By Rania Nasrallah-Massaad

Silvia Bonaccio, Full professor at the Telfer School of Management, and Ian Telfer Professor of Workplace Psychology, is awarded the Established Researcher Award for 2020. Since joining the Telfer School, she has been fully engaged in ensuring the growth and recognition of the school, actively pursuing administrative duties while driving her research ambitions to producing outstanding contributions to the field of organizational behavior. She has received global recognition for her research expertise, regularly publishing in impactful journals in her field and continuously receiving substantial funding from SSHRC.

Her research interests span the issues of emotions and anxieties in the hiring process and how workplaces can be more inclusive of employees living with disabilities and mental health concerns. One of her latest publications, “The Participation of People with Disabilities in the Workplace Across the Employment Cycle: Employer Concerns and Research Evidence”, provides evidence-based responses to concerns that employers have about people with disabilities. In this paper, Dr. Bonaccio and her colleagues summarize and evaluate the relevant empirical evidence and provide recommendations for organizations committed to creating more effective, equitable, and inclusive workplaces for all individuals. As a result of her comprehensive analysis, she was able to develop a framework to help employers better understand their misconceptions and provide practical recommendations and resources to employers to help support their employees. Her practical insights offer strategies for ensuring true equity in the workplace. Notably, this paper has already been accessed over 25,000 times since its publication. Learn more about her study.

In addition to her research endeavors, she is a significant role model at the Telfer School. She was awarded the University of Ottawa Excellence in Education Prize, and was an invaluable asset to the Telfer PhD program, offering guidance and support to colleagues and PhD students as the program’s first director, a position she occupied for five years. She has been actively involved in working with and teaching graduate students since starting her career at Telfer. For these outstanding contributions and accomplishments, she is well-deserving of the Established Researcher of the Year Award in 2020.

By Lidiane Cunha

The population of seniors has been facing a challenging reality for over a month in Canada and many parts of the world, as a result of strict public health measures designed to protect the most vulnerable from the Covid-19 outbreak. The senior population is advised to practice physical distancing. However, just as their physical wellbeing is at stake at this moment, their social and mental wellbeing have also been a major concern during the COVID-19 crisis.

From tools that monitor and manage seniors’ health conditions to communication platforms that connect seniors with their families and friends, several new technologies can make a major difference for seniors during the COVID-19 crisis if effectively leveraged. But are there challenges in engaging the population of seniors in these technologies? Two researchers from the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management discuss how health information and communication technologies can help the population of seniors overcome the hurdles brought by physical distancing.

Unintended Consequences of Physical Distancing

Although extremely necessary during these unprecedented times, physical distancing may have “unintended consequences” on our senior population. “If seniors are expected to be physically distancing, would this lead to social isolation, and subsequently contribute to faster deterioration in their mental health and frailty?” asks Mirou Jaana, a Full Professor at the Telfer School of Management. She notes that, given the limited interaction that seniors are currently having with the rest of the society, it is important to closely monitor change in their overall health, particularly in the case of seniors living with frailty, chronic diseases, and mental health issues.

Benefits

Home telemonitoring devices for chronic diseases, teleconsultation tools, fall-detection technologies, health applications on smart devices, and several other health information technologies can support elderly patients in managing their health, maintaining their autonomy, and improving their physical and psychological health. Through her research, Professor Jaana examines how many of these technologies can also help elderly patients stay connected to their health care providers and caregivers:

“Health information technologies can be used to ensure that caregivers and health care providers are aware of any changes in the health conditions of seniors, but more than that, during these unprecedented times, technology may also be leveraged to keep seniors connected, mentally stimulated, and reassured that they are not alone,” explains Professor Jaana.

“The ability to communicate and stay connected with loved ones is fundamental to happiness and wellness,” explains Michael Mulvey, Assistant Professor at Telfer and a research collaborator at the LIFE Research Institute. He is part of a team of researchers who examine issues around ageing and quality of life. “A visit, or virtual visit, can be the best medicine to stay positive and add variety to a daily schedule,” he adds.

More than the potential to encourage social connections, some of these technologies can also empower the population of seniors, allowing them to share their life experience and knowledge during a time when our communities would benefit from their invaluable wisdom. “With devices in hand, seniors in long-term care facilities can visit with people anywhere,” explains Professor Mulvey. He also illustrates that “seniors could visit classrooms and be guest speakers in a grade school class or university lecture.”

Challenges

First, these technologies may not be readily available to the population of seniors. “Most retirement residences do not have the equipment and infrastructure, such as reliable Wi-Fi, to deliver this to residents; the duty falls to friends and family who visit,” says Professor Mulvey.

