temp/ Twitter/ mental health and work

Feb. 5 Temp: I was reading in the Metro on Nov. 5, 2013 “Why the temp life may be right up your alley” by Alison Griffiths.

If you are:

-Self-employed with some hours to spare

-A stay-at-home parent not ready for full-time job

-A young worker with skills but little experience

-A retiree still eager to work

Shari Angle (Toronto-based vice-president with Adecco): “Temporary work is also a good fit for anyone looking to gain additional experience and skills or obtain experience in a new field.

“The temporary staffing market across Canada has fall seasonal demand in the areas of distribution, logistics, and warehousing which specifically drive temporary hiring in geographic areas near airports and ports of entry.”

In poor economies, temp workers are still needed because there are companies that don’t want to hire full-time staff.

The first few positions can take some time to get, but once you establish yourself as reliable, the agency will be able to help you.

My opinion: I thought staffing agencies are there to help the company, not the applicants.  This article does prove that there are pros to using staffing agencies.

Spherion: Did you know that staffing agency Spherion has now been merged and is now with the other staffing agency Ranstad?

Career fair: I was reading in the Metro on Oct. 16, 2013 called “Are you going to a career fair?”  It mentions about why are you attending?  It’s mainly to get a job.  However, a lot of people want to get more information, contacts, practice interview skills and networking.

It mentions to take notes of who you talked to and what you learned.

Twitter: I read in the Metro “Tales of Twitter gone terribly awry” by Parisa Nikfarjam” on Nov. 6, 2013.  It’s about how people use Twitter and they lose their job due to what they post.  Here are some examples:

Joe Monette is an Ontario Hockey League referee and he was suspended for the rest of the season after a game in Sault Ste Marie where he tweeted: “Soo Saint Mari, two words, Slim Pickens.  #noteeth #hicktown #allfaties.”

He then says: “My tweet last night was not meant to be offensive and was meant as a joke between myself and a buddy of mine that lives in the Soo.  I apologize if I offended anybody.”

Justin Hutchings of London, Ont. Made a comment about how Amanda Todd who committed suicide after she was bullied for years.  He says he was glad that she committed suicide.

He worked for Mr. Big and Tall Menswear and he was terminated.

Paris Brown is a teen and was appointed the first youth police and crime commissioner for Kent, England.  She tweeted about drinking, drug use, and made racist comments about a local pizzeria employees not speaking “proper English.”  She says she was exaggerating and then she did resign.

Evander Holyfield: He is a boxer.  I was reading about him in the Metro on Jan. 7, 2014.  He was on Celebrity Big Brother.  He says that homosexuality is “a choice” and “ain’t normal.”

The producers told him that what he said could be seen as offensive and to think about it before he goes saying it.

Gilbert Gottfried: He is a comedian/ actor.  There was interview with him in the Globe and Mail on Nov. 4, 2013.  I’m not a fan of his, but I have seen him on some of Jay Leno’s sketches and Hollywood Squares.  He says this: “Every joke now has to come with an apology at the end.”

My opinion: You either apologize at the end, or give a forewarning at the beginning.

I’ve mentioned this before.  Don’t post anything on the internet about race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and politics.

Facebook: Did you know that Facebook is now 10 years old?

Mental health and work: 

Celebrity examples: This is a job email, but I’m going to use some celebrities as examples.

Amanda Bynes: I was reading in the Metro on Dec. 9, 2013 that Amanda Bynes plans to go to fashion school after being released from Canyons treatment facility for her bipolar disorder.  Her doctors says she’s not ready because she may not be prepared for school because there’s so much work.

My opinion: I checked on the internet and here she is at school as a part-time student.  I was thinking the same thing of putting too much work and stress on her before she is ready.  I thought that she could take one or two classes and ease her into it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2549961/Pictured-A-healthy-looking-Amanda-Bynes-arrives-ready-class-starts-college-studying-fashion-design.html

Evangeline Lilly: She was on the TV show Lost for 6 seasons.  I was reading about her in the Metro “It took a dragon to drag actress Evangeline Lilly out of retirement” by Richard Crouse on Dec. 9, 2013.  It really talks about mental health and work.

Lilly: “My resolve to retire came when I realized it was actually the job itself that was killing me.  I’m a very undramatic woman.  I keep my life very simple.  I don’t have a lot of emotional energy to spend.  I don’t argue with my spouse.  I don’t make drama where there doesn’t need to be any.

I don’t have girlfriends who are dramatic.  I just can’t stomach it.  Having a job that required that I be at the height of drama emotionally for 14 hrs a day, all day, every week for 6 yrs running was doing bad things to my health, to my psyche.  I wasn’t in a good place.  I rally believe if you’re not happy, get out.  It doesn’t matter how much someone is paying you or how famous you’ve become, it’s not worth it if you’re not happy and you’re not healthy.”

She got a call from Peter Jackson who made The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and offered her a role as Tauriel, a 600 yr old elf.  She took the role.  She went to New Zealand to film it and says: “It has actually changed my mind about my profession.”

She was going to be writing and being a mother after Lost was done.  

Winter and work: I was reading in the Metro on Jan. 31, 2014 called “Hibernation during big chill freezes bottom line.” It talked about the U.S. Midwest and the Deep South that it got really cold with snow.  Hair salons that rely on walk-ins and appointments, restaurants, and health-care specialists are losing money because customers don’t want to go out in the cold.

Ice on Whyte: This is an Ice Carving Festival in Edmonton.  I didn’t go to it at all because I don’t like going out in the cold unless I have to.

Vitamin Water: Coca- Cola is experiencing bad publicity again where one of their Vitamin Water bottle caps says “PONDER RETARDS.”  In Sept. they had a bottle cap say “YOU RETARD.” It’s used an English and French word to show Canada’s multiculturalism.

They have donated $100,000 to charities to make amends after the first Sept. gaffe.  

My opinion: Here’s something: Stop putting an English and French word on the bottle caps.  I do accept Coca- Cola’s apology.