GrokTalk Blog

Two weeks ago, the U.S. aviation industry struggled after an FAA issue caused a 90-minute delay on all departing flights. This followed what can only be classified as a disaster of epic proportions for the airline Southwest, when operational and IT issues caused the cancellation of over 16,000 flights during peak holiday travel. A frequent traveler myself, you’d think my mind would hop to the frustration felt by stranded and delayed passengers, and while they have my sympathy, that’s not who was on my mind; instead, my heart went out to all airline employees. As a founder of a company that works to solve workplace wellbeing, I know through first-hand knowledge and studies the extraordinarily high-risk of burnout and exhaustion aviation employees face. I also realize how events like these merely serve to compound and accelerate that rate of burnout.

This International Women’s Day falls on the one-year mark of the beginning of one of the most difficult periods we’ve collectively experienced. Last year at this time, we were aware of the new, dangerous strain of coronavirus and feared it was about to hit us close to home. While we were uncertain of exactly how our lives and livelihoods would be impacted — we were even more oblivious to its disproportionate impact on the lives and livelihoods of women. We went on to endure a year of  social upheaval and political turmoil that exposed the fissures in the very foundation of justice and equality, and threatened the progress we’ve made toward creating a fair and equal society for every man, woman and child.

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.  

#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.

When determining the value of your workforce wellbeing program, what metrics matter? The answer depends on what you’re measuring, of course. As the workforce wellbeing landscape has evolved, we’ve seen an expanding definition of success — and the concept of wellness has found a more comfortable place as the more all-encompassing “wellbeing.” You might  be targeting a constellation of goals ranging from lower major medical costs to higher employee retention rates. But what about the increasingly essential — yet difficult to measure — components of your employee experience that actually keep employees happy?

When I heard the theme for International Women's Day 2019, a balanced world is a better world, I felt a deep personal resonance. As a daughter, mother, mentor, and CEO, I strive to create a more balanced world for myself and my team, and inspire others to do the same. I believe that if you want to encourage change, you need to create it for yourself and then help others feel empowered to make a difference in their own communities, families, and organizations.