Gen Z and younger millennials want their work to have meaning and impact, and are determined to be their authentic selves at work. This is a bit of a departure from the work-life split preferred by their predecessors, but it is not the first time that generation gaps have affected workplace culture. To understand how these gaps can be bridged 鈥 and propose some techniques to do it -- Prof. Karl Moore conducted interviews with workers from younger and older generations.
Sustainable finance is an integral part of a more sustainable future, but it won鈥檛 fix the world鈥檚 problems overnight. 鈥淓ven if we all want to go to work tomorrow in electric vehicles, and have our groceries delivered in electric trucks, we鈥檙e not there yet,鈥 said BMO Quebec President Gr茅goire Baillargeon in an interview with 缅北强奸 Desautels Prof. Karl Moore for Les Affaires. 鈥淲e need to find technologies to decarbonize, but these types of projects require enormous amounts of money.
Members of Generation Z are becoming an ever-larger presence in the workplace. It will be important to their growth, and to the company鈥檚 success, to ensure they have access to training and feedback, Prof. Karl Moore told Les Affaires. It鈥檚 also important for management to listen. This generation wants to be heard 鈥 and expects to. As they have grown up with the internet, they are accustomed to being able to easily express their thoughts and opinions.
First Nations鈥 band managers typically play dual roles, serving as both finance and human-resources manager, but finances are often their primary focus, says Miranda Kennedy, the Vice President of Human Resources at Okimaw Community & HR Solutions, a company that works with First Nations and related organizations. 鈥淩arely is anyone in the band office equipped to manage employee grievances, workplace safety or updating policies and procedures,鈥 Kennedy told Prof. Karl Moore in an interview for The Globe and Mail.
A series of missteps led Bombardier to the brink of bankruptcy in 2015. The Government of Quebec bailed out the Montreal-based manufacturer, but its stock cratered as it restructured its business. Fast-forward to 2023, and the aerospace company is once again on the rise. The company foresees increased revenues due to robust demand for business jets and its stock price is up 50 per cent from a year ago. 鈥淭en years ago, Bombardier was Canada鈥檚 biggest and most global company,鈥 said Prof. Karl Moore in an interview with Financial Post.
Old software, bad weather, and high passenger volumes contributed to Southwest Airlines鈥 meltdown over the 2022 holiday season, which caused the cancellation of thousands of flights in just a few days. But there are other factors that have impacted airline performance too--during the pandemic, air traffic slowed down significantly, and airlines laid off part of their workforce, said Prof. Karl Moore in an interview with CBC Radio鈥檚 On the Coast with Gloria Macarenko.
When it comes to passenger volume, the Saint John Airport doesn't crack the top 20 airports in Canada. And though Saint John is New Brunswick鈥檚 largest city, it has seen some of its flights migrate to Moncton, which is more convenient for many Maritime travelers. But the Saint John Airport wants to grow in a different direction: it is seeking partners for a logistics park, and hopes to attract industrial operations like air cargo, ground transportation, and aircraft maintenance. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very good idea,鈥 says Desautels Prof.
High costs for labour and a shortage of key skills have contributed to serious challenges for airlines. And there is still turbulence ahead for the industry, says Ed Sims, the former CEO of WestJet. To make this situation even more challenging, shareholders are growing impatient after several years of losses, Sims told Prof. Karl Moore in an interview for Les Affaires.聽 According to Sims, increased cooperation through partnerships are a step that airlines could take to resolve the industry鈥檚 shortages of labour and skills.聽
Many companies have missions and visions, and ours is helping every Indigenous person see and feel their value in the world, said Jenn Harper in an interview with Professor聽Karl Moore for The Globe and Mail. Harper鈥檚 company is called Cheekbone Beauty, and it seeks to make sustainable cosmetics that won鈥檛 end up in a landfill. Cheekbone Beauty鈥檚 organizational culture draws from the 鈥渟even grandfather teachings鈥 of Anishnaabe culture. These teachings are broken down into three pillars of humility, love, respect.
Even if executives solicit employee feedback, they don鈥檛 necessarily have the skills to enter into a dialogue about it. Being able to think on your feet is an important skill in a leader, and Prof. Saku Mantere says that music is one way to develop it. 鈥淛azz teaches us communication in the moment,鈥 says Mantere, who recently released his debut album, called Upon First Impression. 鈥淎nd the creativity is, to an extent, always collective because you鈥檙e creating on the spot between people.鈥
Air Canada is discontinuing direct flights between Calgary, and Saskatchewan鈥檚 two largest cities. The move will leave travellers from Regina and Saskatoon with fewer options, but is a savvy business move, according to Prof. Karl Moore. It is part of the air carrier鈥檚 effort to focus on its major hubs in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. 鈥淎ir Canada considered which routes are profitable 鈥 and which ones are not,鈥 said Moore in an interview with CBC News. 鈥淎nd that is what good business people do.鈥
Positive storytelling can encourage consumers to make better, more eco-conscious choices. That鈥檚 the vision the Stephanie Beaulieu (MBA鈥22) shared with Karl Moore in an article for Forbes.com. Beaulieu founded the eco-fashion company Ecova to make change in the fashion industry.
Europe鈥檚 energy crisis has highlighted the gap between the green energy production that we want, and the fossil fuel energy infrastructure that we actually have. When Russia cuts off the flow of natural gas to Europe, there simply is not enough green energy to compensate, said Eric Reguly of The Globe and Mail in an interview with Prof. Karl Moore for Les Affaires. Twenty years ago, green energy was growing faster than it is today, Reguly said.
U.S.-based magazine Global Traveler has named Air Canada the best airline in North America for the fourth year in a row, but this honour is a relative one, according to Prof. Karl Moore. According to Moore, it shows just how bad some of the other airlines in North America are.