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Vancouver Sun
43 minutes ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
A no-brainer': Some bosses happily giving staff Monday off along with Canada Day
Anyone who works Monday to Friday and is keen for a long weekend this Canada Day has likely had to do a bit of calendar juggling to cope with the ill-timed holiday. The stat day falls on a Tuesday this year, forcing many to work an odd Monday squeezed between days off, unless they burn a vacation day to eliminate the wonky schedule. Some startup companies say they're calling Monday a wash and giving staff a paid day off in order to smooth out the mid-week quirk and create a long weekend. It might not make sense on paper, said Klarify founder Moody Abdul, but he said he believes in prioritizing employee happiness. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'It's that, 'if I take care of you, you'll take care of us' kind of mentality,' Abdul said. Connecting the Canada Day holiday to the preceding weekend is just one way to demonstrate worker appreciation, said Abdul, whose company provides AI-driven note-taking and administrative tools to therapists. For those in Quebec, it's the second holiday Tuesday in a row, after Saint-Jean Baptiste Day on June 24 forced many Fete nationale celebrants to grapple with their own odd workweek. But with Canada Day following so close behind, it's not uncommon for Quebecers to take the whole week off between the two holidays, much the way many treat the stretch between Christmas and New Year's. Of course not every employer can offer such accommodations, and full-time workers with less shift leeway will have to choose to take a vacation day or just make do with an odd schedule next week. Ani Siddique, a research assistant at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, said he asked far in advance for Monday off in order to get ahead of colleagues with the same idea. 'I had to ask for it but I planned for things one or two months in advance,' he said. Morad Affifi, who sat in a downtown park after a shift Friday, said the majority of his planned Canada Day festivities take place over the weekend but he, too, dipped into his vacation bank to avoid working Monday. Suze Mason, co-founder of the digital health platform Sprout Family, said her five staff members have the Monday off and she didn't expect the move to have much of an operational impact on her company. Sprout Family helps co-ordinate fertility care through workplace benefits programs. She said many of its clients, including larger Canadian organizations, plan to treat Monday like a holiday. 'It felt like it was the right business decision to give our employees a day to rest and recharge, while also not having as much of a direct impact on the business,' Mason said. Mason said extending the holiday to match that of the companies Sprout Family works with can also make it easier for staff to disconnect, knowing they aren't missing out on anything crucial. 'Sometimes when you're on vacation and the business is racing ahead without you, it can feel stressful,' she said. Vineet Johnson, founder and CEO of IRegained, said he's made it a recurring practice to bridge awkward gaps between days off when they occur. Johnson, whose company develops neuro-rehabilitation devices, said he did the same last December when Boxing Day fell on a Thursday and otherwise would have forced people to return to work for just one day before the weekend. 'It's an easy incentive, a no-brainer incentive,' said Johnson. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Global News
2 hours ago
- Business
- Global News
‘A no-brainer': Some bosses happily giving staff Monday off along with Canada Day
Anyone who works Monday to Friday and is keen for a long weekend this Canada Day has likely had to do a bit of calendar juggling to cope with the ill-timed holiday. The stat day falls on a Tuesday this year, forcing many to work an odd Monday squeezed between days off, unless they burn a vacation day to eliminate the wonky schedule. Some startup companies say they're calling Monday a wash and giving staff a paid day off in order to smooth out the mid-week quirk and create a long weekend. It might not make sense on paper, said Klarify founder Moody Abdul, but he said he believes in prioritizing employee happiness. 'It's that, 'if I take care of you, you'll take care of us' kind of mentality,' Abdul said. Story continues below advertisement 1:40 Busy travel weekend ahead of Canada Day Connecting the Canada Day holiday to the preceding weekend is just one way to demonstrate worker appreciation, said Abdul, whose company provides AI-driven note-taking and administrative tools to therapists. For those in Quebec, it's the second holiday Tuesday in a row, after Saint-Jean Baptiste Day on June 24 forced many Fête nationale celebrants to grapple with their own odd workweek. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy But with Canada Day following so close behind, it's not uncommon for Quebecers to take the whole week off between the two holidays, much the way many treat the stretch between Christmas and New Year's. 2:24 Lethbridge jam-packed with summer events ahead of Canada Day Of course not every employer can offer such accommodations, and full-time workers with less shift leeway will have to choose to take a vacation day or just make do with an odd schedule next week. Story continues below advertisement Ani Siddique, a research assistant at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, said he asked far in advance for Monday off in order to get ahead of colleagues with the same idea. 'I had to ask for it but I planned for things one or two months in advance,' he said. Morad Affifi, who sat in a downtown park after a shift Friday, said the majority of his planned Canada Day festivities take place over the weekend but he, too, dipped into his vacation bank to avoid working Monday. 5:30 A return to music: Anjulie performing at Mississauga Celebration Square's Canada Day Event Suze Mason, co-founder of the digital health platform Sprout Family, said her five staff members have the Monday off and she didn't expect the move to have much of an operational impact on her company. Sprout Family helps co-ordinate fertility care through workplace benefits programs. She said many of its clients, including larger Canadian organizations, plan to treat Monday like a holiday. Story continues below advertisement 'It felt like it was the right business decision to give our employees a day to rest and recharge, while also not having as much of a direct impact on the business,' Mason said. Mason said extending the holiday to match that of the companies Sprout Family works with can also make it easier for staff to disconnect, knowing they aren't missing out on anything crucial. 'Sometimes when you're on vacation and the business is racing ahead without you, it can feel stressful,' she said. Vineet Johnson, founder and CEO of IRegained, said he's made it a recurring practice to bridge awkward gaps between days off when they occur. Johnson, whose company develops neuro-rehabilitation devices, said he did the same last December when Boxing Day fell on a Thursday and otherwise would have forced people to return to work for just one day before the weekend. 'It's an easy incentive, a no-brainer incentive,' said Johnson. -With files from Natasha Baldin in Toronto.
