Apparently that’s what a lot of Ontario employers think according to a recent survey. As part of the last provincial election, my province of Ontario will be getting an extra statutory holiday in February. Rather than accepting this as the good news that it is, a lot of people have decided to get ridiculously worked up about it.

The organization e-mailed its questions to 16,500 human resources professionals in Ontario and more than 3,000 responded.

Of those who answered, “40 per cent of Ontario employees will not receive an additional day off for Family Day on February 18 and … 60 per cent of employers anticipate a moderate to significant impact to their business due to the new holiday,” according to a news release.

Unless those 3,000+ HR professionals work for businesses in the manufacturing or service sectors (and they surely do not), then this is an incredibly short-sighted attitude, especially coming on the heels of this article from only a week ago, which claimed exactly the opposite.

Employers may be concerned about lost productivity from Ontario’s new Family Day, but one expert says the Feb. 18 statutory holiday could pay off in the long run.

Roderic Beaujot, a sociology professor at the University of Western Ontario, says employees are working more hours these days and that could lead to burnout and early retirement.

He adds that working fewer hours doesn’t have much effect on productivity or unemployment, but can make a big difference to work-life balance.

It’s baffling that North America has been so slow to adopt what much of the rest of the first world has already come to realize: working a lot does not necessarily translate into increased profits, nor is it the sign of a more committed workforce. Will our employers ever get the message?

Photo by rosefirering. Licensed under Creative Commons

Regardless of how you view the generational breakdown — you can see how this blog breaks down the divide on the about page; you’re Gen Y if you were born after 1980ish — most people tend to agree that this new generation of worker is at the very least significantly different than any that have come before. Some people see those differences as negative — as narcissism, unruly or (and maybe this is just an Australian thing) dangerously violent — while others take a more positive approach. Regardless, change is coming, and employers all over the world need to prepare themselves for this new generation of worker.

What follows is a list a ten changes Gen Y is going to demand of their managers and bosses. They may not do so vocally — many times, they’ll simply voice their displeasure with their feet (by leaving, not by kicking you in the face) — but, over time, the messages below will be heard by anyone who owns or manages a company.
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