04:00Mental Health at Work: We Can't Afford to Overlook the Problem<p style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Were you aware that over 20 per cent of Canadians suffer from a mental illness during their lifetime?</strong> Well, the latest statistics on mental health and addiction (CAMH, 2012) reconfirm this result.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">In addition, <strong>only 30 per cent</strong> of those who suffer from mental illness get the care they need. And <strong>less than 50 per cent</strong> of Canadians say they are ready to talk to family/friends or to seek professional help, despite the demonstrated success of various existing psychological and pharmacological treatments.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Today, maintaining a good work-life balance is becoming increasingly difficult for most of us. According to several surveys, about <strong>50 per cent of Canadians are struggling to meet their work, personal and family obligations</strong> (Health Canada, 2008). And these problems seem to get worse within a fragile economy in which most organizations try to do more with fewer human and financial resources.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Given the significant number of people affected by mental illness, it's not surprising that <strong>the financial costs of mental health on society are enormous</strong>, and <strong>that mental illness is one of the leading causes of work-related disability</strong> (70 per cent are "total disability" costs) and of premature death. Stress alone is a major threat at work, and on productivity, and results in <strong>$14 billion per year in mental health costs in Canada</strong>. All together <strong>the costs related to health care and lost productivity at work add up to $51 billion/year</strong> (Health Statistics Canada, 2008).</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Increasingly, <strong>psychological distress and its impacts are becoming concerns</strong> in today's work world, in addition to <strong>being key elements</strong> in any analyses of employment outcomes and productivity.</p><a name='more'></a><p style="font-family: Verdana;">There is a great deal of scientific research pointing to a close link between mental health in the workplace ( e.g. different organizational structures, task performance and control, access to and management of available resources, and personal and social support at work) (Bourgeois et al., 2006; Dejours, 2004 and 2006; Karasek, 1990; Follman and Lazarus, 1984; Molinier, 2006; Siegrist, 1990).</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">This underlines the importance of being concerned about mental health at work and of seriously addressing the repercussions of risks to organizational and individual health, the work environment, and the indicators of workplace mental health (such as depression and stress costs, the effects of presenteeism and absenteeism, as well as the heavy hidden costs of production/service quality and quantity - Davezies, 2006). In this regard, figures from Health Canada and other research organizations speak volumes (Health Canada, 2002 and 2008, Statistics Canada, 2004 and 2011, Canadian Medical Association, 2008; Institute of Health Economics, 2008; Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2009).</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">And of course there are the <strong>significant impact</strong> on employees and managers <strong>which lead to suicidal situations and malaise</strong> (Brown, 2005; INRS, 2007, Robert and Grosjean, 2006). The confidence and motivation which are essential to the proper functioning of any organization and the achievement of its objectives are also affected.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">According to our findings, <strong>mental health at work is experienced as both a cause and a consequence of a demoralized environment (i.e. socio-economic, relational and/or organizational)</strong>. The impact is seen in several negative factors including burnout, mood disorders (anxiety), harassment, and violence. The outcomes are then usually in the form of severe mental illness, depression, maladjusted behaviour, pathological stress related to an individual's failure to cope, lethargy, job drain, and abandoning responsibilities (in the face of work demands and workload). Again, these are made much worse by deteriorating socio-economic and environmental conditions.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">For this reason, <strong>the organizational environment, as a whole, requires a comprehensive and integrative approach to address this condition or malaise</strong> (Nasse and Legeron, 2008). The psychological distress and growing anxiety will not only require treatment of the most acute symptoms in individuals, but should also focus more on prevention, education and professional support (through analyses, and individual and organizational interventions).</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">These efforts should be aimed at achieving better individual and organizational health. And they can be done in different ways (e.g. by implementing practical and effective measures such as clarifying roles and responsibilities, through organizational restructuring, by establishing goals that promote individual and organizational health, and by providing training and coaching to employees/managers).</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Certainly, Y2CP's experience has shown that it's only when such tools are used, and when business philosophy recognizes that organizational success is closely related to the well-being of employees/managers ("Good Health = Good Business"), that the costs associated with mental illness in the workplace can be reduced and lead to greater productivity and/or profitability in the long term.</strong></p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">To meet the growing mental health problems at work, <strong>Y2 Consulting Psychologists Inc.</strong> has developed a <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/gestion-ressources-humaines/workplace_assessment/psychological-health-at-work/" title="http://www.y2cp.com/gestion-ressources-humaines/workplace_assessment/psychological-health-at-work/" target="_blank"><strong>new <strong>mental health at work</strong> section</strong></a> of its operations, <strong>in addition to various analysis methodologies and interventions to improve individual and organizational health</strong>. <strong>We offer a number of effective, innovative, affordable and relevant solutions for small, medium and large private and public organizations.</strong></p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">For more information please contact one of our experts in mental health at work.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Dr Xavier Émile Kauffmann, Ph.D.<br />Dr Yaniv M Benzimra, Ph.D.<br />Psychologists<br /><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/fr/sante-mentale/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists</a></p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">If you have any <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/fr/sante-mentale/" target="_blank">questions and/or comments</a>, don't hesitate. Thank you!</p><a class="LienActionBleu" href="http://www.y2cp.com/fr/sante-mentale/" target="_blank">Learn more</a><a class="LienActionVert" href="http://www.y2cp.com/fr/?demande-information=1" target="_blank">Contact Us</a>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-80995411563972597462013-09-10T17:58:00.002-04:002013-09-10T18:03:00.084-04:00Maîtriser le stress au travail<p style="font-family: Verdana;">On le sait, la vie professionnelle est génératrice de plusieurs stress. Le Dr Yaniv M. Benzimra, psychologue clinicien et organisationnel, nous propose des stratégies gagnantes pour ne pas se laisser envahir par eux.</p><h4>Vous pouvez agir.</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Le stress est un déséquilibre entre les demandes qui nous sont faites et notre habileté à y répondre à l'intérieur d'un laps de temps déterminé. Le stress est normal à court terme, mais ses effets à long terme sont négatifs. On peut agir sur trois plans : l'intervention primaire, l'intervention secondaire et l'intervention tertiaire.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Lire la suite :</p><p style=" margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;"> <a title="View Maîtriser le stress au travail on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/167119043/Maitriser-le-stress-au-travail" style="text-decoration: underline;" >Maîtriser le stress au travail</a> by <a title="View Y2CP's profile on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/Y2CP" style="text-decoration: underline;" >Y2CP</a></p><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" src="//www.scribd.com/embeds/167119043/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-35a7e1ptmsjs2kaom2b&show_recommendations=true" data-auto-height="false" data-aspect-ratio="0.694444444444444" scrolling="no" id="doc_38502" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0"></iframe>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-50431638437546982542013-08-23T15:59:00.002-04:002013-08-30T11:34:32.188-04:00Wondering if you are ready to retire? Eight questions to ask yourself...<p style="font-family: Verdana;">The way we imagine and go through retirement will be different for each one of us, depending on our experiences, our interests, and our lifestyle. This period could be an opportunity to reflect upon and to make a new start in our lives. Dr. Yaniv Benzimra outlines eight questions we should ask ourselves to know if we are ready — psychologically — to undertake this important transition.</p><ol><li><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Am I considering full or partial retirement?</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">We are not required to go from an active professional life to full retirement; we can also choose to retire in stages. For example, over a period of five years we could go from five to three days, then to one day of work per week. This would allow us to spend some time away from work, to discover other activities, and to have some time to adapt to this new situation. We could also take time off from work for six months or a year to see how we would feel when we are not working. In certain cases, after retirement, we could work part time, for example as a consultant.