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘A no-brainer': Some bosses happily giving staff Monday off along with Canada Day
TORONTO – Anyone who works Monday to Friday and is keen for a long weekend this Canada Day has likely had to do a bit of calendar juggling to cope with the ill-timed holiday. The stat day falls on a Tuesday this year, forcing many to work an odd Monday squeezed between days off, unless they burn a vacation day to eliminate the wonky schedule. Some startup companies say they're calling Monday a wash and giving staff a paid day off in order to smooth out the mid-week quirk and create a long weekend. It might not make sense on paper, said Klarify founder Moody Abdul, but he said he believes in prioritizing employee happiness. 'It's that, 'if I take care of you, you'll take care of us' kind of mentality,' Abdul said. Connecting the Canada Day holiday to the preceding weekend is just one way to demonstrate worker appreciation, said Abdul, whose company provides AI-driven note-taking and administrative tools to therapists. For those in Quebec, it's the second holiday Tuesday in a row, after Saint-Jean Baptiste Day on June 24 forced many Fête nationale celebrants to grapple with their own odd workweek. But with Canada Day following so close behind, it's not uncommon for Quebecers to take the whole week off between the two holidays, much the way many treat the stretch between Christmas and New Year's. Of course not every employer can offer such accommodations, and full-time workers with less shift leeway will have to choose to take a vacation day or just make do with an odd schedule next week. Ani Siddique, a research assistant at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, said he asked far in advance for Monday off in order to get ahead of colleagues with the same idea. 'I had to ask for it but I planned for things one or two months in advance,' he said. Morad Affifi, who sat in a downtown park after a shift Friday, said the majority of his planned Canada Day festivities take place over the weekend but he, too, dipped into his vacation bank to avoid working Monday. Suze Mason, co-founder of the digital health platform Sprout Family, said her five staff members have the Monday off and she didn't expect the move to have much of an operational impact on her company. Sprout Family helps co-ordinate fertility care through workplace benefits programs. She said many of its clients, including larger Canadian organizations, plan to treat Monday like a holiday. 'It felt like it was the right business decision to give our employees a day to rest and recharge, while also not having as much of a direct impact on the business,' Mason said. Mason said extending the holiday to match that of the companies Sprout Family works with can also make it easier for staff to disconnect, knowing they aren't missing out on anything crucial. 'Sometimes when you're on vacation and the business is racing ahead without you, it can feel stressful,' she said. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Vineet Johnson, founder and CEO of IRegained, said he's made it a recurring practice to bridge awkward gaps between days off when they occur. Johnson, whose company develops neuro-rehabilitation devices, said he did the same last December when Boxing Day fell on a Thursday and otherwise would have forced people to return to work for just one day before the weekend. 'It's an easy incentive, a no-brainer incentive,' said Johnson. -With files from Natasha Baldin in Toronto. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025.
