news 2023

UdeM professors Nancy Beauregard and Véronique Dupéré are investigating the impact of balancing studies, work and personal life on students' mental health. Working many hours per week can be detrimental to young people's academic performance and well-being, but studies that explore the positive impacts of work on mental health are few and far between.

In the fast-paced corporate world where stress can be an unwelcome colleague for many employees, SFU researchers have found that mindfulness can reduce workplace stress by helping to narrow employees' views of work tasks as threats. Research looking at the role of mindfulness in the workplace conducted by SFU Beedie School professor Lieke ten Brummelhuis and PhD candidate Mariana Toniolo-Barrios is published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

Science, Health & Technology Sachi Wickramasinghe Simple home workouts using exercise apps can effectively reduce depressive symptoms in healthcare workers and could be a major tool to combat the global mental health crisis in the sector, says new University of British Columbia research. The study, published today in JAMA Psychiatry , divided participants into either a waitlisted control group or an exercise group who were given free access to a suite of home exercise apps called DownDog , that included yoga, cardio and strength training.

When employees break the rules at work, they can land in hot water - but according to a new study from the UBC Sauder School of Business, bosses may want to think twice about cracking down on those who don't stick to the script. In the past, researchers believed that when employees broke the rules, they were doing it for malicious or self-serving reasons: for example, workers might steal, or take longer breaks than they're entitled to.

Public peer recognition may make some employees feel unfairly treated In fast-paced and often rapidly changing work environments, employers continue to seek new and improved ways to recognize employees in the workplace. However, new research from the University of Waterloo suggests that public peer recognition may backfire by enabling comparisons among employees, and these comparisons may make some employees feel unfairly treated.

Two UdeM professors recommend approaches to regulating youth employment, based on their field research and expertise. The restrictions in Quebec's proposed Bill 19 , An Act respecting the regulation of work by children, are an excellent first step toward better regulating youth employment. But many parts of the law are vague and data from Quebec studies could help policy-makers legislate on this issue more effectively.

Short exposure to bright light could help shift workers generally combat fatigue Nurses exposed to 40 minutes of bright light before their night shifts feel less fatigued and make fewer errors at work, according to a study led by McGill University. The nurses also slept better after their shifts. -Healthcare workers are experiencing high levels of fatigue due to staffing shortages, difficult schedules, and heavy workloads.

Employees may feel pressure to continue working to get everything done on time Heavy workloads make employees feel a greater need for a break, but new research finds they may actually discourage employees from taking breaks at work despite causing high levels of stress, fatigue, and poor performance.