</p></li><li><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">How do I feel about my work?</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">We should ask certain questions based on our past work year, for example: Do I like my work? Am I looking forward to not working? To what extent am I defined by my profession? Do I still have things to achieve professionally or have I already been around the block? We can also think about the social aspects of work and the structure that work gives us. We can ask: Am I ready to live without my social network and outside of a structured work environment?</p></li><li><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">How do I feel about retirement?</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">What are the advantages and disadvantages of a life without work? At the beginning of any new situation, there is a honeymoon period. But then routine sets in. After spending three to six months playing golf and travelling, think about what you are going to do during the next 15 or 20 years? In addition, am I feeling anxious about retiring or am I looking forward to it? If we have several projects lined up, it is obvious that this period will be more attractive. However, we should avoid feeling pressured by others.</p></li><li><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Have I looked at the state of my health and my energy level?</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Does my work create too much stress and health problems? Am I able to produce at the required level? Am I always tired, burned out by the time I arrive home? Do I have health problems? Can I pursue my career given my current state of health and energy level? We shouldn't wait until we are sick to stop working. We should do it as a preventative measure, so we can enjoy our retirement. We can also ask ourselves how we feel on weekends and when we are on vacation. If we are anxious to return to work, it's because our interest in it is still strong.</p></li><a name='more'></a><li><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Are my finances in order?</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">In order to take a clear decision, we should analyze our assets, debts, income and expenses. Do I have a budget for my retirement that will allow me to live in the style that I want? If we want to play golf and travel, we have to have the means. Our lifestyle must also match the money we have at our disposal. Do we have insurance? This is important, even more so if we already have health problems. Do we have a dental plan? These are often the benefits we lose when we retire.</p></li><li><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Have I done some in-depth analysis, including establishing objects, projects and activities?</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">At least a year before our retirement we can determine the objectives for the period after our retirement. We can also initiate projects that will allow for a transition between an active professional life and retirement, and that allow for continuity between the two stages. In this regard, we should think of activities that make sense to us: spend time with our partner, set aside time for our grandchildren, etc. And we should allocate these projects in the three spheres of life: social, physical and psychological.</p></li><li><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Have I discussed this with my partner and my immediate family?</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">If we are a couple, we should discuss all this with our partner. Is he/she looking into retirement too? In addition, once we retire, we must take care to maintain our individuality even when we spend time with our partner.</p></li><li><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Do I have a plan B?</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">If I don't have enough money or am bored once I retire, do I have a plan B? To establish this we must take stock of our skills, knowledge and abilities, to see if we could find some paid work. Work keeps us physically and mentally active while generating a bit of money and some social contacts.</p></li></ol><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Dr. Yaniv M. Benzimra is a clinical and organizational psychologist and managing partner of Y2 Consulting Psychologists. For more information: <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/" target="_blank">www.y2cp.com</a></p><div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; margin: 10px 0px 10px 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana; float: right; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Dr Yaniv M Benzimra, Ph.D.<br />Psychologist<br /><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/psychologie-clinique/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists</a></p><img style="display: block; float: right; margin-right: 10px;" src="http://www.y2cp.com/about/staff/employee/photos/2.jpg" alt="" title="Dr Yaniv M Benzimra, Ph.D." /></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">If you have any <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">questions and/or comments</a>, don't hesitate. Thank you!</p>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-47714956707415683832013-05-30T12:18:00.001-04:002013-05-30T12:34:28.850-04:00Êtes-vous prête à prendre votre retraite ?<h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">8 questions à se poser...</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">La manière d'envisager et de vivre la retraite sera différente pour chacun d'entre nous, selon nos expériences, nos acquis et notre manière de vivre. Cette période de vie peut être l'occasion de se redéfinir et de prendre un nouveau départ. Le Dr Yaniv M. Benzimra propose ici huit questions à se poser pour savoir si on est psychologiquement prêt à effectuer cette transition importante.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">La retraite ouvre un nouveau chapitre de vie et donne l'occasion de faire ce qu'on avait mis de côté. Les retraités ont en moyenne 33 % plus de temps libre. Qu'allez-vous faire de votre temps ?</p>
<p style=" margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;"> <a title="View Êtes-vous prête à prendre votre retraite ? - Article Le Lundi on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/144684937" style="text-decoration: underline;" >Êtes-vous prête à prendre votre retraite ? - Article Le Lundi</a></p><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/144684937/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true" data-auto-height="false" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" scrolling="no" id="doc_20338" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0"></iframe>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-65750565338322993292013-04-05T15:27:00.002-04:002013-04-05T15:27:36.231-04:00Comment faire face à une perte d'emploi<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/134258692/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll" data-auto-height="false" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" scrolling="no" id="doc_24683" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0"></iframe>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-66370735214516331252013-03-20T16:46:00.000-04:002013-03-21T14:50:38.140-04:00Secrets of Assessment Centre Design<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/AssessmentCentre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="124" width="480" src="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/AssessmentCentre.jpg" /></a></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">An Assessment Centre is an excellent tool for identifying leadership potential, executive development or succession planning.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Assessment Centres can be made up of job simulations alone or combined with other tools such as psychometrics, 360-degree feedback and a competency-based interview.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Where the aim is development only, self-report questionnaires and periodic feedback during the program are also useful.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">To be effective, an Assessment Centre needs to mirror a target job or level in the organization. It needs to present participants with stretching challenges similar to those they would face in that job or at that level. Assessment Centre exercises are simulations of the most critical challenges that must be dealt with effectively at the target level.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Assessment Centres can simulate any job, including sales or customer service roles and all levels of management. For the latter, maximum benefit is obtained when the first level of management is the target. This is where we get the classic problem: "When I promoted Jim, I lost my best sales person and gained a poor manager."</p><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">The challenging transition from individual contributor to manager</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">To decide how best to assess the potential to move successfully to a first management role we need to explore why failure is so common in this context.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Usually, employees are promoted because they excel at their current jobs. Following orthodox wisdom, they like to play to their strengths. Under the pressure of a higher profile role, many revert to type and continue to do what they do best, failing to realize that they need new skills for an entirely new role. Being good at their individual contributor roles means having high standards of performance. This positive work ethic, however, can combine negatively with their need to prove themselves in their new role as manager, leading them to do too much, be too directive and over use their formal authority.