I love my job because my job loves me

The new year inevitably brings with it the opportunity to reflect over the past calendar year - to review accomplishments made, goals realized, and to turn to the future with a reset sense of self. On the afternoon of January 1, I had the opportunity to review photos I had taken throughout 2018 and in doing so it quickly became clear that my employer had in many ways positively impacted my life, both personally and professionally.

In January of 2018 I made a commitment to myself and to my wife to improve my personal fitness. This was made easier by the fact that Randstad offers substantial discounts for memberships with GoodLife fitness. I needed a goal though. Weight loss wasn't enough. Enter the 2018 Ride for Myriam, an annual charitable bike ride where riders compete against themselves - setting new goals and striving to reach new personal bests while raising hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to support cancer research and improved patient care. This became even more meaningful when an immediate family member was blindsided by her own personal cancer diagnosis. Through donations and funding like that generated through charitable activities like the Ride for Myriam, she was able to catch it early and made a quick recovery. Other employers have corporate donation accounts and do wonderful work supporting great causes - but how many allow their staff to directly impact change in their communities while building camaraderie across many nations and while hitting new heights on their personal fitness?

In February, I took a lot of photos of my pugs which if anyone knows me even on a basic level, you know they are my children. What's profound about this? After only 3 years with Randstad I was able to enjoy 4 weeks of paid vacation. More time for friends, family, and personal growth.

March brought with it my first ever trip to New York. What's unique about this experience is that during our stay we had the opportunity to wander the shops of upper Manhattan including many on Fifth Avenue. Being a loud and proud supporter of the Randstad brand I was often out and about wearing my bright blue Randstad jacket with the logo featured prominently across the back. While wandering the sales floor in Saks Fifth Avenue, I was approached by a sales consultant who started the interaction by stating simply, "Thank you for the work you do." I asked her what prompted her to reach out. She explained that many of the staff that you see working at the shops throughout Manhattan got their start, or earned new opportunities, by reaching out to the local Randstad office. Here I was being thanked by a stranger while on vacation two time zones and thousands of miles from home because our company made a positive impact in her life. It was an amazing experience and one that filled me with a sense of pride and warmth; the work we do daily makes a real impact with real meaning to thousands of people worldwide every single day. You can't put a price on that.

In April I began training for the aforementioned Ride for Myriam and fundraising in earnest. Thanks to the support of our team throughout Western Canada I was floored to learn that I was among one of the top 3 fundraisers nationwide. What really got to me, though, was how the donations came in. $20 from a candidate here, $30 from a former client there. The support that the community threw behind this initiative filled me with a sense of heartfelt gratitude and reminded me that we're all stronger when we come together as humans. Talk about Human Forward in action. Also, this month Randstad issued new cell phones to all selling Field Staff - over 700 of us. Was this some veiled ploy to have us running around outside of business hours, chasing down leads and filling orders instead of spending time with our children, friends and family or focusing on self-improvement? Not at Randstad. Quite the opposite in fact. The reason Randstad spent tens of thousands of dollars so we could all have phones? So that we would be better equipped to work from home during office hours as needed with the goal of improving the work-life balance of our staff nationwide. Whether it meant we would be better equipped to take the kids to appointments, swap child care, or just avoid a messy commute in one of the many snowstorms we had to look forward to in 2018, the goal was to take care of our people. Our competitors often work 12 hour days and to them I ask why? Is it worth it? You can't put a price on family and peace of mind.

In May I had the pleasure of working a shift at a job fair hosted by the Edmonton Mennonite Center for Newcomers in collaboration with the Edmonton Food Bank. Not sure what to expect, I was initially cautious about the possible outcomes. I was blown away by the quality of the candidates which resulted in our Administrative Support team being able to find 9 candidates immediate placements with top employers in local and provincial Government offices. We were also able to find two under-employed candidates permanent roles with a nationally recognized not-for-profit specializing in providing elite mental health support to society's most vulnerable - individuals literally one missed payment from homelessness, or one more crisis away from suicide. It may sound cliche or like a stretch, but I truly believe that by pairing great people with great organizations, we're not only changing the lives of the employees that find their dream jobs, but also the people they serve on a daily basis. We're literally changing, and in some cases saving, lives in our community.

In June, time started to run out on my training for Ride for Myriam. I had lost 30 pounds since I began pushing myself to train back in March. I was nominated to take part in Fierce Traning - an elite leadership course that transformed the way I approach conflict in the workplace. I had the pleasure of meeting "top potentials," from around the country and to travel to our largest office in Toronto. I couldn't believe that a sales-based organization would be so willing to invest in its people as to take roughly 30 of the nation's top salespeople, transport them from around the country and have them off the floor for two days. In retrospect, I know see that this investment is paying huge dividends - many of the participants across several lines of business have already been promoted to new roles. My role, and the role of my colleague Mike Zackowiecki, didn't exist in May. The training and ongoing development we received gave us the confidence to create a sound business case. We worked to develop the role, at first independently and later in collaboration with one another and today we are both working to share our knowledge and best practices with Randstad's future leaders throughout Western Canada. We realize that we've been afforded opportunities not available elsewhere in the industry. What a gift to not only be able to take charge of our development, but to be heard and be given a platform to shape our future.