Daily Record
11 hours ago
- Daily Record
Shop staff share terror as meat cleaver thug launched attack before £2k till raid
Police have launched a probe after £2,000 was stolen from the Premier Bathville store in Armadale, West Lothian, at around 8.15pm on Thursday. A terrified shopkeeper was left in tears after a meat cleaver thug burst into a corner shop with a huge blade and demanded money from the till. Police have launched a probe after £2,000 was stolen from the Premier Bathville store in Armadale, West Lothian, at around 8.15pm on Thursday. Shop owner Abdul Manan, 27, has told how the balaclava-clad brute was seen in CCTV waiting at a bus stop outside the shop for half an hour as he carefully planned out the sinister attack. He then barged into the store, holding the meat cleaver above his head, as he pushed a member of staff with force and said "open your till now, empty it". Speaking to the Record, Abdul said: "It was my staff member Atta that was on when it happened. "He was terrified. He phoned me straight away and just started crying apologising to me, saying he should have stopped him. "I told him, don't worry. He did the right thing. All I wanted to know was that he was okay. "We don't want somebody getting hurt just for some money. That's not going to happen. He is still very shaken up, though." In CCTV footage captured in the shop, the thug can be seen with his face covered by a black balaclava and wearing a grey and black tracksuit top, with grey joggers and grey Adidas trainers. He is shown entering the store with the large meat cleaver and pushing Atta - who was tidying up newspapers at the time - against a shelf of vapes. The thug then threatens the terrified worker, directing the meat cleaver towards him and forcing him to open the till. Brave Atta can be seen calmly standing at the side of the robber before he makes off with nearly £2,000 in cash. Abdul said: " The police came out within five minutes and forensic officers were here until 2am checking for fingerprints and DNA. "It's quite disgusting. It was a very big meat cleaver he had. I've seen kitchen knives before but never this. "We are working hard and times are tough as it is - but for things like this to happen, it's devastating." Abdul says the shop will be hit hard by the robbery and the till will now be emptied every half an hour. He added: "I don't think there is any chance we will get this money back. Even if they catch the guy, I don't think we will get it back. "It will affect us. We were running short as it was but we will just need to work it out. "These guys just think they can get away with it - that's why they keep doing it. "I just hope the police catch him now so he can't target anyone else." A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Police received a report of a robbery at a premises on Lower Bathville in Armadale around 8.20pm on Thursday, June 26, 2025. 'A man threatened staff with a weapon before stealing approximately £2,000 in cash and running off. No-one was injured. 'Officers attended and enquiries are ongoing to trace the man.'
Daily Record
09-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Strictly Come Dancing's Oti Mabuse re-lives trauma of having to touch her baby through glass
The Dancing On Ice judge visited a neonatal clinic for the first time since her daughter's traumatic birth, while supporting a UNICEF programme in Africa. Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse has relived the traumatic experience of giving birth to her baby early after jetting out 3,000 miles to west Africa to meet with mums nursing their premature little ones. The 34-year-old professional dancer returned to a neonatal unit for the first time since she went through a tough 16-hour labour with her daughter, who arrived two months early, weighing just 3lbs in 2023. Oti's baby girl spent the next six weeks in intensive care at University College London Hospital after she was born with an infection and the Strictly star also developed sepsis. Both baby and mum recovered but the Dancing On Ice judge revealed her intense trauma after visiting a UNICEF-funded specialist clinic in Ivory Coast Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) in Africa. In the city of Abidjan she witnessed how premature babies are receiving critical life-saving treatment and daily care including a UNICEF programme called "Kangaroo Mother Care" which promotes the importance of skin-on-skin contact. Opening up about her own traumatic experience, Oti said: 'I remember the only way I could touch my child and have skin-on-skin was through this glass window – there's no mother who wants to experience that.' According to UNICEF, an estimated 4.8 million children died globally in 2024 before reaching their fifth birthday, including 2.3 million newborns who died within the first 28 days of life, the Mirror reports. In Cote D'Ivoire, lack of access to specialised care is one of the reasons that prematurity is the leading cause of death for children under five. In Abidjan, the UNICEF team offers breastfeeding support clinics and regular check-ups until the babies are of age to attend school alongside locally made loin cloth slings, so mothers remain in close contact with their babies. At the hospital, Oti spoke with Ouattara, a mother whose first baby was born prematurely and needed critical care. Sadly, her baby died six days later due to the lack of access to specialised support. Thankfully, her second baby, Abdul, who was also born prematurely, was rushed to the UNICEF centre where they stayed for three weeks to get the care and attention they needed. Two years on, Abdul is a healthy and happy little boy. The Strictly star also visited a UNICEF-supported foster care home, where the organisation supports children providing food and ensuring they stay in education or have vocational training. There, she met Madame Massandje, who has been trained by UNICEF to identify kids living on the streets and offer them safety and shelter in her own home. Madame Massandje currently has 15 children in her care as a result - four girls and eleven boys aged three to fifteen. Speaking about her inspiring trip ahead of Soccer Aid for UNICEF, Oti said: 'Visiting Côte d'Ivoire with UNICEF UK showed me the first-hand impact of the importance of vital care for children and their parents - especially for those that are born prematurely. "My own baby was born prematurely, so seeing the work and meeting mums like Ouattara brought everything home. I know how vital that care and support is in those early days. Worldwide an estimated 4.8 million children died before reaching their fifth birthday in 2024 - deaths that were mostly preventable. "I also met incredible foster carers like Madame Massandje, who are changing children's lives and helping give them the start in life they deserve. These experiences showed me the real difference donations make. That's why I'm so proud to be part of Soccer Aid for UNICEF - to help give every child a safe, healthy start in life.' Oti's trip will be broadcasted in a UNICEF appeal film which will feature during Soccer Aid for UNICEF on Sunday June 15. It will be broadcasted on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player at 6pm. This year, thanks to the Children's Investment Fund Foundation, every donation you make to Soccer Aid for UNICEF will be doubled – up to £5 million.