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">With the pressure to prove themselves, it is tempting to manage the newly inherited team too closely, thus working more as a lead hand than as a leader. When their controlling approach runs into resistance, the frequently used way out is to "sweep aside" inherited team members, hence the widely used label: "new broom". This is a huge waste of talent and money.</p><a name='more'></a><p style="font-family: Verdana;">No doubt replacing some team members can make sense but it is often rationalized by the claim that some team members cannot get on board with the new vision or are resistant to change. Too often the real problem is the way the new vision was imposed on the team and the newcomer's failure to engage inherited team members effectively.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">In their anxiety and rush to prove themselves, new managers cannot tolerate seeming to be wrong; hence the high casualty rate among inherited team members.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">The failure to make the transition from individual contributor to manager is partly a cultural problem. Organizations that define management as an authoritative position where incumbents are expected to have the answers can hinder any inclination new managers might have to use a more facilitative, coaching approach.</p><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Assessing the ability to use a facilitative style of leadership</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">In order to assess how employees will handle the transition to management, we need to simulate a situation where they are given authority over a new team and where that authority is challenged by existing team members. In addition, exercises must be set up so that participants are under pressure to turn around a poorly performing business unit quickly.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Thus it is essential that Assessment Centre exercises give participants authority for a fictitious business unit. A common failing in such exercises is to put participants in an advisory role. They are asked to analyze the problems facing a business and present their solutions to a fictitious executive who owns those issues. This approach is less effective because the participant's neck is not sufficiently on the line. Where the requirement is only to recommend solutions to someone else, participants do not feel the pressure of ownership necessary to really challenge them.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Further, the simulated business unit must contain people problems, political dynamics, personality conflicts, difficult employees and unhappy customers. Exercises that only present participants with marketing and financial information to analyze fail to simulate the challenge of a full-blooded organization. As a result, such exercises over emphasize analytical ability at the expense of interpersonal leadership skills and emotional intelligence.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Henry Mintzberg criticized exercises that are dry case studies in his book, Managers Not MBAs where he argued that MBA programs are guilty of training students to be analysts not managers precisely because of their heavy reliance on business case studies.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Finally, exercises that simulate the full emotional dynamics of a real organization must require participants to reply to challenging emails, hard-hitting messages that require participants to show emotional intelligence, leadership and coaching skills. If participants are merely asked to make recommendations, they escape having to deal with real people, real conflicts and the need to show real interpersonal leadership.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">The best exercise for this purpose is an In Box exercise, what used to be called an In Basket before the days of email. Participants work on their own in this exercise, analyzing the issues and responding to emails. They can also be asked to make recommendations to their boss on how they plan to deal with the 3 to 5 most pressing issues facing the business, but this is an add-on task, not the only, or most important, requirement.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">When exercises succeed in simulating a full-blooded organization, less effective participants either postpone dealing with the hard emotional issues or they take an overly directive, confrontational approach.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Such participants also often fail to delegate, motivate, empower and inspire their team members in such exercises because, being individual contributors, they narrowly focus on task problems, generally over emphasizing content at the expense of process. Less effective participants also tend to restrict themselves to asking team members to gather information for them rather than empowering them to use their own judgement.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">A good way to challenge a participant's authority in an In Box exercise is to include a senior team member who felt that he or she should have got the job that the participant is given. A number of emails suggest that this individual is a problem in a variety of ways but also a highly skilled, essential team member who may just be a little demotivated and feeling unappreciated.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">The key to this exercise is to strike a balance between provoking a heavy-handed response from the participant, on the one hand, while also providing sufficient stimulus to induce emotionally intelligent leaders to attempt to forge a partnership with the problem individual.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">This challenge needs to be dealt with in the In Box exercise, but it is also carried over to a role play between the participant as manager and the problem team member. In this meeting, the role player strikes a balance between challenging the participant's authority and providing openings for relationship building. The big question posed by this exercise is whether the participant will use a coaching style in an effort to build a relationship or resort to a disciplinary approach with an over reliance on formal authority, thus likely making the situation worse.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">There can also be an email in the In Box exercise from a disgruntled internal or external customer complaining about the problem employee, suggesting that the offending individual should be fired.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">This scenario sets the stage for a second role play in which participants meet this customer with the aim of repairing a damaged relationship. If participants tell the customer that they tried to turn the employee around in the first role play, the customer reacts angrily while, if participants took a disciplinary approach, the customer can say that he has since learned how valuable this person is and that there is a rumour going around that the employee is leaving. Now, the customer demands to know how the manager plans to salvage this employee.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Why so much emphasis on interpersonal leadership and emotional intelligence across all of these exercises? Well, it is ineptness in these areas that is the main reason why individual contributors fail to make the transition to manager, especially when under the pressure of a challenge to their newly gained authority.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">What about assessing their analytical thinking or ability to function in a team? If you are considering engineers for the role of engineering supervisor, you may already have some pretty good evidence of how they analyze information and propose solutions. Similarly, you may have already observed your candidates functioning well or poorly in meetings.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Analytical and team working exercises can add value to an Assessment Centre, no doubt, but where time and cost are tight, it is essential to focus on those competencies about which you have the least information and which are most likely to spell the difference between success and failure at the next level.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">This is just being strategic about how you apply this technique. Where time and cost are tight, it may be necessary to eliminate kinds of exercises that do not simulate the most critical challenges to be faced by new managers rather than try to cover all of your competencies with equal emphasis.</p><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Your model of management</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Your model of management or leadership should also drive the choice of which kinds of exercises to use in an Assessment Centre. If your culture is top down and managers are expected to have the answers, you may want to test analytical thinking with exercises that throw a lot of complex information at participants.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">If, however, you are a knowledge driven business where knowledge workers expect to have their brains engaged, as opposed to managers doing all the thinking, then you might want a more facilitative style of leadership. The latter is akin to the level 5 leadership model of Jim Collins in Good to Great where leaders have the humility to recognize that they don't have all the answers and thus need to facilitate the thinking of their teams by asking the most engaging question: "What do you think?"</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">In conclusion, when designing an Assessment Centre, consideration must be given to the particular challenges facing the target level and the model of management or leadership the organization wants to adopt going forward.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">For any role where it is essential to demonstrate interpersonal leadership skills and emotional intelligence, participants must be challenged in these areas. Other than time pressure, the most stressful challenge questions the new manager's authority. It is not just that this is a tough challenge, the important point is that how they use their authority is the key to the success or failure of their transition to management.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Mitch McCrimmon, Ph.D.<br />HRM Consultant<br /><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists</a></p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">If you have any <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">questions and/or comments</a>, don't hesitate. Thank you!</p>
Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-87821053440904041042013-01-11T11:45:00.002-05:002013-03-21T14:49:31.485-04:00Some tips for our resolutions for 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/GensHeureux.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="124" width="480" src="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/GensHeureux.jpg" /></a></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Here we are again. I know, some of you are saying "Already?" The holidays are over and it's time for resolutions for the New Year!</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">A U.S. study (University of Scranton, Journal of Clinical Psychology) reports that nearly half of all Americans (45%) made a resolution this year... but more than half will break them in the coming months. Indeed, only about 8% ever reach their goals. But why is it so difficult to keep our resolutions?</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Here are a few tips to help you make 2013 a year in which you succeed in making and keeping them!</p><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Don't try to change more than one behaviour at a time (and a maximum of 2-3 during a year);</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Take time and carefully choose a "real" resolution;</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">If you really want to change a behaviour, stop and think about HOW to do it: what do you have to focus on to achieve your goals?</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Our objectives should be "<strong>SMART</strong>":<ol><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>S</strong>pecific (loose how many pounds/kilograms; take what specific course, etc.).</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>M</strong>easurable (eat five servings of vegetables every day, or take a 15 minute walk, three nights/week, etc.).</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>A</strong>ttainable (stop overnight or gradually?)</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>R</strong>ealistic (lose 10 lbs in a week? Really?)</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>T</strong>imely (reachable by June 1, 2013, for example)</li></ol></li></ul><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Change, when it occurs is usually accompanied by a process of mourning for what had been (I can no longer eat chocolate while watching a movie, for example). Denial, or resistance, is the first stage of change. The greater the resistance, the more individuals may rebel or abandon (or become demotivated or discouraged). Our challenge is a mental one: to move from “change" to "continuous adaptation" (for example, a strict diet versus adopting a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating habits).</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">According to Prochaska and Di Clemente (1999), change is a cyclical process. Thus, the cycle of Prochaska outlines six stages of change:</p><a name='more'></a><ol><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Pre-plan (pre-contemplation):</strong> The person does not intend to change his/her behaviour in the coming months. The reasons vary: lack of information, lack of confidence, past failures, fear of consequences, focus on other priorities, etc.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Intention (contemplation):</strong> The person is considering modifying his/her behaviour in the relatively near future. He/she weighs the pros and cons.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Preparation:</strong> The decision is made and the individual is ready to change. He/she asks for advice, researches information, looks into how he/she will take it on, etc... — often, it is here that the necessary reflection is missing when it comes time to actually making a resolution.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Action:</strong> It's the first of January and it's a go! This is the period during which the person changes his/her habits. And more energy and attention is required on a daily basis.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Maintenance:</strong> The change is in place. Now, how to avoid returning to what was before? The individual has more confidence in his/her abilities so the effort is less intense. While relapse is still a possibility, it is only one part of the last step toward change (relapse should be considered as an integral part of the process but not as a lack of success).</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Resolution:</strong> The temptation toward past behaviour has disappeared, including potentially dangerous situations of stress, anxiety, anger or depression. The individual is completely satisfied with the change and no longer relapses (healthy habits are now part of our daily lives and do not require extra effort). It should be pointed out that not everyone reaches this final stage. Some remain in the "maintenance" mode forever.</li></ol><p style="font-family: Verdana;">It should also be noted that that the stages can be gone through at various paces, depending on the motivation of the individual and the support he/she gets. In addition, strategies for success are contingent on individual reasoning. There is no "miracle" or universal strategy, only one that is unique to each situation.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">On that note, I wish you a wonderful year filled with challenges to match your expectations!</p><div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; margin: 10px 0px 10px 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana; float: right; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Dr Yannick Mailloux, Ph.D.<br />Psychologist<br /><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists</a></p><img style="display: block; float: right; margin-right: 10px;" src="http://www.y2cp.com/about/staff/employee/photos/1.jpg" alt="" title="Yannick Mailloux, Ph.D." /></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">If you have any <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">questions and/or comments</a>, don't hesitate. Thank you!</p>
Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-71111827822179921402013-01-08T11:22:00.002-05:002013-01-08T11:22:24.490-05:00Quelques trucs pour nos résolutions de 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/Depression.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="124" width="480" src="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/GensHeureux.jpg" /></a></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Bon. Nous y revoilà. Déjà, diront certains. Les Fêtes sont terminées : place aux nouvelles résolutions ! Une étude américaine (University of Scranton, Journal of Clinical Psychology) rapporte que près de la moitié des américains (45%) prendront une résolution cette année... mais que plus de la moitié de ceux-ci l'abandonneront en cours d'année. On explique qu'environ 8% des gens atteindront complètement leurs objectifs. Mais pourquoi est-ce si difficile de respecter nos résolutions ? Voici donc quelques mises en garde pour vous aider à les maintenir, et à faire de 2013, une année remplie de réussites !</p><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;">On ne doit pas « s'attaquer » à plus d'un comportement à la fois (maximum de 2-3 dans l'année);</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Il faut s'accorder du temps et (bien) choisir une « vraie » résolution;</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Si on souhaite vraiment changer un comportement, il faut s'arrêter et penser au COMMENT FAIRE pour y arriver : quels moyens allons-nous privilégier pour atteindre nos objectifs ?</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Nos objectifs se doivent d'être « <strong>SMART</strong> », c'est-à-dire :<ol><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>S</strong>pécifiques (combien de livres/kg; prendre un cours de quoi exactement, etc.)</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>M</strong>esurables (mangez 5 portions de légumes à tous les jours, ou faire 15 min de marche, 3 soirs/semaine, etc.)</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>A</strong>tteignables (arrêter du jour au lendemain ou graduellement ?)</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>R</strong>éalistes (perdre 10 lbs en une semaine ? Vraiment !?)</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>T</strong>emps alloué / limite (pour les atteindre : d'ici le 1er juin 2013 par exemple)</li></ol></li></ul><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Lorsqu'un changement s'opère, il s'accompagne pour les individus concernés d'un processus de deuil des situations antérieures (je ne me permets plus de manger du chocolat en regardant un film, par exemple). L'étape de déni, étape primaire du changement, se manifeste par des résistances au changement. Plus ces résistances sont grandes, plus les individus risquent de tomber dans des comportements tels que la rébellion ou l'abandon (démotivation, découragement). Notre défi, est de l'ordre mental : passer du concept de « changement » à celui « d'adaptation permanente » (ex : suivre une diète vs adopter de saines habitudes de vie et de saines habitudes alimentaires).</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Selon Prochaska et Di Clemente (1999), le changement est un processus qui fonctionne de manière cyclique. Ainsi, le cycle de Prochaska définit en 6 étapes le changement de comportement :</p><a name='more'></a><ol><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>La pré-intention (pré-contemplation) :</strong> La personne n'envisage pas de changer son comportement dans les prochains mois. Les raisons en sont variées : manque d'information, manque de confiance en soi, échecs antérieurs, peur des conséquences, choix d'autres priorités, etc.