“This grant was a ray of light,” declared a worker who received emergency financial relief after a recent natural disaster. “The stress that comes with this is terrible, and this is the first time in my life that I’ve felt like somebody cares.” The worker, quoted by E4E Relief, a nonprofit that helps employers support workers in times of crisis, spoke for many of his colleagues as well. “Every time there is a hurricane and a business has to close down for a couple of days, employees, who are often living paycheck-to-paycheck, lose their scheduled hours and income.”

Testimonials like this are abundant among recipients of emergency financial relief, yet companies who partner with programs like E4E Relief’s want to quantify the impact of their investment. With that in mind, E4E has launched a new program, ImpactStack, to conduct industry-leading research to quantify the incidental business outcomes of the financial relief work that their team has carried out for more than 20 years. The impact stretches across a range of social and business metrics that matter regardless of industry, geography, demographic, or crisis. The insights are then integrated into business intelligence that provides companies with insights about the outcomes that key stakeholders achieve through financial relief.

Holly Welch Stubbing, E4E Relief’s president and CEO, says the new research confirms the significant impact of their program: “81% of grant recipients regained financial stability. 54% experienced improved mental well-being. 70% said that it helped them return to or maintain productivity at work. 52% said that they had increased engagement [at work], and 76% had a more positive perception of their employer.”

From Day One recently interviewed Welch Stubbing to get an inside look at how ImpactStack collects and analyzes information about relief recipients at a time when employees need additional support for a multiplicity of reasons, including climate disasters, geopolitical disruptions, and economic conditions. Excerpts:

Q: What is ImpactStack, and how did E4E Relief get started with it? How does it work?

A: ImpactStack is our proprietary framework, insights, and business intelligence associated with providing the social and business outcomes of grants to individuals.

Holly Welch Stubbing of E4E Relief shared insights from their recently launched program, ImpactStack (company photo)

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when our volume went up as companies really started grasping employee relief, we started doing outcomes-based research. While it was arguably a crazy time to launch, it also was a great time to launch from the standpoint of trying to assess need. We needed to know if the money being sent was really making a difference. I suspected it was, since we already had a lot of qualitative information from our grantees. We had stories and hundreds of notes, handwritten or sent via email, where people would articulate what happened to them and thank our team. However, I wanted that to be something quantitative and something we could make available to the companies we’re working with to show the outcomes of their philanthropic investment.

I have been in the foundation world for 27 years, and the conversation is constantly, are our grants making a difference? How are we investing in these institutions to drive out a set of outcomes? Trying to ensure those institutions have the capacity, resources, and technology is extremely complicated and difficult. In our work, we have a real chance of getting real information from people who are receiving these grants. And so I thought, could we design something that meets the quantitative expectations of companies? And could we make that available in the form of insights as part of our solution? So in June, that’s what we did, and we expanded on the surveys we created, which had a focus on financial well-being, to map outcomes based on criteria that Fortune 500 clients would recognize. We wanted them to immediately see the relevance and understand the significance of the impact.

Q: Were there any surprises in the data about impact?

A: I was surprised at how high some of these scores were, particularly in our productivity results. 70% of our grant recipients were able to maintain productivity at work. And 54% ─ more than half the people we are granting to ─ have an improved mental state. That’s something. I expected engagement to be higher.

The deeper you go into the social outcomes data ─ the housing, food, demographic data ─ that’s where there will be additional insights. And while that data isn’t available to our corporate partners yet, we’re working on it because it’s important and it shows a lot.

Q: How does ImpactStack support E4E Relief’s goals and company philosophy?

A: It’s central to who we are. Employee relief programs continue to gain importance, and organizations are trying to decide if it’s something they want to stack into their mix of workforce offerings. It’s hard to justify those investments without really understanding, ‘What is this doing?’

My hope is that, as our organization evolves and as we get more information, we can then provide a set of insights about what it looks like to be a financial first responder. There are all kinds of studies going on around meaningful support for the low to moderate income worker. And in the midst of natural disasters and the severity of all of these climate events now, companies feel like they need to do something. We’re providing support for personal hardships from these experiences, but also providing the C-Suite a readiness plan and a solution for when disaster strikes the next time so they don’t have to adjudicate this in the middle of the crisis. Support is already there.

