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smart | work Santa Claus may have made his last visit


on his ol' clunking sleigh at the parade The decades-old float is in need of an upgrade – and in need of fundraising dollars to bring it to life


By Katrina Hueging T


his year’s 105th Winnipeg Santa Claus Parade was another amazing success. And although the tempera-


tures were a bit colder than previous years, Winnipeg children bundled up to eagerly attend the day’s festivities, which did not disappoint. Te afternoon started off for JCI Winni-


peg with the hosting of our annual Santa’s Workshop for inner city youth. We invite local youth to spend a few hours with their families making crafts, enjoying lunch, get- ting their faces painted, and, the best part for many: meeting Santa Claus himself. Nothing will top the excited look on a


child’s face when they get to meet Santa, and we even had professional photographs taken of each of the children with Santa that we provide to the families at no cost. From the workshop, the JCI Winnipeg


team headed outside to start our annual Block Party. Tis year, we took up two city blocks with a couple of big street hockey games to keep families warm and having fun while they waited for the parade to start. Hot chocolate and sweet treats were also served with any donations made to JCI Winnipeg – which are going toward rebuilding our Santa float, our most visible contribution to the parade. Since the 1970s, JCI Winnipeg has been


a proud steward of “the” Santa float, which many have grown up seeing Santa ride on for more than 50 years. Tis is the final float of the parade which JCI Winnipeg is always excited to walk alongside. As many Manitobans have seen in the


news recently, the JCI Winnipeg float has almost seen its last Christmas. With materi- als that date back 50 to 80 years, including old original Eaton’s store billboards, we feel it is time we honour Santa and his reindeer with a new float. Our challenge is that we are a small non-


profit volunteer group that simply does not have the funds to purchase a new float. In


We are asking the residents and business


owners of Manitoba to help us with secur- ing money, materials (such as a trailer, wood, float material, etc.), as well as coming up with fundraising ideas to help us make this campaign successful. Help us design Santa’s sleigh


Along with our fundraising efforts, JCI


Winnipeg also needs some great ideas on what design we should use for our new float. Santa has asked us to get the children of Winnipeg to draw what they would like to see Santa ride in the float. Designs may be displayed on JCI’s blog,


Facebook and Twitter account to show off what talented kids we have in Winnipeg. To enter, simply visit www.jciwinnipeg.


blogspot.ca to download and print the design page, then have a child draw the sleigh they would like to see Santa on. If you cannot download the design page, simply use a blank piece of paper but be sure to include the child’s name and age along with the picture. 2015 is going to see our Winnipeg Santa


Claus Parade held in conjunction with the Grey Cup Parade, so eyes from across Canada and even around the world are going to be on our city. We look forward to the continued support of Manitobans to help us make this event something that everyone can be proud of. For more information on how you can


help JCI Winnipeg, please contact Katrina Hueging at 204-803-4939 or via email at jciwinnipeg@gmail.com. Thank you to all of the sponsors who


Being a part of Santa's float is a highlight for JCI, though they're eager to upgrade his model.


conjunction with the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT), we have secured an agreement that it will help us build a new structure if we can raise the money and materials to get it done. Tis is where we need your help!


Estimated costs by MITT are that a ba- sic new float will cost about $50,000 with


a more advanced float around $100,000. Our goal is to build a beautiful piece of Manitoba history that can continue to bring Santa to the children for many more years to come. Simple items such as a fiberglass reindeer can cost upwards of $2,000 each and with eight reindeer total, you can see how this is a large financial undertaking.


helped us make this year’s JCI Winnipeg parade day events a success: Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre, University of Winnipeg, Food Fare, MB Bat- tery Distributors Inc., Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology, Te Salvation Army, Dustin Cochrane Photography, and all of our wonderful volunteers. On behalf of all of us at JCI Winnipeg,


we want to wish everyone all the best this holiday season and new year!