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>L'intention (contemplation) :</strong> La personne envisage de modifier ses habitudes dans un avenir relativement proche. Elle pèse le pour et le contre.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>La préparation :</strong> La décision est prise et la personne se prépare au changement. Elle demande conseil, recherche des informations, regarde comment elle va s'y prendre, etc... — c'est souvent ici que le travail de réflexion manque lorsque vient le temps de prendre une résolution.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>L'action :</strong> Nous sommes le 1er janvier : c'est un départ ! Période au cours de laquelle la personne modifie ses habitudes. Cela lui demande une dépense supérieure d'énergie et d'attention au quotidien.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>Le maintien :</strong> Le changement est désormais effectif. Il s'agit alors d'éviter les rechutes. L'effort à fournir est moins intense, la personne a davantage confiance en ses capacités. Même si la rechute est possible, elle fait partie du processus et ne doit pas être considérée comme un échec, bien au contraire, mais comme une dernière étape vers la voie du changement.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong>La résolution :</strong> La tentation du comportement antérieur a disparu, y compris dans des situations potentiellement dangereuses de stress, d'anxiété, de colère ou de dépression. La personne est satisfaite pleinement du changement et ne rechutera plus (les saines habitudes de vie sont maintenant ancrées dans notre quotidien et n'exigent plus d'effort particulier). À noter que ce n'est pas tout le monde qui atteint cette dernière étape. Certains resteront en mode de « maintien » pour toujours.</li></ol><p style="font-family: Verdana;">À noter que les étapes du cycle peuvent être parcourues dans des délais très variables, améliorés par la motivation de la personne et le soutien qui l'entoure. De plus, les stratégies pour réussir répondent à une logique individuelle. Il n'existe pas de stratégie « miracle », universelle mais une réponse adaptée et unique à chaque situation.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Sur ce, je vous souhaite une merveilleuse année, remplie de défis à la hauteur de vos attentes !</p><div style="position: relative; overflow: hidden; margin: 10px 0px 10px 0px;"><p style="font-family: Verdana; float: right; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Dr Yannick Mailloux, Ph.D.<br />Psychologue<br /><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">Psychologues Consultants Y2</a></p><img style="display: block; float: right; margin-right: 10px;" src="http://www.y2cp.com/about/staff/employee/photos/1.jpg" alt="" title="Yannick Mailloux, Ph.D." /></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Si jamais vous avez des <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">questions et/ou commentaires</a>, n'hésitez surtout pas à nous en faire part. Merci !</p>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-14221082277775549312012-11-26T15:38:00.002-05:002013-01-08T11:20:50.948-05:00Retirement: Achieving Financial, Physical and Psychological Well-being<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/Incertitude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="124" width="480" src="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/Incertitude.jpg" /></a></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">A recent Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) White Paper entitled "Achieving Well-being in Retirement: Recommendations from 20 Years' Research" by Mo Wang (University of Florida) and Beryl Hesketh (University of Western Sydney/Macquarie University) recommends the following for those contemplating retirement:</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">"...maintaining good health, actively engaging in financial planning for retirement, having realistic estimates of longevity, being clear on one's financial goals in retirement, and participating in paid employment after retirement are all realistic ways of achieving <strong>fiscal well being</strong>."</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">The authors also conclude that it is important for individuals to take the initiative to improve both their knowledge and understanding of financial matters, and of work-related skills and knowledge.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">In terms of achieving <strong>physical well-being</strong> in retirement, the authors note that "having good health behaviours and habits in retirement is critical for their physical well-being." They recommend that individuals engage in certain daily levels of physical and/or cognitive activities. The latter could include leisure activities such as dancing, playing board games, reading, doing crossword puzzles and playing an instrument. All stimulate learning in the brain and may reduce the risk of dementia.</p><a name='more'></a><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Finally, to achieve <strong>psychological well-being</strong>, the same authors recommend that "actively engaging in retirement planning before retirement, participating in career-related bridge employment, volunteer work, and leisure activities after retirement" are beneficial in maintaining and improving psychological well-being. For those who are married or a long-term relationship, Professors Wang and Hesketh recommend that they coordinate "retirement timing with spouses and strive to maintain good marital quality."</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">At <strong>Y2 Consulting Psychologists</strong>, our experts can help you plan your retirement and achieve long term psychological well-being and happiness.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Leaman Long, B.A., B.Ed.<br />HRM Consultant<br /><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists</a></p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">If you have any <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">questions and/or comments</a>, don't hesitate. Thank you!</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Related articles: <a href="http://hrm.y2cp.com/2012/10/retiring-early-or-simply-retiring-are.html" target="_blank">Retiring Early (or Simply Retiring)? Are You Ready For It?</a></p>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-85043464486710119502012-10-22T11:33:00.002-04:002013-01-08T11:21:15.899-05:00Retiring Early (or Simply Retiring)? Are You Ready For It?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/Incertitude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="124" width="480" src="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/Incertitude.jpg" /></a></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Almost 15 years ago (time goes by quickly), I took early retirement from the public service when the federal government offered many of us a "golden handshake".</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">At the time — it sounded wonderful. I planned on returning to teaching and to paint in my spare time — a lot of spare time. Supply teaching turned out to be a lot different from what teaching had been when I was fresh out of university, and I could have starved as an artist — lots have — although it is still a great pastime.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Like me, early retirement is viewed by many (especially before the age of 60) as a career change or an opportunity to try different things, to take on part time or contract work, to learn new things, to share knowledge, and so on, instead of it being the end of your work life.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Still, perhaps the biggest complaint about retirement — either early or regularly-scheduled retirement — is boredom. Not having enough to keep you busy or enough meaningful things to do. Lunches with old friends and golf games every day may wear thin over time. That's why it's important to have outside interests — volunteer activities, hobbies and the like.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Not having any work stress may sound wonderful for someone who retires at 65 or older but for someone who retires early — say at 50 — and for someone who retires from a challenging work world — too little stress can create problems of their own. For example, stress researchers have underlined that a minimal level of stress is required to motivate people to perform tasks more efficiently. Not having this type of "minimal" stress can create a void which is hard to fill.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">When I retired early my wife was still working. Having me around the house all the time created its own sorts of problems. There were also expectations that I should be doing more around the house. And often I found myself interrupting her routines. After six months of this, she asked me to find something meaningful to do outside of the house! Her exact words were — "go find another job!".</p><a name='more'></a><p style="font-family: Verdana;">I must admit that I also missed my colleagues from work. Not having regular contact was more difficult than I thought it was going to be. And oftentimes they were too busy to see me socially (at least on regular work days).</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Retirement also takes planning to be effective. Being forced to retire (as is happening with certain federal public servants now) may be too sudden for many. There is simply not enough time to think about and to plan for retirement, in many cases.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">And then there is what could become the biggest worry — money. Retirement planning often means getting your financial affairs in order over a lengthy period of time. Taking early retirement cuts that period short. In addition, it means that your finances will have to be stretched over a longer period of time. Seeking help from a financial planner or advisor may be a wise move.