GrokTalk Blog

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. 

In a word, now. Over the past year, we’ve learned that employees depend on employer support to help them not just cope with periods of change and uncertainty, but to maintain their daily, whole-person wellbeing. The transition back to the office and into post-pandemic workplace norms is going to reveal additional challenges — and opportunities to take employee wellbeing to the next level.

May 25, 2020, was a day we’ll never forget. I remember the pain and heartache I felt learning witnessing the horrific murder of another Black person at the hands of police. On top of the pain that we were already feeling about the global pandemic and the lockdown, it just felt like too much. And I grieved that all of us were living in a world where something like that could happen, could still happen, after all these years and decades of equal rights talk and activism. Unfortunately, talk and activism weren’t enough to save George Floyd’s life — to give him the breath he called out for, the breath taken away from so many others before him.

In March 2020, the entire world stopped. Countries worldwide started to take the COVID-19 virus seriously. Many companies stopped functioning normally and had to pivot to running digitally. Some organizations didn’t make it during the past year — and many employees continue to struggle with stress, anxiety, and overwhelm.

Let’s face it, a bad case of the Mondays, as coined from the cult classic Office Space, is a serious affliction shared by workers all around the world. We live in a labor-intensive society that often leaves us craving the freedom of the weeknd and resenting the start of the work week. This naturally makes Mondays one of the most hated and fraught days of the week, but what if it doesn’t have to be?

Even with activities and events in place (retreats, bi-weekly happy hours, team-building activities, etc.) to encourage camaraderie, community, and a positive work environment, there’s still a chance that some toxicity can enter your office and negatively impact employee wellbeing. 

Industry leaders continue to scrutinize culture change in the workplace as many millennials’ attitudes about earning a living no longer jibe with yesteryear corporate models.

It’s National Autism Awareness Month — or, as many autistic people prefer, Autism Acceptance Month — and the perfect time to talk about neurodiversity in our organizational hiring practices and culture-building efforts. This is especially critical right now, as we’re working to establish post-pandemic norms to accommodate a workforce that has transformed so much over the last year. There’s a call to action to pay more deliberate attention to the roles diversity and inclusion play in not only attracting and retaining talent, but driving employee engagement, productivity, and wellbeing. 

Diversity in the workplace is becoming increasingly important not just to the culture but also for employees. It’s a value proposition for employers, too, because diversity introduces new perspectives and experiences to the workplace. What does diversity really mean for businesses, though?

Wellbeing is a personal journey. Since each of your health plan members has different goals, interests, and abilities, you’re probably assessing which tools and resources you can provide to support them. Innovative organizations are prioritizing solutions that drive personalized, whole-person wellbeing. Your members are multi-faceted, after all. Shouldn’t the wellness opportunities provided through their health plan reflect their individuality?

In a global and interconnected economy, companies are hiring employees from all backgrounds and walks of life. This means that as our employee and customer demographics continue to become more and more diverse, we need to be ready to identify with those individuals and, more importantly, celebrate those differences in a respectful manner.

We all know that diversity and diversity appreciation in the workplace is important. It’s not just important for making a healthy work environment, it’s important for creating a company culture that reflects the values of its customers.