John Beaton is an associate professor & Chair of the Family Relations & Applied Nutrition Department at the University Guelph. His new research project, Men's Health, Fatherhood and Cancer, conducted under the auspices of the Centre for Families Work and Well-Being, reflects a combination of John's main research interests: fatherhood and men's health. The focus of Men's Health, Fatherhood and Cancer will be a qualitative research project designed to increase understanding of the strategies men with cancer and their families use to manage the impacts of the illness, with particular attention to how men conduct self-care and the effectiveness of existing programs that support men in self-care. The project will also incorporate a recognition and understanding of men's multiple roles (father, spouse, provider, patient) in the development of innovative health promotion and supportive care strategies for men with cancer.
Dr. Beaton will conduct focus groups and interviews with fathers with cancer and will also establish a Working Group on Men with Cancer comprised of clients, decision-makers and academic research. "The Working Group's role will be to engage men, health professionals and community support groups in discussion that will generate more research and outreach activities," Beaton explains.
Dr. Beaton has been with the University of Guelph's Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition since 2002. His previous affiliation with the Centre for Families Work and Well-Being, included participation in the Father Involvement Research Alliance's recent CURA (Community University Research Alliance) project where he was part of the Thematic Analysis Group, and the Fathers of Special Needs Group.
Margo Hilbrecht joined the Centre for Families Work and Well-Being as a postdoctoral fellow in September 2009. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo in Recreation and Leisure Studies. Her graduate research focused on time use and work-life integration as it pertains to non-traditional work arrangements, gender and leisure. These interests included perceptions of time pressure and stress associated with the coordination of employment, school, and leisure activities in families with school-age children.
Dr. Hilbrecht’s postdoctoral research is a qualitative study on the social and health consequences of unpredictable work schedules. The purpose of the study is two-fold:
• to develop a better understanding of the effects of irregular or unpredictable work schedules on family life for parents with school-age children; and
• to determine ways in which parents cope with unpredictable work schedules in order to offset the potentially negative effects on family functioning and quality of life
Julia Richardson is a professor of human resources management (HRM) at York University's School of Administrative Studies. Her interest is in the international dimensions of business and career development such as internationally mobile employees and individuals who independently choose to pursue a career across international boundaries.
Many of Dr. Richardson's research interests focus in one way or another on flexible work arrangements, particularly contemporary trends towards flexible work practices like telecommuting and "flexwork." Therefore, she was an ideal person to partner with CFWW's Donna Lero and Karen Korabik on a major research review of costs and benefits of work-life balance policies for employers.
This research review, conducted for the Canadian Association of Administrators of Labour Legislation (CAALL), an association of federal-provincial-territorial departments of labour and heads of occupational safety and health agencies, came about as the result of an ad-hoc committee on work-life balance established by Canadian provincial Ministries of Labour in 2008.
The resulting report, entitled, Cost-Benefit Review of Work-Life Balance Practices - 2009, provides a critical, in-depth analysis of academic, policy and business literature on the costs and benefits of work-life balance practices for employers.
"It was a very challenging project, but it was great fun to work with Donna and Karen and I believe our report is superb," says Richardson. "I would be happy to work with the Centre for Families Work and Well- Being in the future.
Wednesday, March 10
A new article from Statistics Canada looks at long-distance caregivers - adults who care for an aging parent who lives far away. read more...
Tuesday, February 23
New study published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews links flexible work arrangements with modest improvements in health status. read more...
Sunday, January 31
A new Canadian qualitative study provides insight into the strategies home-based workers use to create boundaries between their home and work lives. read more...
This study examined challenges to financial security faced by self-employed women when their earnings are interrupted after childbirth/adoption or for personal or family health reasons. Policy mechanisms that could promote greater economic security for… read more...
The project, funded by Human Resources and Social Development Canada, undertaken with an advisory committee of seniors from five Ontario communities, sought to identify and raise awareness about issues, services and supports related to elderabuse.… read more...