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.

Like virtually everything else in the modern workplace, Grokker’s Wellness Minute is transforming to better sync, quite literally, with today’s workforce. It’s still 60-seconds long. It’s just as motivating as it’s always been. It does as much for your health, happiness, and sense of purpose, belonging, and balance as ever before. But now, it’s called the Wellbeing Minute! Let us take a minute (or two) to explain…

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. 

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?

There has been a recent rise in employee absenteeism and employee dissatisfaction that is negatively affecting several aspects of the workplace, including employee engagement, morale, loyalty, and productivity, among others.

In the height of the digital era, we often hear discussion about the advent of technological advancements, AI and machine learning, and trends toward automation. What we hear less about, however, are important social changes that affect work life, like generational gaps in the workplace. 

Social interaction is vital in the workplace, but in the last year, more employees than ever before have been experiencing a different kind of workspace — one that doesn't come with a water cooler or shared conversations next to the morning coffee pot. Some of these people will eventually return to life as they once knew it, while many will continue on the remote path. Without the proper skills or tools, remote work can become very lonely and isolating. This, in turn, can lead to many health problems, both physically and emotionally.

A recent survey led by Great Places to Work® revealed surprising results: employees are just as productive, if not more productive, while working from home rather than in the office. Over the span of two years, from the year 2019 to 2020, Great Places to Work® surveyed over 800,000 employees from 715 companies to measure employee productivity. They examined the degree to which employees are “willing to give extra to get the job done,” and “quickly adapt to changes needed for their company’s success,” and compared the results over a six month period from March to August of 2019 and 2020.

Although the supreme importance of employee engagement should be evident in today’s day and age, the simple fact that so many people feel disengaged from their jobs tells an entirely different story. In short, if businesses were paying the appropriate amount of attention to this phenomenon, far more employees would report far higher degrees of engagement.

2020 and beyond has been an incredibly difficult time for many employees. Due to the pandemic and the corresponding economic fallout, many businesses have been forced to downsize or shut down temporarily.

COVID-19 and its aftermath has made 2020 a downright challenging year. In the blink of an eye, the very definition of work/life balance has taken center stage — instantly changing from what was once just a desirable goal to the global imperative for employers everywhere. Keeping employees healthy and safe so that businesses can keep their doors open is now every employers’ top priority. Though some semblance of a new normal is beginning to take shape as digital environments begin to repair the disconnectedness we feel at home and at work, there’s a lot of good yet to be done.

Get ready to mark your employee communications calendar—and cross-reference with your wellbeing program—because we’ve got a list of health and wellness holidays you’ll want to promote in the first quarter of 2019!