and see fuller French language version at end.
Ready for a long labour dispute Mister Lacroix?
Or fix the bosses now and give a direction that
works with the staff, and the public will enjoy.
Distress common at CBC
Employee survey describes 'troubled' work environment
By PETER ZIMONJIC, NATIONAL BUREAU
Edmonton Sun
CBC workers abused, threatened
Employee survey describes 'troubled' work environment
Almost half of CBC's 10,000 employees suffer from "high levels" of
psychological distress related to their working conditions, according to a
2005 "wellness" survey of 4,630 staff obtained through the Access to
Information Act.
The survey, which cost an estimated $100,000, asked employees questions
related to psychological health, harassment, working conditions and job
satisfaction.
The results describe a "troubled" working environment where 44% of staff
displayed symptoms of high-level psychological distress. Nine out of 10
afflicted workers said it was related to their work. Those classified as
distressed also took twice as many sick days.
When it came to harassment, 12% of staff said they had endured abusive
comments, rude gestures and even death threats from their fellow employees
and
supervisors.
A short list of comments made by respondents reveal that one of the most
common harassment complaints was: "My boss told my co-workers that he
couldn't
stand me and that he hated me."
The survey was carried out after staff and management noticed a marked
increase in stress levels and a rise in the number of sick days taken.
"It described a troubled atmosphere," Dan Oldfiele, a union spokesman for
CBC
staff, said of the findings. "It was an extremely stressful environment.
(It
showed) that our health costs and absenteeism were increasing (and that)
it
was not an accident."
The stress and harassment has led to poor job satisfaction. A third of CBC
staff said they had a high intention of quitting their jobs. The remaining
two-thirds were satisfied.
Four out of five people questioned said working conditions were physically
uncomfortable, which has resulted in a wide range of physical ailments,
including back pain, neck pain and sleeping disorders.
The re****t concluded by saying staff, regardless of their department, are
at
risk of poor recognition for their work, poor relations with supervisors,
work
overload, conflicts over who does what job, career instability and
substandard
communication within the company.
"The study identified some key areas of concern and obviously we take them
very seriously," said CBC spokeswoman Katherine Heath-Eves.
CBC has now made it mandatory for staff to attend a half-day "respect
seminar"
designed to curb harassment. About 75% of staff members have completed the
seminar.
Heath-Eves also says the CBC hired full-time staff dedicated to making the
workplace comfortable and reducing physical ailments. The CBC now also
provides stress counselling for employees.
The cor****ation has yet to conduct an additional survey to find out if
conditions have improved.
======
While Peter Worthington is unsympathetic.
Sat, August 9, 2008
Mother Corp. blues
CBC staffers should just quit their whining
By PETER WORTHINGTON
If almost half of the CBC's 10,000 employees show signs of high-level
psychological distress and job unhappiness, think of what we CBC listeners
and
viewers go through.
As re****ted by Sun Media, a "wellness" survey at the CBC shows massive job
dissatisfaction, despite CBC employees getting better pay, better
pensions,
and more job security than colleagues in private-sector media.
Some 33% of those participating even indicated they intended to quit their
job
-- but that's likely empty rhetoric, because they're unlikely to get as
good a
deal on the competitive job market these days. Especially media jobs.
Poor dears, some 12% of CBC types said they were treated rudely and meanly
by
fellow employees and their bosses. Some even were "hated" and got death
threats. Their only recourse was to take sick days.
Unhappy campers indeed. Try taking too many sick days in the private
sector
when you're not really sick, and see how long you last.
The survey is enlightening as it is startling, because the CBC is sort of
socialism personified.
Job satisfaction is low because there is no accountability.
Public taste or preference is irrelevant at the CBC, which does its own
thing
without regard to what the public wants.
The Mother Corp. knows best. It force-feeds listeners and viewers with
what it
thinks they deserve. If the public doesn't like it, let them write letters
or
phone Rex Murphy on CBC Radio Sunday afternoons.
That's quintessential socialism.
*****ing by those who work in the media tends to be a normal fact of life.
But
in the private sector, unhappiness is more often related to being unable
to do
the job in a way that the individual finds rewarding.
In the newspaper business, it's tradition for re****ters to grumble if
their
story is spiked: "Damn editors wouldn't know a good story if it jumped up
and
bit them on the butt," is the refrain. When editors play the story big,
the
re****ter praises their judgment.
At the CBC, no one gives a hoot. They live on public money -- money the
rest
of us pay in taxes. The job satisfaction ratio has to be low when it's
only
the bosses and not the public who need to be pleased.
The CBC's early mandate was to help unite Canadians -- a Crown cor****ation
held at arm's length from government. In some ways it has divided and
alienated Canadians more than united them.
When he was PM, Pierre Trudeau (who embodied a lot of socialist ideas),
even
rightly complained the CBC was fostering Quebec separatism.