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">We know that the "retirement" experience varies from one person to another, however, retirees can expect to go through a transition period in order to adapt to his or her new life.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">At Y2 Consulting Psychologists we have the professionals and experts who can assist you with your retirement planning and options — we can help put you on the right road to a happy and successful retirement.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Leaman Long, B.A., B.Ed.<br />HRM Consultant<br /><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists</a></p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">If you have any <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">questions and/or comments</a>, don't hesitate. Thank you!</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Related articles:</p><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/05/losing-your-job-dealing-with-loss-and.html" target="_blank">Losing your job: dealing with loss and bouncing back</a><br />(<a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/01/perdre-son-emploi-vivre-la-perte-et_27.html" target="_blank">Perdre son emploi : vivre la perte et rebondir</a>)</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/05/moving-past-loss-bouncing-back-after.html" target="_blank">Moving past loss: bouncing back after losing a job</a><br />(<a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/01/pour-aller-au-dela-de-la-perte-rebondir.html" target="_blank">Pour aller au-delà de la perte : rebondir suite à la perte d'un emploi</a>)</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/05/job-loss-from-managers-perspective.html" target="_blank">Job loss from the manager's perspective</a><br />(<a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/01/la-perte-demploi-lexperience-des.html" target="_blank">La perte d'emploi : l'expérience des gestionnaires...</a>)</li></ul><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Related videos:</p><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/video/lj.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/video/lj.shtml</a></li></ul>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-75697988973093003592012-08-31T10:46:00.001-04:002012-08-31T10:46:03.171-04:00Managing Stress and Balancing Work Demands<p style="font-family: Verdana;">It has been reported that disability claims related to mental illness (including claims for acute stress reaction, depression, adjustment disorders, anxiety and PTSD) in the federal public service continued to increase last year and accounted for 48 per cent of all claims filed.</p><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Stress: Among an Employee's Worst Nightmares</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Has your job ever drained you to the point of emotional and physical exhaustion? Does this feeling of weariness go on for days, weeks, or even months? If so, you could be stressing yourself beyond the breaking point.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Longer-term or chronic stress — indeed, any significant amount of work stress — can have debilitating physical and emotional outcomes, and can wreak havoc upon an unsuspecting employee. It has been shown that stress occurs not only among those who are highly motivated and committed but also among those who are not. We also know that employees, both in the private and public sectors, may experience stress in varying degrees.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Job demands can create or trigger mental health problems, including stress and anxiety. As such, it is important for employees to learn how to recognize and to guard against factors that cause these problems, or to make adjustments to working conditions and practices that may be causing them.</p><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Is your work stressing you out? Should you tell your manager?</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Is it in the interest of the manager, to whom you report, to help you, as an employee, deal with stress in the workplace? The answer is a definite "yes".</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Chances are, if managers are paying attention, they already know there's something wrong. They can sense the difference in your behavior in meetings, and see it in the quality or precision of the work you're producing. A manager may ask what's wrong or try to find out informally, but some may not know what to say even when they recognize that you may need help. In that case, it may be up to you.</p><a name='more'></a><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Still starting a conversation with your manager may not be all that easy but it is often the only avenue.</p><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">How do managers manage staff stress and balance work-life demands?</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">In a 24/7 "always on", "do more with less" world, it should not be surprising that employees increasingly alternate between feeling "lean and mean" or "exhausted and stressed out".</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Three key questions need to be on managers' minds: 1) what are some of the signs that my organization is fuelling stress? 2) how can I identify stress in my staff? and, finally, 3) how can I deal with these stress and work-life balance issues both from the perspective of the organization and the individual?</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">"As with any other employee living with a disability, a manager has a role to play in assisting employees with mental health problems so that they can maximize their potential in a healthy work environment." Source: <a href="http://bit.ly/RtT5aA" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/RtT5aA</a></p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Managers can take a number of steps to foster a healthy workplace culture. Key among these are demonstrating and encouraging understanding and appreciation of stress and other work-related mental health issues, putting into practice policies on stress and mental health in the workplace, making adjustments to work practices and conditions (e.g. ‘flex-time' and working from home), and providing resources to help manage stress at work improve mental health in general (e.g. training and counselling).</p><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Y2CP: We're Here to Help</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">At Y2 Consulting Psychologists, our qualified psychologists and other mental health professionals would be pleased to help you improve your psychological well-being, no matter the problem you are facing.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Our fees for psychological services are tax exempt and qualify for partial or total insurance coverage.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Leaman Long, B.A., B.Ed.<br />HRM Consultant<br /><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists</a></p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">If you have any <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">questions and/or comments</a>, don't hesitate. Thank you!</p>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-49346909245747323182012-06-01T13:36:00.002-04:002012-06-04T10:34:41.934-04:00Looking for a New Job? Tips for Applicants<p style="font-family: Verdana;">You are looking for a new job and, in turn, employers are looking for qualified candidates.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Many of these tips for job searchers are not new. However, following some or all of them could make a difference for you as a potential candidate.</p><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">CV/Resume:</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">While content is key, the format of your CV or resume can also be important. Keep it simple but attractive.</p><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Include objective statements only if requested by potential employers. Otherwise, they don't add anything of value to your resume.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">If you have not completed your university degree or diploma program, don't make it look like you might have. Simply indicate the current status of your studies or expected completion date.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Don't just list your title, length of time in a position, and tasks, include your key accomplishments and results, as well.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Include information about new skills learned or used in various positions.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Indicate what you did in the job; not what the team or the unit did.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">List jobs you have held in chronological order, starting with the most recent. Include only the relevant, not necessarily all your job experiences.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Avoid acronyms other than those in common use.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Be positive.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Use simple language. And proofread (or have someone do it for you, or both).</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Research other sources on CV/resume writing.</li></ul><a name='more'></a><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">The Cover Letter</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Your cover letter or letter of application could increase your chances of being picked from the pile.</p><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Let the employer know — first hand — why you are interested in a particular job.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Be concise but comprehensive — brief but to the point.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Outline major accomplishments or achievements or anything else that will make you stand out as a candidate.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Focus on the experiences, roles or assignments that were the most formative in your career.