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What lies behind the most bold, successful ideas? We wanted to find out, so we spoke with five Canadians whose livelihoods depend on the art of creativity, including a solo violinist and an architect. They also weighed in on the rising presence of artificial intelligence, which is upending the way we create everything from art to books to photography.
Perhaps surprisingly, these Canadians saw the potential of AI more than the threat: “While AI may be a game-changer in the evolution of technology, it doesn’t completely reset the board for human creativity,” says Sevaun Palvetzian, President and CEO of UNICEF Canada. Aruna Dutt and Mira Miller share more about these five professionals’ lifestyles, how they stay curious and where they find inspiration.
Read more from five Canadians who lead with creativity.
Can my employer force me to wear a bra?
This week’s Nine to Five asked the question: I have a front-facing customer service job and I was recently asked by my manager to wear a bra. There is nothing in my contract that says I am obligated to wear a bra, but my manager cited the dress code that says we must be presentable. She claims that not wearing a bra means that I’m in violation of the dress code. Is this true?
Dina Mashayekhi, partner, Jewitt McLuckie & Associates LLP, Ottawa, gave the first answer
Even if your contract or company dress code clearly states that you are obligated to wear a bra, this requirement could be found to be discriminatory. While employers are permitted to have dress codes, the codes must apply to everyone in the workplace equally and cannot compromise an employee’s dignity. Gender-specific rules, where women would be obliged to wear makeup or to dress provocatively, may be seen to violate human rights legislation, unless an employer can prove that the dress code requirement is a bona fide occupational requirement. An example would be a safety reason or one where the rule is necessary and truly connected to one’s ability to perform the job.
Read more on this question from Ms. Mashayekhi and lawyer Pamela Connolly.
Anxiety and emotions can be your secret weapon in making decisions
Sometimes you may find that you can make decisions instantly while at other times the choice feels overwhelming. That decision anxiety will often stem from concerns over risk or a surfeit of choices.
“Rather than make the best choice based on rational criteria, you may opt for safer, less risky options,” science writer Hannah Rose, who trained as a doctor, writes on the Ness Labs site.
“While these decisions may not have a high risk of failure, they may make you miss some exciting opportunities, which could leave your career, or even your life, feeling stagnant. Learning to overcome decision anxiety can help you stay on track with your goals and aspirations.”
She says one of the first steps is to acknowledge when you feel anxious about a decision and determine the root of your concerns. By understanding why you feel anxious about making a decision, you will be better prepared to manage the way you feel.
Read why writing down how you would cope with a ‘worst-case scenario’ can reduce the impact of internalized fears.
In case you missed it
Feel like an imposter at work? It’s not you, it’s them
For Jessica Regan, imposter syndrome in her career has often felt like a weight she has had to carry.
“My experiences with imposter syndrome are like this little invisible backpack that I had on that was showing up at my work, [a] feeling like I really needed to be excellent all the time,” says Ms. Regan, who is diversity, equity and inclusion adviser at Bloom, a Toronto-based workplace design consultancy.
Ms. Regan says that as a woman of colour and someone with anxiety, “I was wondering why it felt so much harder for me. I remember feeling like if I don’t show myself as an asset, and as someone who can’t be replaced, then I will be replaced.”
Imposter syndrome is a catch-all term that is used loosely to describe someone who doubts their own abilities or feels like a fraud at work. But while this term has commonly been positioned as something psychological that people – especially women – have to get over, Jodi-Ann Burey and Ruchika Tulshyan say that’s a damaging misconception.
“The best, first step women can [take] to mitigate feelings of self-doubt and unbelonging is to stop blaming ourselves,” says Ms. Burey, a TED talk speaker and podcaster.
Read the full article.
Why you can – and should – job-hunt while pregnant
Faye Pang had already given notice of her pregnancy to the tech company she worked at when a recruiter reached out to her. They were looking to fill a senior-level role as a country manager for accounting software company Xero.
“I was about four-and-a-half months pregnant [at the time],” Ms. Pang recalls. “Job hunting was the furthest thing from my mind.’”
From that very first call, Ms. Pang was honest with the recruiter. “I said, ‘We’re on Zoom, but under this desk, there’s a belly,’” she says.
In the new normal of remote hiring and work, women have gained more agency over when and how to disclose a pregnancy to prospective employers. Despite Ms. Pang informing the recruiter that she was expecting, their interest held strong.
“[The recruiter] was very quick to say, ‘That’s not a factor for us. And if you’re the right candidate, then we will support you in whatever way you need,’” she says.
Read the full article.
Ask Women and Work
Question: I’m a business owner and I have a lot of trouble giving negative feedback to my team members. I usually end up softening the criticism and just correct their work myself to avoid confrontation. What are some strategies for giving negative feedback in a constructive, positive way?
We asked Lisa Bragg, the author of Bragging Rights: How to Talk about Your Work Using Purposeful Self-Promotion, and the founder MediaFace, a content company, to tackle this one:
In a world where we’ve been trained to be nice, it’s hard to give negative feedback. But by not being upfront, we’re missing out on the opportunity to help our team members grow.
As a business owner, I also avoided giving criticism because I felt awkward, but then I realized if I were doing something wrong, I would want to know. Feedback, both negative and positive, is a gift when it is done with care and kindness. Constructive criticism will help your team to feel supported, expectations will be better managed, you’ll be a stronger leader, and you won’t burn out correcting their work.
Here are some tips on how to deliver negative feedback effectively:
- Instead of thinking about it as a confrontation, reframe feedback as setting the person up for success. Think of yourself as an ally and mentor. Employees want to know you’re invested in them, not just the work.
- Realize receiving an honest critique from you now will also be new for your team members. Transparency helps, so let your team know you’re going to use a new approach that encourages a culture of feedback. As I bring on new team members nowadays, I tell them I’ll be direct in my feedback, but it’s an expectation that I will do it with kindness. Then I ask them how they like to give feedback to me and their peers.
- Limit your feedback. Set a maximum of two points you want to raise. It’s best to give feedback in the moment but do so privately. For example, I thought a team member’s minor mistake was a simple teachable moment for everyone, but the team told me clearly that it made them uncomfortable.
- When you call a one-to-one, let them know you have two points to share. Before the meeting, write down your feedback to ensure it is clear, specific, to the point, includes how to fix the issue and is in the spirit of growth. Let them know why this issue is important. Make sure to pause after your feedback to listen to them. It’s best if this is a conversation.
- I’m not a fan of the ‘feedback sandwich’ approach, where you put your negative feedback between two positive comments. It undermines your credibility. However, you also need to celebrate success and growth on your team. People do want to know they are successful. Develop a culture that is comfortable talking about mistakes and successes.
Submit your own questions to Ask Women and Work by e-mailing us at GWC@globeandmail.com.
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