It must be a struggle, having to listen to scary words you don't like from little people you don't respect. Almost like you don't think you should have to listen, by virtue of your hard-won experience of giving up on anything but the bottom line, and wish that all of us employee-children would just be quiet and respect you.

Everyone is talking about millennials: How do they work? What do they want? How do we hire them? How do we keep them happy? All these questions are for good reason: in a decade they will make up three quarters of our workforce.

I will admit, I was rather nervous. My speech wasn't until 3 p.m. My contact at Google came to the lobby to get me and almost immediately my nerves disappeared. We laughed, talked and it was very evident how much he appreciated me coming to share my story and inspire his team.

We made the mistake of overlooking the "fit factor" before, and morale and productivity plunged. It was difficult to turn it all around. Now we prioritize compatibility during the hiring process -- we want people who work hard and play hard together. Attention to culture fit has not only made our company a better place to work, it's boosted our ROI.

With the exception of Prince Edward Island, no province or territory guarantees a minimum number of paid sick days for employees. Across the country, young people, seniors and low-wage workers are the hardest hit. Less than half of young and older employees work in jobs that provide paid sick days. The lower an employee's pay, the less likely they are to be covered by a voluntary sick days policy. This needs to change.