GS Connect Canada Newsletter - 2nd Edition - Fall 2023

Connect G Canada

NEWSLETTER Edition 2/ Fall/Winter 2023

F R O M

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Connect G Canada NEWSLETTER

End of Year Message

As we approach the end of this challenging year, I want to express my gratitude for the resilience and dedication each of you has shown.

The obstacles we faced were formidable, but our collective strength has been truly inspiring. In the face of adversity, our team has demonstrated unwavering commitment, adaptability, and compassion. Your hard work and perseverance have not gone unnoticed, and I am proud to lead such an exceptional group. As we reflect on the trials of the past year, let us also focus on the valuable lessons learned and the bonds forged as a team. I have complete confidence in our team’s ability to overcome challenges and build a brighter future together.

When we look forward at the coming year, I see the promise of new opportunities and renewed hope. With your continued dedication and the positive energy that defines us, I am confident that we will not only navigate the path ahead but also emerge stronger and more united as One Team.

Jasmin Dugal General Manager

Thank You for your continued efforts, and may the upcoming year bring success, prosperity, and happiness to each and every one of you.

Wishing you a restful holiday season, creating beautiful memories with your loved ones and a Happy New Year.

Warm Regards, Jasmin Dugal General Manager

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M A R K E T I N G

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News from the Marketing Department Revamped storefronts in Amazon for Lagostina and Rowenta brands Why is it important to update our Brand’s communication on Amazon’s storefronts?

This is the reason!

Visitors

Views

Units Sold

Sales

5,195 589

13,646 $71,761.08

Data from Nov 1st – 30th

Our new and impactful communication strategy will not only reach our audience but also drive significant sales.

Rowenta’s Amazon Storefront Visitors

Views

Units Sold

Sales

2,700 306

4,863 $36,438.18

Data from Nov 1st – 30th

All-Clad and T-fal are next by EOY!

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Communication Campaign:

Social Media / Ads / Influencers Amazon Influencer Gifting Boxes

Affiliate Influencer Posts

Sent Amazon 40 Pure Pops to include in their ‘back to school’ boxes that they sent to influencers.

Partnered with 2 fashion influencer who developed reels to show Pure Pop in action and drive purchases to Amazon.

Making Pure Pop BIG on TikTok!

Educational content / Brand Awareness

Pure Pop Social Media Ads Linking to Amazon.ca

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Excellence Ceramic Social Media, Influencer, CRM & Website Launch Support To generate awareness & excitement for our new ceramic range in the market we put together a Social, Web, CRM & Influencer campaign to help educate consumers on what cooking with ceramic is all about.

The focus of this launch is to educate consumers on sustainability and how this cookware range makes a positive impact.

Recipe content Recipe videos that demonstrate ease of use and non-stick properties of ceramic cookware!

Educational Content Focused on product features & what makes ceramic unique

M A R K E T I N G

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Website Education on T-fal.ca

CRM Content for T-fal Database

M A R K E T I N G

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Activating social media for All-Clad Organic Influencer Campaign

Giveaway partnering with Taste Toronto

S A L E S

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News from the Sales Department

+ 2.5 x Sales Compared to 2022

Congratulations Team! Great Job!

E V E N T S

Customer Service Appreciation Week

October 2nd – October 6th During the week of October 2nd – October 6th we celebrated our Front-Line Teams with a series of events including games, team building activities, demonstrations, presentations and a closing luncheon.

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E V E N T S

Operations Team #1 BBQ October 11th

The Operations Team hosted an end of season BBQ with tons of amazing food for all!

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E V E N T S

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International International Potluck Potluck & & World Cup Cup Foosball Foosball Tournament Tournament World October 17th We are proud to have such a diverse team! Our International Potluck & World Cup of Foosball was a huge success. We enjoyed a multitude of dishes from 17 different countries around the world! Portugal, represented by Christina Cummings, was the winner of the World Cup Foosball Tournament.

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HALLOWEEN Costume Contest October 31st

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We celebrated Halloween with our annual costume contest. This year we voted for the “scariest”, “funniest” and most “creative” It was a spooktacular event!

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Month of Giving

October 16th – November 17th In commemoration of World Food Day and the Month of Giving we gathered food to donate to the Markham Food Bank. We also wrote down what we were thankful for on our Gratitude Board.