Q: How do you ensure insights found through ImpactStack are effectively communicated, and how do you use the information to refine the program?

A: ImpactStack is now a part of our product, so every new company coming in is going to have access to it. For existing customers, we’ve launched it several different ways, including customer meetings and webinars.

But the latter part of that question is what we’re really interested in. How do we evolve our processes and decisions based on what we’re seeing? We’re very new to that. And this will be part of our journey for the rest of time. But for the moment, we have new information and new insights unique to our market, and we will hold onto that and then expand on it. But for now, I think our outcome data offers enough to give people a sense of what they need to start having strategic conversations. We recently met with a very large Fortune 15 organization, and after meeting, they left with the information needed to justify a significant investment in the program. That’s as good a response as you can get from a company of that scale. We have our central purpose as a social enterprise and continue to think about additional layers. But there’s enough information here right now, even today, just from insights alone to get these conversations rolling.

Q: Do you have a quantifiable sense that we are facing more disasters today than ever before, and at the same time, socioeconomic situations where people are disproportionately affected?

A: We’ve pulled together the drivers in the framework of climate change, geopolitics, and economic conditions. Imagine placing this concept on a chart: In the center, we have the conditions, while on the outer layer, we examine their individual impact and their implications for both businesses and the broader sustainable development goals, especially for those companies invested in ESG (environmental, social, and governance) principles. We also built the research and the platform to meet the reporting requirements for ESG and corporate citizenship standards. So for big companies who really care about ESG considerations, the hope is that our data is accessible. Outcomes data of this kind can be hard to procure. Some believe we have made it much easier for companies to track “S”-related outcomes.

We have data on disasters and the activity around them, and also the economic conditions in the U.S., with a focus on the utilization of credit, which is being used at the highest rate ever seen. We have all these connecting points and trends that we’re seeing to bring to thought leaders and continue having these conversations.

Q: Your website offers many testimonials from grant recipients. Are there any specific stories or situations you’d like to shed light on? One that was particularly impactful?

A: A relevant and impactful one is from the wildfires happening in Hawaii. It’s devastating, with the loss of life and homes. We’ve heard that one company has lost an employee, and 65 employees are now without homes. That’s a lot to process. There’s a group here that’s trying to work through it with them. Here’s a quote from them:

“Our peaceful community was swept by the wildfire unleashed by Hurricane Dora. Our home, a sanctuary to my family for the past three years, turned to ashes in the blink of an eye. With evacuation orders, we fled, leaving behind everything. The fire took everything from us, but not our hope. Our family of four is now staying with friends searching for a new beginning. Basic necessities like food, water, and clothing have become urgent priorities. We are resilient. With your support, we can rebuild our lives in our community.”

That’s powerful.

Another example that comes to mind is the war in Ukraine. For most people and companies, it was a surprise that left no time to figure out a path for relief. And when you have banking systems that have shut down, and you have people fleeing, literally fleeing for their lives, we had to figure out how to get payments securely to individuals. It was difficult to get relief there, but we figured it out.

As you can imagine, not every disaster affects every company, and it doesn’t hit every company the same way. I’m proud to work with the talented team at E4E Relief. They are committed to stepping up and navigating each client situation with compassion so that we can deliver emergency financial relief to individuals around the world.

Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, E4E Relief, for sponsoring this sponsor spotlight.

Erin Behrens is a member of the editorial staff of From Day One.

Featured photo: Volunteers make food and supply deliveries to elderly residents impacted by the devastating wildfire in last month in Lahaina, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The Future of Employee Experience: Leveraging Technology To Drive Engagement

