Valhalla Private Capital

It looks like the latest impediment to staff en masse has crept upon us as a result of the coronavirus pandemic: introducing brain fog.

According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of adults with a disability rose from less than 15 million before the pandemic to about 16.5 million in September 2023, a number of which are experiencing “serious difficulty” thinking in a condition that has been linked to long Covid.

This particular infliction - defined by Healthline as “a symptom that [...] can cause confusion, memory issues, and a lack of focus” - has reportedly caused adults between their 20s and 40s to struggle with attention and conversation. People older than this age bracket, however, are more likely to experience memory deficits.

Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO at Thrive Global, has reiterated that brain fog can be caused by a range of different factors outside of Covid-19.

Via LinkedIn, she explained: “Even if that’s true, we should remember there are many factors that contribute to cognitive fog, from burnout and a lack of sleep to the gut-brain connection and the role of inflammatory foods in our diet.”

Indeed, Healthline notes six common causes of brain fog: stress, lack of sleep, hormonal changes, diet, medications and medical conditions.

But it seems not everyone is satisfied with the American government’s connection between the coronavirus pandemic and brain fog.

Sarah Hatter, senior director of community and events at PartnerHero, maintains that “we do not want to acknowledge that the consecutive traumas of a global pandemic, recession and mass layoffs, inflation, ridiculous political upheavals, and two active wars have changed how our brains work.”

On the topic, she elaborated: “We are all changed because of it, and that means the way we manage people has to change.”

Read more via our blog: https://www.valhallaprivatecap.com/brain-fog-covid-staff-disability-attention #

Canada’s has trended higher once again this month, according to the latest iteration of Statistics Canada | Statistique Canada’s November survey.

The survey reported that Canada’s rate rose to 5.8 per cent in November - up from 5.7 per cent in October - which is being credited to the Bank of Canada's steep hikes and their detrimental effect on the .

While increased in manufacturing (+28,000; +1.6%) and construction (+16,000, +1.0%), declines occurred across retail (-27,000; -0.9%), finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (-18,000; -1.3%).

However, Canada’s economy added a modest 25,000 last month, falling short of the pace of population growth. Due to this, economists maintain the Bank of Canada will continue to hold its key interest rate steady.

Unsurprisingly, the people of LinkedIn have some choice thoughts about Canada’s “labour-constrained economy”.

David-Alexandre Brassard, chief economist at Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada), said: “The interest rates are starting to bite like we expected them to, resulting in a stunted economy. The labour market holding strong illustrates that we are in a labour-constrained economy.”

“Wage pressures by themselves should not be enough to maintain inflation in unsustainable territory. On the contrary, higher interest rates seem to be sufficiently constraining and we can expect the Bank of Canada to hold their ground with no changes to the rate in next week’s announcement,” he continued.

On the plus side, hourly rose 4.8% (+$1.57 to $34.28) on a year-over-year basis due to staff asking for more money to combat inflation.

On the topic, Charles St-Arnaud, chief economist at Credit Union Central Alberta, remarked: “The Bank of Canada will take comfort in seeing slower momentum in wage gains, but wages continue to grow at levels that are disconnected from productivity gains.

“The rise in the unemployment rate suggests that some slack is gradually building up in the , which should help ease some of the upside pressures on wages.”

Read more via our blog: https://www.valhallaprivatecap.com/canadian-unemployment-labour-force-survey

Canadian Unemployment Grows in ‘Labour-Constrained Economy’ Canada’s unemployment rate has trended higher once again this month, according to the latest iteration of Statistics Canada’s November labour force survey.

Does Your Startup's Authenticity Matter?
Here’s hoping your business’ origin story hasn’t been embellished too much - Merriam-Webster Dictionary has chosen “authentic” as its word of the year for 2023.

The word - which according to the Oxford Dictionary means “of undisputed origin; genuine” - is being celebrated by the publisher in light of what Merriam-Webster has referred to as a “crisis of authenticity”.

Merriam-Webster’s choice was celebrated by Dylan H., founder of Reach, who said via LinkedIn: “Now, as we navigate an era where AI blurs the lines between real and virtual, maintaining authenticity becomes both a challenge and an opportunity for creators.”

On the topic, he continued: “In my own journey with REACH, I've seen how authenticity builds a community that's resilient and supportive.

“Whether it's bringing members to red carpet events or fostering a platform where young creatives can learn and grow, the core has always been about genuine, impactful experiences.”

However, not everyone resonates with Merriam-Webster‘s word for the year 2023.

Reid Litman, global consulting director at Ogilvy, explained: “‘Authenticity’ has lost all meaning - it's become a Gen Z buzz word for those not exactly sure what they want to say.”

The Ogilvy global consulting director elaborated: “Gen Z craves brands that act more like ever-evolving characters with a POV and publicly facing leaders than it does brands that cling to PowerPoint brand guidelines.”

Likewise Brendan Gahan, former chief innovation officer at Mekanism, said: “Not a fan of Merriam-Webster's selection of ‘authentic’ as its word of the year.”

“It certainly reflects today's challenges with AI and misinformation. But, in the creator landscape, this term's usage is often overused. So much so, its become a platitude largely devoid of meaning.” he added.

Instead, Brendan suggests the word is related to ‘one's personality or character’, rendering ‘authentic’ as a vague umbrella-term which doesn’t embody a successful founders’ “spectrum of traits, with authenticity being just one facet.”

Other words of distinction from 2023 include “deepfake,” “dystopian,” “indict,” “coronation” and “X”, in light of Elon Musk’s ill-fated Twitter rebrand.

Read more via our blog: https://lnkd.in/gmbyVEM8