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Holiday Decorating November 23rd

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We kicked off the Holiday season by decorating the office and our workspaces and got everything ready for the Children’s Holiday Party.

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Children's Holiday Party November 26th

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Our annual Children’s Holiday Party was a huge success!

Crafts, Pizza, Gifts and a visit from Santa. This was an event you didn’t want to miss!

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Holiday Gift Exchange December 5th

Our annual holiday gift exchange got everyone in the giving spirit!

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Holiday Social December 13th

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Celebrating the holidays together with a special evening of great food and great company!

E V E N T S

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W E L L N E S S

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HealthOne Holiday Food Workshop December 5th

Holistic Nutritionist Emily Dawson, from HealthOne, showed us how to make scrumptious festive treats while sharing some nutrition tips along the way. The Team helped make a delicious raw cacao chocolate bark with pomegranate seeds, coconut and dried cranberries and coconut snowballs without the guilt! Everyone left with the recipes and a sample to take home!

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Manulife Employee and Family Assistance Program

W E L L N E S S

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Setting Healthy Holiday Boundaries for Stress-Free Celebrations This year, in the spirit of practicing kindness and finding joy, we invite you to think about how understanding the importance of setting and maintaining healthy boundaries is a gift of self-compassion that may be long overdue.

This article explores how embracing the concept of creating boundaries to address social commitments and family dynamics can help you better manage people-pleasing pressure. You can reclaim your peace and maintain routines over the holidays. Realizing this can be incredibly liberating. You’re not alone: we’ll guide you on how to identify, communicate, and protect your personal limits. With clear boundaries, you can have more meaningful and enjoyable holiday celebrations.

Boundaries are important

Healthy boundaries can reduce stress by limiting what make us feel overwhelmed. These can take the form of something as simple as maintaining regular routines. This can help us prioritize self-care, positively affecting our mental health because it helps us focus on finding joy instead of feeling frustrated or overwhelmed.

Identifying your boundaries

Different events, relationships, and individuals can trigger underlying emotional and psychological responses for some of us. Recognizing and understanding how these are associated with stressful experiences can help us see the root causes of some of our struggles. We can begin to heal when we welcome the opportunity to take a different approach and confidently express ideas that are good for us.

When you identify a trigger, try focusing on being conscious and aware of the sensations and movement you feel in your body as you respond to the stress of a tense interaction. Pay attention to how that stress expresses itself in your body.

Once you can understand this mind-body connection, your awareness puts you in the position of being able to let it go.

Start by exploring your thoughts and pinpointing where you started to feel uneasiness or discomfort in your body. What did you instinctively want to do in that moment? Reflect on these sensations so you can understand your comfort zones and limits.

Relationships can be complicated, and during stressful times, like holidays, when extra pressures and expectations arise, we can start to feel like we are losing control and balance in our lives.

That’s where setting boundaries can help. Next, consider what could be different in that same expeWhen we establish and maintain clear rience that would not have upset you. Try to be specific. boundaries for ourselves, we are taking Were there words that caused your reaction? What actions steps to “define what is appropriate or activities happened? behavior in our relationships” that can help us protect our well-being so we feel Don’t rush the process: take the time you need to underssafe.1 tand. Then, consider what parts of life you find draining

W E L L N E S S rather than uplifting. Finally, think about what makes you “feel safe, supported and valued?”2

Tips for setting boundaries that you can keep

If you’ve never operated with boundaries before, taking steps to set clear ones can make you feel a bit uncomfortable initially. Pay attention to how you feel in different situations. You also may find it difficult to say no to people. One approach that could be helpful is to use what is referred to as “I” statements to clearly “express yourself without blaming, threatening or misleading others.”3

Here’s what an “I” statement looks like:

I feel (you describe the feeling) when (this happens) because (the reason).

You can even express what you need from the person or situation.

I need (you describe what you need to feel safe), or I would rather if (suggest the preferred behaviour).

Setting boundaries using “I” statements helps to:

1. Express your needs clearly without causing someone to feel defensive.

2. Be assertive.

3. Use languag e that is empathetic and avoids blaming or accusations.

4. Keep things short and specific.

5. Offer alternatives or compromises that can build goodwill.

This takes careful practice but is quite effective in modelling a healthy dialogue that is not based on making assumptions and doesn’t degrade into an argument or become competitive.