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Explain what you are looking for in your next position and what you hope to accomplish in your career.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Use simple language. And proofread (or have someone do it for you, or both).</li></ul><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Interviews</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Prepare for your interview by finding out all you can about your potential employer and his/her organization. For example, check out their Web site and/or research other information about them.</p><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Practice. Ask your friends or family members to assist you in an interview simulation. It helps.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Write out your stories or examples from your career in advance — ones that will demonstrate you have certain skills and abilities or that show you have depth of experience.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Be yourself.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Make it clear what you accomplished or achieved in given situations, not what the team or the unit did.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Don't say anything negative about former employers/managers or organizations.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Dress appropriately.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Remain calm.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Be on time.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Prepare some questions about the job/the organization to show that you are interested in both.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Show appreciation for the interview opportunity and underline your continuing interest in the job or position.</li></ul><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Finally, the following link may be useful in your job search:</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/lifeevents/job.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/lifeevents/job.shtml</a></p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Leaman Long, B.A., B.Ed.<br />HRM Consultant<br /><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists</a></p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">If you have any <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">questions and/or comments</a>, don't hesitate. Thank you!</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Related articles:</p><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/05/losing-your-job-dealing-with-loss-and.html" target="_blank">Losing your job: dealing with loss and bouncing back</a><br />(<a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/01/perdre-son-emploi-vivre-la-perte-et_27.html" target="_blank">Perdre son emploi : vivre la perte et rebondir</a>)</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/05/moving-past-loss-bouncing-back-after.html" target="_blank">Moving past loss: bouncing back after losing a job</a><br />(<a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/01/pour-aller-au-dela-de-la-perte-rebondir.html" target="_blank">Pour aller au-delà de la perte : rebondir suite à la perte d'un emploi</a>)</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/05/job-loss-from-managers-perspective.html" target="_blank">Job loss from the manager's perspective</a><br />(<a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/01/la-perte-demploi-lexperience-des.html" target="_blank">La perte d'emploi : l'expérience des gestionnaires...</a>)</li></ul><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Related videos:</p><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/video/lj.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/video/lj.shtml</a></li></ul>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-62038971209753271432012-05-28T14:57:00.002-04:002012-05-28T15:05:12.886-04:00Job loss from the manager's perspective...<p style="font-family: Verdana;">Laying off an employee is often a difficult experience for managers. It is a painful task which can put them through a whole range of emotions (e.g., sadness, relief, disappointment, uncertainty, powerlessness, anger, fear, etc.). To deal with this experience the best way possible, it is important to prepare properly before announcing the news, gather information and understand the hardship that may be caused, both to you the manager and to the employees losing their job.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Here are a few strategies that can help you announce a job loss to the person who will be leaving and to the rest of the team.</p><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Announcing the news to departing employees</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">It is important to always show empathy and compassion when informing employees that they will be losing their job. Garderet (2005) has developed a model to guide physicians who have to tell patients that they have cancer. We have adapted that model to a job-loss situation:</p><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Announcing a job loss</h4><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Prepare for the meeting: allow sufficient time, find a quiet, discreet location, announce the news in person, etc.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Understand what the person already knows about the situation.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Provide information in a brief, concise and encouraging way.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Respond with empathy to the person's emotional reactions.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Summarize what was said, and talk about the next stages.</li></ul><a name='more'></a><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Announcing the news to the employees who are staying </h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">The employees who survive staffing cuts are also sometimes vulnerable to stress, fear and uncertainty similar to what is experienced by employees losing their job. Their confidence in their managers is sometimes tested. The following guidelines can help prevent this type of situation, and acknowledge what they experience when co-workers lose their jobs. When informing the rest of the team that a colleague is losing his or her job, it is important to:</p><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Be frank, concise and respectful. Understand that employees can experience different emotions and that the situation can have an impact on their own work (e.g., division of tasks).</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Provide information: offer clear and accurate information, answer questions, and communicate regularly, clearly and honestly, whenever possible...</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Demonstrate fairness: show the employees that the decisions were made in a fair and equitable manner.</li></ul><p style="font-family: Verdana;">The way the announcement is made to those losing their jobs and the way this situation is managed will affect the remaining employees' view of their manager and have an impact on their confidence and the perception they have of their workplace. These are difficult but important times for the entire team.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Valérie Bourgeois-Guérin<br />Ph.D. candidate<br /><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists</a></p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Please contact us with any <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">questions and/or comments</a>. Thank you!</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Related articles:</p><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/05/losing-your-job-dealing-with-loss-and.html" target="_blank">Losing your job: dealing with loss and bouncing back</a><br />(<a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/01/perdre-son-emploi-vivre-la-perte-et_27.html" target="_blank">Perdre son emploi : vivre la perte et rebondir</a>)</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/05/moving-past-loss-bouncing-back-after.html" target="_blank">Moving past loss: bouncing back after losing a job</a><br />(<a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/01/pour-aller-au-dela-de-la-perte-rebondir.html" target="_blank">Pour aller au-delà de la perte : rebondir suite à la perte d'un emploi</a>)</li></ul>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-87821967874944641142012-05-28T14:51:00.001-04:002014-03-21T10:48:22.881-04:00Losing your job: dealing with loss and bouncing back<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;"><img border="0" height="180" width="578" src="http://www.y2cp.com/_application/Images/homme-perte-emploi.jpg" /></div><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Over the course of their lifetime, many people will deal with the loss of a job. We have started a series of short blogs about this experience. The first addresses the difficulties that people who lose their jobs may experience and the mourning period that follows. The second covers things that can be learned from the experience. The third short text looks at the experience of the managers who are doing the lay-offs. Job loss is often a difficult experience. It can affect people on different levels:</p><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;">It can undermine identity: For many people, their identity is linked, in part, to their work. For example, some will identify themselves with their workplace or their profession. This sense of identity can be shaken after losing a job.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Self-esteem and self-confidence are also often tested, and it is very important to work at rebuilding them.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Some people may be embarrassed by losing their job, regardless of the reasons for the job loss. This feeling is very difficult to deal with and to share; talking with people who have had a similar experience can help decrease its intensity.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Losing a job can also bring back memories of other losses, like losing a job in the past, or losing a parent.