GrokTalk Blog

The Grokker Innovation Labs’ 2021 Frontline Industries’ Leadership Sentiments research explores how managers are dealing with the challenges of workforce burnout and turnover 18+ months into the pandemic. Looking specifically at leaders in industries with large frontline workforces (including healthcare, retail/wholesale trade, and hospitality), the research uncovers best practices and emerging opportunities for managers to strengthen both team culture and working relationships to improve the employee experience and drive improvements in worker retention.

We just wrapped a webinar, Mental Health: Bracing for the Next Pandemic. The pandemic we addressed, incidentally, is what many are expecting to be a surge in issues like anxiety, depression, and substance abuse related to the collective trauma of the past 18+ months. Towards the end of discussion, after unpacking the stats and trends around mental health and its impact on the workforce, we shared with participants the 4 key strategies Grokker’s clients are using to support their employees’ mental health — and the advice was met with such enthusiasm from the HR professionals and company leaders at the live event that we decided to share the highlights here!

Technology has brought us to the age of information, the age of digitization, the age of AI, smartphones, and, yes, the age of convenience. From the advent of food and grocery delivery services to live TV and movie streaming networks, people have become accustomed to personalizing and digitizing their various needs and entertainment experiences.

Employee retention is one of the most important metrics for companies. High retention rates will save you time, money, and resources. When companies have high churn rates, they need to invest in the recruitment process and take a chance on an employee that might not fit with their unique culture and structure.

The advent and popularity of unlimited paid time off (PTO) is continuing to grow. Even before the pandemic, some industry leaders started implementing unlimited PTO and flexible work structures that allowed employees to take time as needed, so long as it didn’t interrupt with their ability to meet deadlines and finish tasks. 

Providing support through wellbeing programs that your employees will love is only half the battle for industry leaders. There’s no use in offering a wellbeing program if your employees never actually participate, which is where incentives come in.

The CDC found that approximately 24-48% of Americans, depending on the state they reside in, sleep less than the recommended amount of seven hours per night. In fact, 70 million Americans have some kind of sleeping disorder and 30% of those include short-term insomnia. 

Employees do a lot for our companies. In fact, they’re the backbones of our organizations. They’re the people who turn visions into reality, who keep the wheels turning on your business and your customers happy. 

Just because companies find themselves in a remote setting doesn’t mean they still can’t have fun. Virtual holiday party ideas for work are becoming more popular as we enter a post-pandemic era, allowing industry leaders to host virtual holidays and virtual parties in order to maintain their company culture and a sense of community. 

World Mental Health Day is Sunday, October 10, and people from around the globe will be participating in activities that raise awareness of mental health issues and help mobilize efforts in support of mental health. Mobilization is paramount: people need support for their mental health — and that support can and should come from a variety of sources, including the workplace.

Given the state of the pandemic, and as especially as so many businesses will likely get into some form of a remote or a hybrid work environment permanently, a lot of businesses are asking one question: should we monitor our employees more?

Corporate wellness programs deliver wide-reaching benefits that include reducing costs, energizing the workforce, and increasing employee retention. Those are reasons why upwards of 85 percent of large companies provide workplace wellness activities.