This summer, we have welcomed the globe to share our country’s journey in the biggest sporting tournament in the world.

The World Cup is a unique global event that brings together people from all walks of life. For a month and a bit, bonds are created, friendships are made, memories are cherished and heartbreaks are experienced as we watched to see which country gets to proudly lift the Jules Rimet trophy and show why they are the ultimate winners of the most iconic sport in the world.

And for 2026, Canada counted itself as one of the three hosts of the tournament, inviting visitors from all over to come and experience our hospitality, kindness, caring spirit, and a culture that can only be described as overwhelmingly welcoming.

In addition to the soccer (or football?), there are various other sporting events taking place, including tennis, volleyball, and for us here in BC, both the BC Summer Games and the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games.

This got us thinking — what a great opportunity these summer events offer to both HR and Communications departments for increasing employee engagement! These are low lift exercises that can add just a bit more to your employees’ days and help distract them, even if just for a while, from the stresses we know they are experiencing.

So, we did an informal LinkedIn poll, and what we saw was that 40 percent had plans to leverage the summer events, 20 percent were planning something, 32 percent had no plans for this, and 8 percent said they would look further into this.

While it was not a full-on survey, it was encouraging for us to see.

Why? Because nearly half of Canadian workers say they feel burned out, and the number keeps rising. Burnout isn’t a personal weakness or a passing HR fad — it has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a significant threat facing workplaces in terms of productivity, retention, absenteeism, organizational performance, and the well-being of the workforce.

A recent Robert Half Canada survey found that 62 percent of professionals report feeling burned out, up from 47 percent in 2025. That figure has continued to rise since 2023 when it was at 33 percent. And according to Statistics Canada, 62 percent of working Canadians cite high levels of stress at their jobs.

This requires introspection and courage from leadership. It involves moving beyond slogans about resilience and toward genuine organizational change — such as listening to employees, re-examining workloads, and confronting the habits that no longer serve.

To be clear, not every solution demands a major investment. Sometimes it’s as simple as adjusting expectations, revisiting schedules, or creating more ergonomic workspaces. What matters most is intentionality — building systems that protect people, not deplete them.

Across B.C., employers are facing sustained pressure from rising costs, ongoing labour shortages, rapid technological disruption, and changing employee expectations. Workers are feeling the strain as well. Concerns about housing affordability, cost of living, caregiving responsibilities, and mental health continue to shape workplace culture and productivity.

And while not a silver bullet, creating watch parties for the sports, paired with food and beverages brought in, allows HR and Communications to bring teams from various business functions and areas together. This momentary respite can brighten someone’s day and bring a little joy. As an example, we learned that a few workplaces organized soccer watch parties to engage both employees and members, which led to great successes.

How wonderful it is that we can take advantage of this moment in time when the province, country, and world are all coming together to make the days of our teams just a bit lighter and remind them that theirs is caring and welcoming workplace.

Kara Douglas, MBA is the Senior Director, Marketing, Communications & Member Affairs at CPHR British Columbia & Yukon.

“PeopleTalking” is monthly column dedicated to covering key HR issues that matter to you, our members. The columns will be written in an op-ed style and will range between 500 and 750 words. Given today’s attention spans and bandwidths, we wanted to ensure the pieces were easily digestible and shareable.

And we want to hear from you! We always welcome feedback so do let us know your thoughts as each column appears. We also want to know if there are any particular topics you would like us to write about. After all, our aim is to help you in your role as an HR professional in your organization.