What do layoffs mean for those who are left behind? Cutbacks are sometimes unavoidable, but you have to do damage control to ensure remaining staff's morale stays up


A


s we begin the new year, do you find yourselves in the optimistic state of a fresh start? If you are one of the companies that has begun hiring or an individual


who has been hired – congratulations! If you are part of the seven


per cent that is anticipating cutbacks, how are you getting ready for this? We have often talked about


career transition services and how they are beneficial for the individual and for the com- pany’s brand. However, are companies


Good Work Lisa Cefali


spending enough time and effort on those left behind? Layoffs and cutbacks create stress, and not only for those directly impacted. Without the proper support, em- ployees can be left with a feeling of uncertainty as to their own future within the organization.


If left to their own conclusions, rumours may start, and


employees may assume the worst and begin their search for employment outside the company. So what can leaders do for their people to ensure those


left behind are just as productive and morale remains high? What strategies must leaders consider along with the deci- sion to downsize? Here are five key strategies to begin with. Connect with a firm that offers support in this area.


Firms are often engaged if the employees being let go are being offered transition services. However, if not, engaging a firm to assist with supporting the rest of the organiza- tion is a very good insurance policy. An outside firm can assist with developing the messaging, ensuring that the emotional impact is appropriate, and that the purpose and support is understood. As quickly as possible, hold a town hall meeting. Te


message should be timely, honest, and very clear in its in- tent. Te reasons as to why the downsizing has occurred need to be presented.


January 2015


A happy worker is a productive worker. Photo by Bob Barr. A focus on what will be accomplished within the first


few months in this new environment is important so that employees can see the progress and positive aspect to the change. Te presentation also needs to be an opportunity for the


employees to voice their concerns and questions so that leaders can see very clearly how the decision is impacting their teams. Get employees involved. Using focus groups or small


functional groups, invite employees to create ideas on the best change strategies to address the existing workload with the remaining employees. Morale needs to remain positive, and if employees can


see that their ideas are being considered –and even bet- ter, acted upon – you may create an even more efficient employee base. Developing an understanding of the company’s chal-


lenges will encourage everyone to realize that the downsiz- ing was not done for personal reasons, but to address the concerns of the organization. Communication, communication, communication! Use various forms of communication – both formal and


www.smartbizwpg.com


informal – to ensure that you reach all the various groups and generations in their preferred format. Tis is not a time to hold back for fear of over-communi-


cating. Employees need reassurance that the initial message is backed up with action. Celebrate success and have some fun! Te people left be-


hind are there for a reason. Tey need to feel valued, impor- tant, and necessary. Consider how best you can show your appreciation at the company, group, and individual level. Include team building sessions and involve the social


committee to ensure the activities and events considered resonate with the employees. Even with mid-managers and senior-level managers, at


times of change, there is stress. Sometimes we assume that the senior and mid-level manager should simply be execut- ing the activities, and are therefore immune to the impact of the change because they are part of it. Consider that all employees need to be valued and appreciated – including those who are being asked to carry out the messages. Downsizing, letting people go, layoffs, positions being


absorbed – no matter how they are presented, when there are job losses, the organization as a whole is impacted. Te reality is that organizations often have to make these


changes for the productive success of the company. Leaders can either execute upon them well or poorly. It is at times like this when true leadership ability is most


evident, most challenged, and most needed. A leader will be judged on how the layoffs are conducted and how those asked to leave are treated by the company. How you keep employee morale up and productivity


amongst those left behind is also being judged. Ensure you have every angle covered and ensure your approach to downsizing is a complete one. Lisa Cefali is the vice president of executive search with


Legacy Bowes Group, where she uses her many years of busi- ness experience, and assessment of emotional intelligence, to uncover organizational insight and those attributes that provide the best fit for her clients with their strategic planning needs. Please feel free to contact her at lisa@legacybowes. com for your executive search, recruitment, coaching, and strategic planning needs.


Smart Biz 7


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