GrokTalk Blog

As open enrollment season approaches, it’s easy to get anxious about what lies ahead. Open enrollment is challenging enough on its own, and HR teams are under enough stress without the added workload open enrollment brings. More than two-thirds of HR leaders say that stress in general is on the rise. As HR deals with greater pressures around compliance and being a strategic business partner, open enrollment feels like yet another item on a to-do list that already feels too long. 

But you can get through this season and help your employees make informed benefits decisions with the right tactics. Here are five ways to make open enrollment easier this year. 

Mental health struggles like stress, burnout, and anxiety have become increasingly common among workers, and many employers are taking a proactive approach to addressing them. The most effective organizations focus on strategies that go beyond surface-level support and actually make a real difference in the lives of employees. They create safe environments where employees can feel supported and resilient in the face of their challenges. 

Here are five of the strategies these leading employers use to relieve employee stress.

Grokker is proud to announce the launch of GrokkyAi™. We’ve always led the way in revolutionizing employee wellbeing by building easily accessible, engaging, and expert-led programs. 

Grokky builds on those efforts by delivering real-time answers, beginning with the lowest acuity interventions, and lessening the burden on HR teams. 

Who doesn't have a heartfelt story about a teacher who noticed and encouraged an overlooked strength or offered extra care and time to ensure our success? Many of us light up at the memory of being seen and supported by a teacher in ways we didn't even know we needed. However, many of us didn't see as students and don't see now as adults the enormous stress, pressure and cumulative toll the rigors of teaching—and of caring—have on our educators. 

Exercise and nutrition aren’t just important for physical health— they both play a big role in mental health, too. Studies show that people who exercise regularly report having 1.5 less days of poor mental health compared to those who don’t exercise. Even walking can lessen the number of poor mental health days by 17%. With 95% of serotonin (a chemical that affects mood, sleep, digestion, and more) being created in the gut, it’s no wonder that a nutrient-dense diet plays a role in a person’s mental health. Likewise, mental illnesses like anxiety and depression have been linked to higher risks of diseases that affect our physical health such as diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and more. Here are a few ways fitness and nutrition affect mental health. 

One in five US adults struggle with mental illness. For many of them, this struggle occurs as they balance busy, often hectic schedules with family obligations, schooling, and work. World Mental Health Day was created to foster education about this very struggle, and to break down social stigmas surrounding illnesses like anxiety, depression, and more.

Grokker will attend the 25th annual IBI/Conference Board Health and Productivity Forum in just a few short weeks.

I am deeply grateful to all our Grokker members who inspired us to make employee mental health more approachable and accessible. And I am overwhelmed by the entire team at Grokker who worked tirelessly to create and launch our newest product — Grokker Guides. 

August 7th and 8th, 2023 | Marriott Brooklyn Bridge Hotel

Grokker is excited to be participating at the C2HR Con in Brooklyn, New York. The conference is a chance to come together with fellow HR professionals to reflect and celebrate all the progress made in the world of work, and set intentions for the future. Sessions include discussions on the challenges and opportunities facing the HR industry today, including pay transparency, AI, hybrid and remote work, and more. 

In talking with HR leaders at companies with large, diverse and dispersed workforces, the conversation rarely fails to touch on the fact that no matter how great the wellbeing benefits offered, some employees can’t “get around” to using them.  The social health and wellbeing network that helps employees at global enterprises to move more, sleep better, eat more healthily and reduce financial stress. Our CEO's book, It’s Personal: The Business Case for Caring, thoughtfully examines the Human Connection Movement™ in the workplace, which is fueled by a growing desire among employees to feel more connected to one another and as a result, better connected to their jobs. 

One hundred and fifty six years after Major General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas to announce the ending of slavery, President Biden has written Juneteenth into law as a federal holiday in the U.S. While June 19th, this “Second Independence Day,” gives us reason to formally celebrate African Americans’ rich history and culture, it’s important to note that it wasn’t until 2020, after the death of George Floyd and amidst the Black Lives Matter protests across the country, that Juneteenth — at long last — entered the public consciousness in a more meaningful way. Indeed, as a Canadian executive managing a North American team, Juneteenth entered my consciousness for the first time last year as I worked to help my team absorb and react to the events happening south of the border — and around the world. 

Even though June is Pride Month, it’s important to carry on the values of Pride through the rest of the year. Although Pride is a great way to celebrate the impact and history of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s important to remember that, as a society, there is still a lot of work to do in order to reach a more equitable and inclusive culture, especially in the workplace.