Organizations that lack a technology strategy risk falling behind in addressing employee engagement—one of the most pressing challenges businesses face today. Research from leading firms like Gartner, Gallup, and Forrester reveals alarming trends: 60% of employees report burnout, 80% experience loneliness, and 70% feel disengaged. These factors contribute to a 50% increase in quiet quitting.“We need to drive engagement. We need tools that allow us to recognize each other and foster leadership transparency,” said Jaime McMahon, chief digital officer at LineZero. McMahon spoke during a thought leadership spotlight at From Day One’s December virtual conference.McMahon pointed out four priorities for HR professionals moving into 2025 including:Transforming HR through technology and strategic integrationCreating a future ready workforceFostering a culture of innovation and adaptabilityEnhancing employee experience and engagementHR professionals are prioritizing talent retention, according to a survey by Fuel50. Organizations are increasingly recognizing employees as vital assets to their business rather than replaceable workers. However, the challenge lies in effectively retaining talent. According to Fuel50, only 20% of organizations have systems in place to track employees’ skills and abilities.Creating the framework for data and AI gives organizations the ability to track the ROI of engagement initiatives, detect trends, and make changes as needed faster. “How do we make sure and get access to this type of information so that we can make our workforce effective? At the end of the day, it begins and ends with the data” said McMahon.Driving Change With Data and AIJaime McMahon the chief digital officer at LineZero led the conversation (company photo)Taking advantage of new technologies like AI is smart for business. AI is rearranging old operational habits. The capabilities offer ways for a customized employee onboarding experience, as well as automating routine HR duties. It’s not just about AI, though, says McMahon.Integrating a digital workplace becomes a centerpiece for efficient communication, feedback, and document management. Employees stay informed on important company business, making them feel included, which in turn creates more engagement. Plus, it enables proactive decisions with real-time analytics.Organizations should avoid focusing solely on building a digital workplace and instead aim to create a comprehensive digital hub. This hub integrates five key components: communications, which facilitate seamless information sharing; engagement, which fosters connection and collaboration; a digital workplace, which provides the tools and infrastructure employees need to work efficiently; analytics and insights, which drive data-informed decision-making; and AI assistance, which enhances productivity and support through intelligent automation.“When I think about what’s going to make an impact today, these all make a dramatic impact,” he said. Companies who are not implementing these digital concepts will likely fall behind their competitors. Looking into the new year, companies who seek to stay ahead must invest in digital hubs, embrace AI, and make employee experience the focal point of their business strategy.Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, LineZero, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight.Mary Jones is a freelance writer out of Ohio. Her work is featured in several publications including The Dallas Express, NDash, and The Daily Advocate.