In July the Ride for Myriam was quickly approaching. I was confident - I was able to easily ride 80 km daily, several times a week, with 30lbs of weights in my backpack. Uphills were a challenge but damn it, I was going to do it and do it well. I had lost over 30 lbs. I had recovered from a moderate-to-severe auto accident in 2015 where I suffered an intermediate concussion, WAD 2 ligament damage in my neck and upper back, and what will likely be a life-long injury caused by intermediate trauma to my hip. I now know that next time, I'll need to train a lot harder. I was not prepared for the 35 C degree heat before humidity or the mountain hills. Being highly competitive, I felt a sense of shame and embarrassment that I was not always able to keep up with the pack. My team slapped that self-loathing out of me right quick. I was reminded that it wasn't a race - we were all there riding for mothers, sisters, brothers and, in many cases likely our future selves, giving our all to make the lives of cancer survivors better, even if only for a while. I had a conversation with a member of the support group the second day and asked her why she took part in the ride. She told me that she had recently lost her father to cancer and that for her, taking part in the ride in a support capacity helped her feel a sense of peace at the loss, knowing that she was impacting real change and making a difference in the lives of those suffering from cancer. Personally, I was able to make new friends that I would have never had the opportunity to meet. I saw the overwhelming good that our people had in their hearts. Nobody cared how quickly I rode, or whether I needed to take frequent breaks. Everyone, from the CEO to the President to sales people like me were proud of what we were accomplishing. We were there for the right reasons and that is all that mattered when we arrived on the fourth day. I got my ass kicked, sure. But I was never alone, not that it mattered. We raised just under $200 000 for cancer research. Sixty of us. That's over $3 300 per participant.

In August we moved in to our first house. We were able to move out of our condo and into a new neighborhood just down the street. The puppies would finally have a yard! My manager was extremely accommodating, allowing me to take time off, work from home, or use those 4 weeks of vacation days to get things done often with minimal notice. Further my colleagues were very helpful, with Greg Connell making some calls to help me move my vintage 1982 Honda Nighthawk, and Alex NS providing interior design support. The experience reinforced a sense of family with those that I've had the pleasure of working with. All assistance was offered, I didn't have to ask. I'm happy that where I work, colleagues and friends are synonymous. In the fall of 2018, I was fortunate enough to be nominated, and selected, for Randstad's Global Mentorship Program. As an international organization, Randstad identified the need for a network of mentors who would be able to step in and provide ongoing development and support at a moment's notice, further reinforcing the organization's commitment to its people. After passing their training course and completing a series of challenges including the successful mentor-ship of an out-of-market colleague participants will be certified mentors within Randstad. In order to be chosen for this program we needed the support of our management, had to apply to the posting and then had to be selected by the course facilitators. I'm extremely thankful to have been given this opportunity and am excited to have the chance to influence positive, lasting change for my colleagues. All too often organizations are threatened by the success of their staff, favoring the status-quo and being afraid to move top performers from their current roles. I'm currently witnessing this with individuals in my personal life who feel afraid to ask for time off or who feel de-valued and who stress about simple things like asking for time off to cover medical appointments. I see it all too often in my professional circles - employers with struggles attracting and retaining staff, or an employee base that was once excited to show up - and I mean really show up - to work but who became disillusioned, often feeling like there's no point in trying harder because there's not a clearly defined career path. Nobody will invest in me, so why should I try harder? What's the point?

I'm happy to report that after much self-reflection, my career has a point. I can impact change. I can make a difference, not only in my life but in the lives of countless people that come in to my life on a daily basis. I can challenge myself to achieve great things, like losing 30 lbs, reaching new fitness goals, or raising real money for a real charity that touches lives of those suffering with cancer. But most of all, the experience drove home the fact that I am not alone. I am one of over a thousand Canadians showing up and giving their best at Randstad offices nationwide. I can pick up the phone and connect with people that are living their own reality, and who are striving to break through to new heights - who are living with their own daily struggles. Who are making a difference. You can't put a price on the feeling you get when you know you changed a life.

If you're looking for that rush, that sense of purpose or that sense of self worth that comes with knowing your employer has your back, I can assure you that your only regret will be that you didn't reach out yesterday. Connect with us and find out what we mean when we say Human Forward. Let's change lives - starting with yours.