Here are some examples of “I” statements you could make to set boundaries for some of these common challenges:

Time

It stresses me out when you ask me to arrive at your house early in the morning because waking the kids and getting them ready is difficult. I need you to understand that we also need some time at home to do our things and celebrate in our own way. I’d rather if we could discuss what time works best for everyone.

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Taking on tasks

I feel upset when you ask me to prepare a dish you would like me to bring to dinner a certain way, as I have modified the recipe to make it healthier. I need you to be open to tasting and enjoying how I make it without offering comments or comparing it to your recipe.

Emotions or happiness

I feel frightened when you leave the room angrily and comment that no one appreciates what you do for the family or offers to help you because I don’t believe this is true. I need you to realize that we are gathered to enjoy each other’s company. We can be involved in catching up with people we haven’t seen in a while. I would rather if you were to ask for help and accept it from anyone who offers. It doesn’t always need to be me.

How to deal with adverse reactions to your new boundaries

Anticipating others’ responses helps you manage your expectations and maintain boundaries. It takes time to recognize that we can express anger/disappointment to other adults without feeling that we need to curate their reactions.

Managing your emotional response to other people’s behaviour is a way to help you stay firm about your boundaries respectfully. You should be clear and reassert them if people ignore your boundaries. It’s okay to indicate the actions you must take if your boundaries continue to be violated. Adults understand that there are consequences for their actions. Suppose you have reminded others of your boundaries, and they continue to ignore them. In that case, you might need to re-evaluate the relationship or your desire to participate in an event with that person. It would help to recognize the negative consequences of compromising boundaries yourself. You’re undermining the self-care and self-compassion you’ve demonstrated in creating them, leaving you open to receiving the damage associated with the stressors you were trying to avoid.

Practicing self-compassion

Self-compassion involves treating yourself with kindness, understanding and forgiveness, especially in difficult circumstances. It consists of the ability to see yourself as you would a good friend rather than being judgemental or critical of your actions.

W E L L N E S S When you are in the process of establishing healthy boundaries, you may start to feel guilty. That’s okay. It shows that you think with deep purpose. You can also feel anxious about upholding your boundaries, which may lead you towards negative self-talk, which can, in turn make you resigned that this is the way things are and alternatives are impossible. Going there is dangerous.

Self- compassion should be equivalent to a life-saving measure you wouldn’t question.

Taking care of yourself means that you are:

• Being authentic.

• Expressing ideas that are good and protective for you with confidence.

When you decide to sacrifice your boundaries to merely keep the peace, you undermine the work you’ve done for self-awareness and self-compassion.

Suppose you are trying to preserve your sense of self-compassion. In that case, affirming your beliefs through a mantra or meditation that you can recite can be helpful. Here are two that can help reinforce your strength and keep you pointed in the right direction:4

How can counselling play a role in helping you set boundaries?

Counselling can help you prepare for challenging interactions and dynamics that have the potential to create stress responses. You can often find greater success and confidence by talking through triggers and anticipated reactions and even exploring role play.

This can be a powerful way to explore your feelings and address apprehensions. It lets you become more attuned to what’s being said, the emotions you could feel in the moment, and, simultaneously, become aware of non-verbal elements that could affect you.

Walking through a potential situation with a counsellor can help you learn about and practice positive coping strategies, rather than feeling vulnerable and reacting impulsively.

Ideally, you want to recognize that seeking support can be an effective way to help you build emotional resilience, create healthier relationships, and avoid retreating into resignation.

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With healthy boundaries, the freedom that comes with encouraging, prioritizing and practicing self-care and assertiveness offers you the potential to experience more happiness during the holiday season and year-round.

“ My life is for me, not for others.

I deserve to make decisions that make me happy.”

1. “My life is for me, not for others. I deserve to make decisions that make me happy.”

2. “I’m allowed to say ‘no’ to protect my energy and time.”

1. Chatmon, Benita, PhD, MSN, RN, CNE. (2020 August 19). Males and Mental Health Stigma. American Journal of Men’s Health.

Retrieved August 29, 2023 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7444121/ 2. Ibid.

