Legacy Bowes Group Articles

Rumours at the office can have a detrimental effect on your career

 It’s been a long time since I’ve heard the phrase, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Although it can be traced back to the late 1800s, today it aptly applies to the issue of verbal abuse and bullying that we are now encountering in the workplace. While the context of the phrase is honourable, I can tell you that when someone deliberately spreads a falsehood about you, it not only deals a heavy blow to one’s self confidence but it can damage your reputation and jeopardize friend and business relationships. When this happens, I assure you that the latest new phrase "fake news" will suddenly have a special meaning.

It doesn’t take much thought to see that trust in our governance systems is cracking like an eggshell. We saw this with the recent reversal of voter support for Prime Minister Theresa May in Britain, as well as last year’s vote for the U.K.’s exit from the European Union. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump’s first six months in office sees him challenged by three investigations into issues surrounding his campaign as well as his unseemly "unpresidential" behaviour. Canada isn’t immune, as the recent British Columbia election seems to suggest.

Developing positive connections in the workplace a key to success

The new year is beginning to unfold and as you might expect, the newspaper has been full of great ideas for creating and sustaining a healthy lifestyle. There have been articles on physical fitness, as well as a review of apps to help you stay true to your exercise goals.

We’ve seen articles on making healthy meals with turkey leftovers, meals to keep you warm and articles that help you to discover the trick to making a smoothie. All in all, the advice is meant to drive readers toward good health and happiness.

Maybe the problem at work is you

Last week, my Winnipeg Free Press column dealt with how to deal with an annoying co-worker. However, what if you are the problem? Yes, you! How could that be? Well, first of all, take a look at your attitude. Are you the one with a bad attitude? Are you the one making everyone miserable around you? Are you the one creating concerns for your boss?

We’ve been hearing a lot lately about "fake news." Just like those phony email messages appearing to be from your local bank branch, fake news often includes misinformation posted to what looks like a trusted site. Still other venues include published articles from unethical "journalists" who simply make up their stories. No matter what venue it appears in, fake news is specifically designed to deliberately provide misinformation presented as the truth — all to either profit in some way, persuade people to think a certain way or, at the very least, question their own beliefs. In today’s Internet environment, these so-called news stories travel across the world in seconds. Some have called this practice "yellow journalism" and/or psychological warfare.