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Many will agonize about the uncertainty, their future, their financial situation, etc.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">It creates stress for many people; this stress can also affect other facets of their life.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">The experience can cause psychological distress that sometimes worsens and leads to depression or other mental health problems. In such cases, people should not hesitate to consult with a professional who will be able to help them overcome these problems.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">The loss of a job also gives rise to what we call secondary losses, like the loss of colleagues, routine, lifestyle, etc.</li></ul><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Mourning the loss</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Losing a job often causes grief, which Kübler-Ross (1969) divides into the following stages:</p><ol><a name='more'></a><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Denial: The moment a person learns the news and in the moments that follow, he or she will sometimes have difficulty understanding what's happening and may be disbelieving. Some people will be very passive, others quite the opposite, staying very active to avoid thinking about the loss.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Anger (or guilt, when anger is redirected at themselves) sometimes follows. Some people will blame themselves or blame their colleagues, employer, etc. for certain facts or actions. Some will be irritable, feeling a sense of betrayal or injustice.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Bargaining (in other words, an attempt to negotiate with reality) can also follow. At times, people attempt to stay with the organization by any means (for example, by accepting a deep salary cut).</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Sadness or situational depression can occur frequently over the course of a person's grieving. People who lose a job often feel a sense of weariness, loss of energy and moodiness. Some may experience deep sadness, but at times, they fall into a real depression. It is important to seek professional help, for example from a psychologist, if sadness is overwhelming or depression is setting in.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Acceptance and hope. The person acknowledges his or her loss and becomes invested in other projects. The person then becomes increasingly aware of the lessons learned from the experience, and the hope of finding another job is often rekindled.</li></ol><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Losing a job can cause various hardships, none of which should be underestimated. However, in the next blog, we'll see that it can also be a turning point, where the person takes the time to explore how to turn this experience into a learning opportunity, and sometimes, it becomes an opportunity to refocus.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Valérie Bourgeois-Guérin<br />Ph.D. candidate<br /><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists</a></p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Please contact us with any <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">questions and/or comments</a>. Thank you!</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Related articles:</p><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/05/moving-past-loss-bouncing-back-after.html" target="_blank">Moving past loss: bouncing back after losing a job</a><br />(<a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/01/pour-aller-au-dela-de-la-perte-rebondir.html" target="_blank">Pour aller au-delà de la perte : rebondir suite à la perte d'un emploi</a>)</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/05/job-loss-from-managers-perspective.html" target="_blank">Job loss from the manager's perspective</a><br />(<a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/01/la-perte-demploi-lexperience-des.html" target="_blank">La perte d'emploi : l'expérience des gestionnaires...</a>)</li></ul>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-23455104334785571972012-05-28T14:43:00.001-04:002012-05-28T15:07:26.074-04:00Moving past loss: bouncing back after losing a job<p style="font-family: Verdana;">Notwithstanding the hardship often experienced following a job loss, it can be beneficial to try looking at what can be learned from the experience. The loss of a job can be seen as a transition, an opportunity to take time to think about your career, revisit your needs, wants and priorities, think about your future, and sometimes, refocus your career.</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Many people begin a process of introspective reflection after losing a job. It can often be beneficial to make it a time:</p><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;">To explore your environment and compile information about available jobs, various organizations and workplaces...</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">For introspection: revisit your interests, values and experiences. Seeing how these values can be useful in a job situation can help guide your reflections on your career and your life.</li></ul><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Learning from the experience</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Losing a job is also an opportunity to question yourself and try to understand:</p><a name='more'></a><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Your strengths. Question yourself and ask your close friends, former employers or colleagues what your strengths are so you can showcase them, reinforcing self-esteem.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Your weaknesses. Understand your weaknesses, what can be improved and how to do it.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">The opportunities. It can be helpful to see the opportunities available to you and what you can learn from the experience.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">The dangers. Understand the dangers of job loss and strive to avoid the pitfalls as much as possible.</li></ul><h4 style="font-family: Verdana;">Moving beyond introspection... committing to action</h4><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Lastly, it is important not to limit activities to thinking about your situation; you also need to take action, search for jobs and/or refocus your career (ex.: training) before too long, one step at a time...</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Good luck...</p><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Valérie Bourgeois-Guérin<br />Ph.D. candidate<br /><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists</a></p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Please contact us with any <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">questions and/or comments</a>. Thank you!</p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">Related articles:</p><ul><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/05/losing-your-job-dealing-with-loss-and.html" target="_blank">Losing your job: dealing with loss and bouncing back</a><br />(<a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/01/perdre-son-emploi-vivre-la-perte-et_27.html" target="_blank">Perdre son emploi : vivre la perte et rebondir</a>)</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/05/job-loss-from-managers-perspective.html" target="_blank">Job loss from the manager's perspective</a><br />(<a href="http://y2cp-hrm.blogspot.ca/2012/01/la-perte-demploi-lexperience-des.html" target="_blank">La perte d'emploi : l'expérience des gestionnaires...</a>)</li></ul>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1306138038811402876.post-8698406188433688302012-05-08T15:31:00.002-04:002012-05-08T15:31:52.815-04:0010 Tips: When You Lose Your Job<ol><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Learn all you can about the work force adjustment process. It’s important to understand and to think about your options and your rights.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Establish a new daily routine. A new type of work day and new goals for yourself.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Look into your resources. Cut expenses if necessary. Check into your benefits (e.g. health insurance). Investigate alternatives.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Seek the emotional support you need — from family, friends, counsellors, psychologists, and other professionals.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Look after your health. Find out how to deal with stress. Continue exercising and socializing. Try not to overeat or under eat. Limit alcohol and caffeine consumption.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Continue or start networking. Start talking to people. Let your contacts know that you are looking for work.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Don’t be ashamed you are out of work. Don’t blame yourself (often these things are outside our control).</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Learn to deal with change. If you can’t find a job similar to the one you had, look for new ones for which you are qualified. If necessary, seek some training, go back to school, consider relocating...</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Be good to yourself. Once you have taken a bit of time to get over the shock of loosing you job, pick yourself up and dust yourself off. Don’t isolate yourself.</li><li style="font-family: Verdana;">Keep your sense of humour. It’s tough but try to remain positive in the face of adversity.</li></ol><p style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: right; margin-top: 0px;">Leaman Long, B.A., B.Ed.<br />HRM Consultant<br /><a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">Y2 Consulting Psychologists Y2</a></p><p style="font-family: Verdana;">If you have any <a href="http://www.y2cp.com/individuals/clinical/" target="_blank">questions and/or comments</a>, don't hesitate. Thank you!</p>Psychologues Consultants Y2http://www.blogger.com/profile/16267697707356566545noreply@blogger.com0