The last two weeks have been horrifying, overwhelming, and, sadly, illuminating. The tragic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many other Black Americans have taken us to a point of no return. It’s not enough to feel outraged by the heartbreaking reminders of racism, both in the graphic videos depicting this indefensible racially motivated violence, as well as in the hate speech against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. It’s also not enough to want change.
The COVID-19 pandemic will permanently change how we work and how companies perceive the criticality of the bond between employee and employer. It's also almost overnight the importance of caring for the whole person in order to keep them safe and motivated has been broadly embraced by even the most hard-nosed corporate leadership. Not only do we now need to rethink how to restructure from here on out, but we need to decide and reinvent how to support our employees in the new normal.
Leading a company and workforce during a global crisis is not something I learned how to do in college or law school, and there’s been nothing quite like the COVID-19 outbreak in my professional career to prepare me for this. As with the novel virus making its way around the globe and wreaking havoc on financial markets, it's been very learn-as-we-go, while accepting there simply is no such thing as “business as usual.”
Isn’t it interesting that as we settle into the social distancing routine, we’re mastering creative ways to work around the system? Humans are social creatures, so it’s only natural for us to seek loopholes to get closer together. While we can’t offer handshakes or hugs, we have identified new ways to maintain some form of intimacy with people outside our homes.
On an average workday — or even weekend — sheltering in place is isolating. But with Passover, Easter, and Ramadan, there is a particular poignancy to the isolation. These major religious holidays are important social gatherings, marked by time spent in group settings breaking bread or matzah with family and friends, and sharing stories passed on quite literally from generation to generation at a special time of year.
From an emotional perspective, COVID-19 is beginning to take its toll. The newly unemployed are facing profound emotional trauma. For many in leadership, the agony comes in corporate belt-tightening and calculating how deeply to make the cuts, all while grappling with the very human impact and the reality of delivering the news while a global pandemic is still in full force with no end in sight.
Every single one of us has been impacted by the disruption to work and life resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak. It’s a powerful, unsettling reality that continues to take on new meaning every time we catch up with the latest news or hear from a loved one or colleague about how they’re adjusting (or not) to their “new normal.”
First the NBA was cancelled. Then Broadway. Then finally the last hold out — business conferences. We're seeing restaurant and school closures, while many workforces, including my own at Grokker, are at home. COVID-19, aka Coronavirus, has changed so much, so quickly. It’s no wonder that most of us are feeling like we have shifted from disbelief into an uncomfortable low grade level of anxiety we just can’t seem to shake.
At Grokker, we always talk about improving people’s lives — and the COVID-19 (also known as Coronavirus) outbreak is the opportunity to get out there and make an impact on an unprecedented scale. The global pandemic is touching the lives, in some way or another, of literally everyone around the world. It’s a health crisis that will continue to disrupt our daily lives for as long as it takes to contain the novel virus.
As we grapple with this new reality — even if it’s a temporary reality — it’s more important than ever to prioritize our physical and emotional wellbeing. We ALL need access to digital support to help us feel our best during this challenging time. That’s why Grokker is offering our video wellbeing solution free through April 30, May 31, 2020 to individuals and organizations.
#EachforEqual is this year’s International Women’s Day theme. This #IWD2020 observance gives us the perfect opportunity to reflect on what we’re doing, as business leaders, to create a gender equal workplace, and to ask ourselves, "am I walking the talk?" To me, Each for Equal means everyone deserves an equal opportunity to be successful, personally and professionally — and we’re all responsible for helping each other along the way. As a mother and CEO, I take this as an imperative to do whatever I can to provide my family and colleagues with the resources and support they need to thrive across all areas of their lives.
What is employee happiness? In jargony terms, it's a positive mindset enabling emotional engagement with one's company. Put simply, it's that pleasing, content state of being that makes an employee willing to "go that extra mile" while running with an idea or problem-solving. It's that special something that makes it possible for an employee to, say, write a blog post about employee happiness without rolling her eyes. You might say that employee happiness is the piece de resistance to employee Engagement (yes, that's Engagement with a capital E).
Listening to employees is a critical component of maintaining a company culture that values people as individuals with unique interests, struggles, and goals. Individual employees create a workforce culture, after all, and make the culture happen. They personify it. They bring it to life. They live it. So if you're building a culture of wellbeing, it only makes sense that you provide them with wellbeing benefits that enable them to show up and give their best.
What do your employees want and need in a workforce wellbeing program? Wellbeing is inherently personal, so don't make assumptions. Ask them! Listen. Find out what they expect — what they'd enjoy and actually use. And then, take action.