When she was MP for Vancouver-Kingsway, Hall of Fame journalist Simma Holt
urged that the CBC be sold, calling it "sleazy, mediocre, bad, dangerous
and
divisive."
In the bad old days of the Cold War, the CBC was a favourite for KGB
infiltration or exploitation.
When one CBC type was mentioned in Parliament, he was defended by the
observation that he couldn't be a pawn because he'd won journalistic
awards.
If the CBC had to depend on public sup****t for its income, it might be
more
accountable.
As it is now, it should not be allowed to bid against the private sector.
That
is, not bid for Olympics, hockey, football, because it just raises the
costs.
If the CBC ran quality programs that the private sector found
unprofitable, it
would better justify its huge bureaucracy at public expense. As it is,
endemic
unhappiness at the CBC is unlikely to be cured by mandatory "respect
seminars," soft chairs to relax in or a full-time staff dedicated to
stress
counselling.
Post-traumatic stress disorder at the CBC! What next for employees? Danger
pay?
-----------
http://www.edmontonsun.com/Comment/2008/08/09/6394446-sun.html
======
CBC-RADIO-CANADA
Détresse psychologique
Peter Zimonjic
Sun Media
03-08-2008 | 10h42
Près de la moitié des 10 000 employés de CBC-Radio-Canada souffrent d'un
niveau élevé de détresse psychologique dû à leurs conditions de travail,
d'après un sondage sur le bien-être du personnel datant de 2005. Quelque 4
630
employés de la société d'État ont répondu à ce questionnaire, dont les
résultats ont été obtenus grâce à la Loi sur l'accès à l'information.
Les questions posées lors du sondage - qui a coûté approximativement 100
000 $
- , ****taient sur la santé psychologique, le harcèlement, les conditions
de
travail et la satisfaction au travail. Les résultats font état d'un
environnement de travail pour le moins inquiétant, puisque 44% du
personnel
présente des symptômes de haut niveau de détresse psychologique. Neuf des
10
personnes affectés affirment que leur état de santé est directement lié à
leur
travail. Les employés atteints de détresse psychologique se sont également
absentés deux fois plus souvent que leurs collègues pour cause de maladie.
En matière de harcèlement, 12% des employés soutiennent avoir été victimes
de
commentaires abusifs, de réactions agressives et même de menaces de mort
de la
part de leurs collègues ou supérieurs.
D'après les témoignages recueillis auprès des répondants, l'un des
commentaires le plus fréquemment rap****tés par les employés est celui-ci:
"Mon
patron a dit à mes collègues qu'il ne pouvait plus me sup****ter et qu'il
me
haïssait."
"L'atmosphère était pesante"
Le sondage a été effectué après que le personnel et les gestionnaires
eurent
noté une hausse du stress ambiant et une augmentation de l'absentéisme
pour
cause de maladie.
"Cela prouve que l'atmosphère était pesante. C'était un environnement
extrêmement stressant. Ce n'était pas un hasard si les coûts en santé et
en
absentéisme augmentaient", rappelle Dan Oldfiele, ****te-parole syndical
des
employés de CBC.
Le stress et le harcèlement ont conduit à une piètre satisfaction du
travail
chez les employés. Pas moins du tiers d'entre eux ont indiqué qu'ils
avaient
l'intention de quitter leur emploi. Les deux autres tiers jugeaient
toutefois
leurs conditions satisfaisantes.
Par ailleurs, 20% des personnes interrogées ont affirmé que leurs
conditions
de travail nuisaient à leur confort physique, leur causant divers types de
douleurs comme des maux de dos, de tête et de l'insomnie.
D'après les conclusions du rap****t, le personnel de tous les départements
de
la société d'État est susceptible de souffrir d'une absence de
reconnaissance
au travail, de mauvaises relations avec ses supérieurs, d'une surcharge de
travail, d'une confusion concernant l'attribution des tâches, d'une
instabilité professionnelle et d'une communication déficiente.
Formation et aide psychologique
"L'étude a identifié plusieurs éléments préoccupants et nous les prenons
évidemment très au sérieux", a déclaré la ****teparole de CBC, Katherine
Heath-Eves. L'entreprise publique oblige désormais ses employés à suivre
une
formation sur le respect d'une demi-journée afin de réduire le
harcèlement.
Près des trois quarts du personnel ont déjà suivi leur formation.
CBC-Radio-Canada a également embauché des professionnels à temps plein
pour
s'assurer que les lieux de travail sont confortables et ne génèrent pas de
douleurs physiques. La société d'État fournit aussi à ses employés des
services d'aide psychologique. Il lui reste cependant à mener un nouveau
sondage pour vérifier si ces mesures ont ****té fruit.
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http://www.canoe.
com/divertissement/tele-medias/nouvelles/2008/08/03/6343461-sun.
html?c57bd97f846449ffbbbe603722104f1f
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