Second, even in contexts when seniors have access to these various technologies like tablets and smart devices, this does not mean that this group of the population is using them optimally to monitor their health and connect with others. In a recent collaborative study involving a national survey in Canada, Professor Jaana found a major gap between awareness and use of these technologies among the senior population:

• 83% of seniors surveyed heard of smart devices or wearables such as smart watches and wristbands, but only 12% of seniors owned at least of one smart device or wearable and were actually using these devices;  
• 50% of the population of seniors used a smartphone or digital tablet, but only 20% of seniors downloaded mobile applications (mostly health Apps).

“This is a further indication that although the population of seniors seems to be familiar with new technologies, these tools are not being fully leveraged so that seniors can connect or share information with their health care providers and caregivers,” explains Professor Jaana.

Solutions?

Despite the abundance and potential benefit of health technologies, their low level of use by seniors is an indication something needs to be changed. Professor Jaana believes that, among other factors, the obstacles imposed by policies and reimbursement restrictions in the past may have fueled this situation. However, the current crisis could accelerate the use of these technologies:

“The COVID-19 crisis has triggered changes long resisted in the health care system in relation to reimbursement for virtual care visits. The introduction of new billing codes by the government for virtual visits is an important step that may hopefully mark the start of a revolutionized era of health care delivery in general, and elderly care, in particular,” explains Professor Jaana.

“Many researchers are committed to finding solutions for some of the underlying challenges that exist in elderly care. For example, two of my fellow researchers at the LIFE Institute have launched a program that will look for solutions to improve elderly care during COVID-19 crisis and beyond,” explains Professor Mulvey.

How businesses are stepping up to support seniors

Tech-businesses are also developing innovative solutions to help the population of seniors better cope with social isolation during the COVID-19 era. Launched by Telfer Alumna, Elizabeth Audette-Bourdeau in 2016, Welbi develops software to support recreation managers at retirement homes in engaging residents daily. The Ottawa-based tech-company also considers improving their software for wellness programming better suited for physical distancing.

Learn more about Welbi.

Mirou Jaana is a Full Professor and director of the PhD program at the Telfer School of Management in the University of Ottawa. Her research focuses on health informatics and health care management. Learn more about her research.

 

Michael Mulvey is an Assistant Professor (tenured) and a research member of the LIFE Research Institute. His research focuses on how products, brands and behaviours gain personal relevance to consumers. Learn more about his research.

 

The COVID-19 crisis has had a major impact on the way we work. Most of us are teleworking, managing major projects remotely, and working with virtual teams. To encourage social interactions, some teams even hold virtual happy hours, tea socials or coffee breaks. Over the past weeks working from home, the line between life and work has blurred significantly, especially for those who must also take on more responsibilities on the home front. How do home-based-workers navigate these distractions and the disconnection brought about by this distance working?

On May 6th, Geneviève Bonin (MBA 1996, Partner, McKinsey & Company), Dr. Jennifer Dimoff (Assistant Professor, Telfer School of Management), Lydia Di Francesco (MBA 2010, CEO, Fit+Healthy 365), Dr. Alexander James Corner (Assistant Professor, Telfer School of Management), and Janeen Speer (Vice-President of Talent, Shopify) shared evidence-based and practical insights around the challenges of working from home during the Covid-19 crisis.

The webinar is now available for viewing:

Working through the COVID-19 Crisis:  Managing in the New Normal

The Telfer School of Management is hosting a series of webinars on managing work and life in the new normal. As part of the Telfer Forum Series, these virtual events are designed to support our community in navigating the current COVID-19 crisis.

Learn more about our Telfer Forums.

The COVID-19 crisis has had a major impact on the global economy, but how is this new reality really affecting Canadian businesses? In this first online Telfer Forum, three experts discuss what our business community, from new ventures to established businesses, needs to do to stay resilient during this unprecedented crisis and to rebound afterwards.

Justine Hendricks (MBA 2004, Senior Vice President, Sustainable Business & Enablement at Export Development Canada), Nick Quain (BCom 1993, Vice President, Venture Development at Invest Ottawa), and Peter Jaskiewicz (Full Professor and University Research Chair in Enduring Entrepreneurship at Telfer School of Management) share evidence-based and practical insights on entrepreneurial resilience from their unique perspectives and experiences in the public and private sectors.

Watch the webinar now:

Working through the COVID-19 Crisis:  Managing in the New Normal

The Telfer School of Management is hosting a series of webinars on managing work and life in the new normal. As part of the Telfer Forum Series, these virtual events are designed to support our community in navigating the current COVID-19 crisis.