3. Duran, Andres, LPCC. (n.d.) How Mental health Stigma Impacts Men. Sage Neuroscience Centre. Retrieved August 29, 2023 from https://sageclinic.org/blog/stigma-impacts-men/ 4. Hodge, Kayne. (2023, June 16). Gender Roles and Their Impact on Depression: Beyond the Surface. Mental Health Centre.

Retrieved August 29, 2023 from https://www.mentalhealthcenter.org/ gender-roles-and-depression/#:~:text=Boys%20are%20often%20encouraged%20to,to%20the%20development %20of%20depression

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Wellness Seminar:

H U M A N

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R E S O U R C E S

NEWSLETTER

AAI Campaign starts on January 15th , 2024

Guide to the AAI form What to prepare and how?

My performance over the year Goals (in line with the goals of your « AAI » or the last « Goals setting form »)

1

For each goal in the past year Have I passed all the milestones to reach my goal?

How have I achieved them ?

Have I exceeded expectations?

Do I have any goals still in progress?

Suggest an evaluation of the level of achievement for each goal

TIP: a goal may be carried forward in the future goals " section

Future Goals In the past year's goals: identify ongoing / recurring projects to be continued Identify my goal "type" in my iGrow goal library.

Identify and propose new projects or activities Suggest an area for improvement (to make progress in your current job or to prepare for the next one) For each goal, suggest achievement milestones

Taking up and developing proposals made in the " Training & development (PDI)" section.

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Optional: My tools / My skills repositories Professional abilities With the professional abilities matrix (« skills matrix ») : Identify your professional abilities Identify your strengths Identify areas for improvement Be able to illustrate your key achievements, if any Suggest how to make progress (through practice, management coaching, training, etc.)

2

1 + 1 = 2 TIP: These suggestions will be later used to build a development plan to be better on your position.

You will describe that plan inthe " Training & development (PDI)" section

Managerial / Behavioral competencies (Link to the « MCM » / « BCC ») With the managerial / behavioral competencies model: Identify your soft skills Identify your strengths Identify areas for improvement Be able to illustrate their key achievements, if any Pr Suggest how to make progress (through practice, management coaching, training, etc.)

2

These actions will be used to build your development on your position and follow it in the "professional interview ( section.

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Central: My development

1 + 2 =3

Training & development My Individual Development Plan (IDP) Have I filled and updated my internal resume ?

I look to the short term and longer term: What do I really want to do? What direction do I really want to go in?

Am I ready to take on a new position immediately or in the medium term?

What direction do I want my career to take?

What position(s) can I envisage? reference system « skills & jobs mapping») available here; What do I want to do next?

On my current job: What skills or expertise can I call on?

What skills do I need to strengthen to prepare for a future position?

How can I progress in my job (through practice, training, etc.)?

How can I prepare for my next position (practical experience, training, etc.)

Revision of current " goals " identified in the " goals ( section

Taking up the proposals made in the assessment of "professional abilities"and "behavioral/managerial competencies”

Use your appraisals of your goals, your proposed future goals and your AAI skills repositories to answer the development related questions in the "Training & development ( section and formulate your Individual Developmen t Plan (IDP).

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Groupe SEB Canada joined in the initiative with Salvation Army during Charity week supporting vulnerable families across Canada through a Clothing and Household donation drive. Two pallets of donated items were picked up by The Salvation Army. Thanks to our Groupe SEB Canada team who helped in contributing to change the lives of hundreds of families to enjoy during the Holidays!

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You are

doing

awe ome

Q3 Employee Recognition Program

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New Partner

Best Wishes for our Colleagues October/November/December Birthdays & Anniversaries October Yuelong Liu

October

05

November

November

Jeffrey Shum Anwar Ahmad Nathalie Ngoyi Deborah Lemay Ana Cadavid Tracey Morris Tanya Murdoch Kyriakoulla Rytwinski

06 12 13 15 19 25 26 28

December

December

Amy Westcott Cecil Mendes Rebecca Raghubeer Munmun Das

06 13 23 26

H U M A N

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Work anniversaries

1 3

ADRIAN CHANG NATASHA SINGH

10/03 10/17

MANAS PAI

11/02

year

years

6 9 22 26

FERNANDA PEREIRA 11/20 INSERRA MENDES

years

WILLIAM PETERS

11/03

RAYMOND PANG

11/19

KAMRAN KHAN

11/10

years

years

years

HAPPY

NEW YEAR