Using Technology to Prevent Burnout: Modernizing Workplace Mental Health

Nearly 2 in 3 workers experience burnout. Most of them do not have easy access to the resources needed to help with mental well-being. Employers are now wondering, “How can we better support our employees?” The answer may lie in our growing technological landscape.Nivati, a company focused on providing better mental health resources for employers and employees alike, is looking to change this reality, says Haeli Harris, director of clinical operations at Nivati. Harris spoke during a thought leadership spotlight titled, “Well-Being: What is it? And What Technology Can We Use to Promote it?” at From Day One’s Miami conference.Clients who come to see her often have an imbalance of some kind. Seeking out and solving that imbalance can be a challenge, says Harris. While 46% of workplace employees report diagnosable mental illnesses, more than half of them will not seek professional treatment, according to a study from the National Library of Medicine.“It’s not always just something wrong with the mind. Sometimes there’s social pieces, career pieces, their environment, the places that they’re in,” she said, “and so we really want to be thinking about all of those different areas.”Using data collected from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, she said, leaders at Nivati have discovered just how being off-balance affects employees’ mental and physical health. Each person is different in how they manage stressors, says Harris. “Well-being isn’t a one-size-fits-all.”To help workers, employers should first understand barriers to finding therapeutic solutions. Many who do not get treatment cite lack of transportation or availability as well as cost for reasons why they cannot reach the care they need. In the workplace, there is an additional barrier—the stigma around admitting mental health struggles. Some may feel they would rather handle it themselves than go to their employer, says Harris.The Effects of BurnoutBurnout plays a large role in this dynamic. Looking at the numbers, a 2022 Aflac WorkForces report found 59% of workers experience burnout.Haeli Harris of Nivati led the thought leadership spotlight “A lot of people feel pretty hopeless in how we fix this,” said Harris. “We’re trying to encourage people. Let’s not give up. Let’s think of those attitudinal barriers and what we can do in the workplace to help with those.”Burnout does not begin with the mental and physical collapse of a worker. There are stages and signs that burnout is coming. Employees first feel burned out for a variety of reasons, including a sense that their workplace is not concerned with their well-being. While workplaces provide health insurance, there are often other ways to support employees and address feelings of burnout.Employees will start calling out of work, Harris says. They find they can not focus as well, and their productivity starts to decline. They stop practicing self-care, and lack either access to or willingness to see a counselor. Employees will eventually cease discussing their career goals with their employers, as they no longer have the energy to produce high-quality work.Using Technology to HelpStudies have found if employers directly address the importance of well-being, mental health and self-care, the employees are less likely to experience burnout. “We want to encourage people to continuously learn, not just about the things they do at their job, but about mental health, too,” Harris said.Employers can help by increasing access to several pillars of self-care and focusing on supportive leadership. In her own workplace, Harris recommends promoting meditation and mindfulness.Meditation and mindfulness are centuries-old practices that encourage living in the present moment. For many, this could mean spending time in nature. For others, mindfulness could mean practicing yoga and focusing on more physical solutions to stress or anxiety. Many utilize apps, classes, programs and video guides to reach a sense of emotional peace. The concept and positive impact of mindfulness, Harris said, “is clinically proven.”Well-being in the workplace doesn’t stop there. Employers can also offer supportive leadership by way of training directed at managers, who can then be better-equipped to both recognize and help when the early stages of burnout begin in employees. She recommends hosting one training each quarter. The availability of online, remote training means employers can access these much easier and more reliably.An important piece of the puzzle surrounding mental health is physical health. Wellness incentive programs, like providing gym memberships or walking challenges, has a marked positive effect on employees’ connections to their work. Physical exercise helps alleviate feelings of depression, anxiety and stress. Movement and exercise can directly curb those looming feelings of burnout and mental exhaustion in the workplace.Even for mostly remote workplaces, Harris said keeping up on communication apps such as Slack will help employers stay connected to their employees.The Social Aspects of WorkOften a symptom of burnout is an employee feeling underappreciated for their work. It does not have to be that way. Employee recognition and consistent acknowledgement of a workers’ efforts can lift them up and feel more motivated to continue with high-quality work. There are also ways to “use these apps and all the technology that is out there,” she said.Each quarter, Nivati hosts book clubs through their preferred communication app. Apps like Calm or Headspace are popular for workplaces looking to “provide quiet places and then encourage mindfulness practices,” she said.Having employee-focused training is another way to promote these types of self-care techniques. Nivati consults with nutritionists, financial coaches and personal trainers—to name a few—who offer personal development programs. Nivati has an on-demand video library with different types of programs doing just this, she said, which is “a great opportunity for people to go and choose what they want to learn.”“Psychological safety is a big thing that’s been talked about more for companies, and I think it’s important that we do think about how our leaders are showing they have an open door,” Harris said.Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Nivati, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight.Sydney Brown is a freelance journalist from Vancouver, WA. Her work has appeared in The Seattle Times, The Spokesman-Review and The Columbian.

