March 12, 2019 

Anything can happen, but here's our schedule for March 11 to 15:
  • The Tuesday Members' Memo is emailed to GSU members weekly on Tuesdays. If you know a co-worker who doesn't receive the TMM and would like to, have them call GSU toll-free at 1.866.522.6686 or send an email to gsu@gsu.ca
  • on Monday staff rep Steve Torgerson met with a group of member to welcome them to GSU and distribute new member kits
  • General Secretary Hugh Wagner and Steve Torgerson will attend a Local 2 (Viterra - Head Office) bargaining meeting Wednesday at noon at The Artesian.  
  • Questions? Contact a GSU staff rep at either our Regina or Saskatoon office.

 

A member called staff representative Dale Marking inquiring about Jury Duty Pay.  Most GSU collective agreements have a provision that if a member is called to serve on Jury Duty that they not suffer a loss of pay while serving as a juror. 

"Some GSU members may not know about Jury Leave in their collective agreement," say Markling "but most GSU members have Jury Leave that affords them some wage loss protections should they have to serve."

If you have any questions about Jury Leave and what your collective agreement covers for Jury Duty contact your GSU Staff for assistance. 


 
Congratulations to Dawn Lungal who won 2 tickets to the RUSH game this Saturday night!

Not surprisingly you all had great ideas on how to make it through a Saskatchewan cold snap. Here are a few of the entries to last weeks contest;

  • I went to the East coast and participated in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. It was much warmer out there. Also made sure the command start was getting used lots and stayed indoors a lot. 
  • I spent most cold off days playing video games and planning trips on my motorcycle, I found it helped me look toward the future and help get my mind of the terrible winter.
  • I did as little as possible. Hahaha a lot of netflix
  • I have stayed inside away from the cold planning my WEDDING!!
  • If possible, book a trip to a warmer climate. We did this year and the time away and Vitamin D did wonders for us. Came home relaxed, recharged and it broke up the winter nicely. my favorite is reading. Reading is so great for your brain its incredible. Also, when in a good book you find yourself immersed in that story as if you are actually in the book.
  • Drank coffee and baileys on the weekends to stay warm at the rink!
  • We have a lovely electric blanket in our bedroom that you can crank up on cold days, so after dishes were done, we'd curl up with the dogs and a cup of tea, turn the blankets up to max and watch whatever seemed interesting on Netflix
  • To stay warm and active throughout the cold days, we spent time at our awesome indoor pool, played floor hockey at the field house, and spent time at home playing checkers as a family and watching some Netflix. Time passed by quickly!
  • My tip is to dress warm and go snowmobiling to a warm up shack. And stay at the shack all day.
  • When its really cold, you need to find an ice shack with a good heat source, get out there and FISH.
And Dawn Lungals' advice is an age old practice that is handed down generation to generation,
"My trick to weather the cold was...to bitch about how cold it was." Enjoy the game Dawn.

The next RUSH home game is March 30, 2019, so check next week's TMM for another chance to win!



The Art of Being a Great Coworker


This year, you'll likely spend more time with your coworkers than you will with your significant other, parents, best friend,  siblings, cat, and ... well, you get the point.

Think about it: If you work 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, that's over 2,000 hours a year spent with the same people -- give or take a vacation or two, of course. That's a ton of time, and can often lead to a ton of silent (or not so silent) frustrations.

This makes building positive relationships with the people you work with a priority -- or in some cases, a means of survival. Even if you hate the way Jim blows his nose at his desk or you cringe every time Stacy offers her opinion in a meeting, you crossed paths with these people for a reason. And it's up to you to put your best foot forward. 

There's a lot we can learn from our coworkers, and it all starts with finding a productive way to coexist and collaborate. For tips on how to but your best foot forward at work, keep reading.

3) Steer clear of gossip.

Ah, the office water cooler. The place where Mark goes to complain to his sales buddy about Steve's work ethic, and Sarah and Emily gather to vent about the suspicious relationship between their two interns over a Dixie cup of the cold stuff. 
While you may be tempted to eavesdrop or chime in on one these inevitable gossip sessions -- it's human nature, after all -- it's best to avoid them at all costs. Not only is engaging in office gossip both risky and unprofessional, but it can result in some pretty sticky situations.
So instead of feeding into groundless gossip, do your best to curb hurtful rumors. The best way to limit the amount of swirling hearsay? Keep lines of communication open. The more transparent and honest you and your team are with one another, the less room there is for speculation.

5) Avoid annoying office habits.

  According to  a survey on office habits  conducted by the office product supplier Viking, nearly 29% of participants admitted that they find it frustrating when their colleagues are regularly late. But that's not all: Over 20% of folks dislike it when their colleagues fail to replace things that run out (coffee, printer paper, etc.), while nearly 21% admitted they have a problem with those who talk too loudly on the phone. And the list goes on ...
The lesson? Be considerate of others. If you share common spaces such as meeting rooms, be sure to clean up after yourself and avoid exceeding the time you booked it for. If you have an open office floor plan, be conscious of how loud you play your music or how frequently you take long calls. 

12) Create traditions.

  At my first job out of college, every Friday -- or "Fiesta Friday," as we called it -- we'd order up arguably too much Mexican food and have lunch together as a team. And when I moved to HubSpot, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they had their own (equally delicious) weekly tradition:  Waffle Wednesday . 
Here's the thing about workplace traditions: Aside from being a great excuse to eat, they provide a shared experience for people to look forward to. Whether you indulge in weekly burritos, venture out on a outdoor team retreat, or just grab a few drinks for a colleague's birthday, these gatherings can help people build stronger connections while strengthening your company's identity and culture. 

 


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