Applying the Drivers of Appreciation to Support People and Business

Showing employees that you appreciate them doesn’t stop at recognizing efforts on a specific project; that’s only the beginning. To inspire engagement, loyalty, and performance, it’s important to demonstrate that you appreciate and support the employee as a whole person.At From Day One’s Miami conference, Alexandra Powell, the director of cultural insights at Reward Gateway, spoke in a thought leadership spotlight session on the distinction between recognition and appreciation, and shared new insights on leveraging appreciation drivers to boost employee engagement and satisfaction. With 15 years of experience driving organizational culture change through leadership coaching and training, Powell leads employee recognition research at Reward Gateway and partners with clients seeking enhanced engagement through the use of recognition and communication tools.The Power of AppreciationBerkeley Haas School of Business conducted a study showing that people who were recognized at work were 23% more effective and productive, while people who felt appreciated for who they are as a person were 43% more effective and productive.While these numbers speak for themselves—feeling genuinely appreciated nearly doubled employee effectiveness and productivity—it is more nuanced than simply telling people leaders to appreciate their employees more.Powell demonstrated this difference in a qualitative way through a personal anecdote. A few years ago when her daughter needed additional parental support, Powell’s boss quickly created a simple system for her to easily communicate each morning the level of work she was capable of that day, and helped to triage and manage her workflow on the days that she was less available. This leader honored that Powell was not only an extremely valuable employee, but a mother, and understood the importance of supporting her in balancing those roles.Despite how vital it is to both people and businesses, actions supporting employee appreciation can be challenging to identify and initiate. This led Reward Gateway to research employee perceptions to help train leaders for success.Early Research FindingsFor the first phase of their study, Reward Gateway worked with 3,000 people across the US, United Kingdom, and Australia. With traditional surveys, results can be skewed as respondents have time for a longer thought process and tend to give the answer they want to give, or the answer they think is wanted, rather than the actual answer. To record true, instinctive answers to the survey questions, Reward Gateway used a fast-response model where statements were flashed on the screen and participants had a limited amount of time to respond.The full 40-page study will be published in January, but early findings validate the importance of employees being and feeling appreciated. Using a scale of 0–100, employee appreciation is shown to impact how hard the employee works (average rating of 72.14), their engagement (average rating of 70.5), and how satisfied they are with their job (average rating of 68.7). Across the surveyed population, the average global appreciation index is 65 on that same 0–100 scale (with, of course, some deviations across multiple demographics such as gender, industry, seniority, age, organization size, and control over work.)By measuring the response speed for each statement, Powell’s team was able to identify the top five most likely drivers of employees feeling appreciated. Finding ways to impact the employee experience in these areas is one key to boosting engagement:I am recognized by managers.My hard work is rewarded.I feel I belong here.My managers support me.My organization praises me.Applying Appreciation DriversPowell shared some examples of actions her clients have taken to influence their employees’ sense of appreciation. Recognition and appreciation don’t necessarily have to require developing a comprehensive program or system. You can start with simply meeting employees where they are to show genuine interest and gratitude for them.I am recognized by managers. Add a recognition moment to team huddles. If you have weekly huddles, this adds over 50 opportunities per year to recognize and appreciate your team members—even more if this is implemented across multiple departments. If you don’t know exactly what every person is working on, that’s okay. Ask them what they have done recently that they’re most proud of, and have a conversation about it.My hard work is rewarded. A couple years ago, one of Reward Gateway’s UK clients designed and sent a festive end-of-year holiday card to all employees and, because it had been a tough year, deposited just 20 pounds into everyone’s reward accounts. The CEO was concerned about the amount of the gift, so the day the card and reward were released, the organization also shared a video from the CEO communicating “how much he appreciated them, how hard it had been, and how instrumental they’d been to this success.” He got many messages of thanks from people who could see and sense his authentic appreciation for them.I feel I belong here. Top performers may appreciate additional professional development opportunities, or having the option, after a challenging project, to participate in enrichment events outside of the office. Expand traditional recognition programs to include celebrations of individual groups and belief systems. One of Powell’s clients created a series of 124 such celebrations organized on a quarterly calendar to recognize holidays such as Autism Awareness Month, Diversity Month, National Volunteer Week, Lesbian Visibility Day, Military Appreciation Month, as well as various religious holidays. They included supporting materials and a glossary of how to recognize and celebrate intentionally.Alexandra Powell, director of client cultural insights at Reward Gateway, led the thought leadership spotlightAnother client put additional effort into welcoming and celebrating new hires during the early stages of their tenure through automated recognition of their 30, 60, and 90-day milestones. This, in combination with ongoing in-person interactions, lets employees know right away that their presence is appreciated.My managers support me. Place a well-being block on everyone’s calendar for them to use as they see fit—yoga, a walk, play music, read a book, meal plan, attend a virtual wellness class—illustrating and reinforcing the company’s awareness that each person needs time to take care of themselves in whatever way is appropriate for them.My organization praises me. Use existing recognition events to ensure frequent praise and awareness across teams. Some examples include employee appreciation days, holiday celebrations, or highlighting the team members working on new and high-visibility projects.Powell provided insights into existing theories, but also introduced some new research findings and examples of practical ways to better support appreciation in the workplace, arming attendees with a framework of ideas to improve organizational engagement and illustrate to their teams the impact they have each day.Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Reward Gateway, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight. Jessica Swenson is a freelance writer and proofreader based in the Midwest. Learn more about her at jmswensonllc.com.

Quantifying Care: How E4E Relief Is Making a Difference in Emergency Financial Relief

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The Future of Employee Experience: Leveraging Technology To Drive Engagement

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