How Employees Can Navigate Digital Transformation While Being Heard, Seen, and Valued
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi March 28, 2025Extra Space Storage is a self-storage company that has over 4,000 facilities across the United States and employs 8,000 workers. The company has also only had three CEOs since 1977. At From Day One’s Salt Lake City conference, Whitney Harper, SVP of people at Extra Space Storage spoke with moderator Robert Gehrke, a reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune about how the company’s leadership and culture has fostered a work environment that embraces inclusivity, thoughtfulness and has adapted to artificial intelligence.As the nation faces a tumultuous time in politics, the news can be overwhelming and distracting for everyone, especially in the workplace. In order to make sure employees are seen, heard and focused, leaders can incorporate informal and formal strategies, says Harper.Surveys are a common way to check in with team members and get a “pulse check” on engagement, says Harper. Meetings can also give companies insight on how employees feel and what their concerns are.Informally, having conversations while running into people at the office can be a great way to casually connect with others and hear their thoughts. Extra Space Storage has developed a culture of having stairwell chats, while people run into workers from different departments between building floors. Harper also encourages asking the questions of “what’s on your mind?”, “what are you stressed about?” and “what can we help answer?”Showing employees that they are valued is another strategy to creating a thoughtful work environment. “When you have team members that hit a significant milestone, you want to make sure that you are also adequately or appropriately showing up and recognizing and reinforcing and creating kind of that calmness,” said Harper. Extra Space Storage celebrates employee milestones through bonuses. Although they used to send gifts, they found that extra cash was better received by workers. Diversity, equity and inclusion has been a hot topic in the news since the beginning of Trump’s second term. Extra Space Storage has remained committed to DEI efforts since the Black Lives Matters movement following George Floyd’s murder in 2020. The company has adjusted its DEI language to shift more toward inclusion and values because it felt that it more strongly aligned with its authentic self. Balancing the Use of AIWith thousands of employees and a commitment to helping everyone who needs human resource assistance, Harper is a regular user of artificial intelligence programs such as ChatGPT and Galileo, but she emphasizes to “never let AI be the driver.”Harper said AI has helped the company analyze data from employee engagement surveys and produce reports to share with senior leadership with indications that it was AI generated. This data contains a lot of sensitive information and so Harper clarified that she works closely with the cybersecurity team to ensure that these tools are safe. Whitney Harper, SVP of people at Extra Space Storage, was interviewed by Robert Gehrke, reporter at the Salt Lake Tribune during the fireside chatThe company also uses AI in learning and development. It recently launched a new learning management system called Axonify. “Axonify does trainings, but also does daily quizzes, so it can be testing the individual and also asks the individual, what's your confidence level on your answer to this,” Harper said. The AI training system learns about the individual employee the more they use it and helps them advance their skills in a way that is suited for them.Culture From the Top DownExtra Space Storage serves millions of customers with its storage facilities, but how do they transfer its inclusive work culture down to the members of the public?Harper says its unique company culture and business model all stems from the foundation of the company and its mission to maintain a “win-win relationship.” The founder of Extra Space Storage, Kenneth M. Wooley has always worked under the win-win relationship mindset even prior to the creation of the company, says Harper. “If you’re going to go into business with Ken Woolley, he's never going to do a deal that’s not a win-win with you,” she said. This reputation has continued with its second and third CEO.The win-win relationship is now serving its customers through rate adjustments especially when the company acknowledges that rate increases can be stressful. “We empower our team members to do rate adjustments,” she said. “They are empowered to do that so that they can say, ‘I know this customer, I can empathize. I see what’s going on with them. This is not a good time for you to have a rate increase. Let me make that adjustment for you.’”When the company’s culture is embraced by leaders, team members and third party owners, the positive impact of it “cascades throughout the whole organization,” Harper said.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photos by Sean Ryan for From Day One)
The Role of Leadership in Supporting Employee Mental Health and Wellness
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi March 17, 2025When an employee faces a health emergency and is hit with a $1,000 bill, it’s not just a physical wellness concern—it quickly becomes a financial one. They may have to dip into their emergency savings, leaving them unable to cover their bills. At that point, it can also start to affect their mental health.Nate Nevas, head of benefits and health services at Pitney Bowes, says his company approached the benefits in terms of making all pillars of physical, financial and mental wellness equally strong for employees. During a panel discussion at From Day One’s Chicago benefits conference, Kim Quillen, business editor of the Chicago Tribune, led a discussion with company executives about how managers can provide employees with mental health and wellness support. Putting Mental Health at the ForefrontLeaders at Pitney Bowes started their commitment to mental wellness by holding conversations about mental health with efforts to destigmatize it within the company. By spreading the message of “it’s okay not to be okay,” it began hosting a series of internal webinars, workshops and providing resources on its website, said Nevas. Gillian Plummer, director of employee health and wellness at Quest Diagnostics says 35,000 employees at her company have taken advantage of health risk assessments. The top feedback they received was that employees are stressed about their jobs and finances. Quest Diagnostics applied this data to its vendor programs and adopted it into cultural changes within the company, says Plummer.Panelists spoke about "Employee Mental Health and Wellness: How Managers Can Be Empowered"Britt Barney, manager of client success at Northstar, says the company sought to create greater awareness of wellness for its employees by offering mental health sessions with vendors and holding health fairs onsite. These in person events allow employees to meet with people from vendors and understand their benefits.Empowering managers to provide information to their employees about available benefits and to introduce them to someone that can further assist can be an effective way to support wellness. “There’s not enough time in the day for benefits people to be answering these questions, but to empower managers as that kind of first person that gets the information, I think is really important,” said Barney.Employee Support ProgramsCompanies are approaching wellness as a team effort. Pitney Bowes has a program where employees serve as “wellness champions,” who stay updated on available resources to be able to assist others who have questions or need help, said Nevas.Quest Diagnostics has a similar initiative with its company ambassadors. These employees take part in putting up informative flyers around work, talking to their peers and “empowering each other to live their best lives,” said Plummer.The company also offers peer support groups, where staff across the country have been able to share their personal stories about wellness journeys like in weight loss. Plummer says Quest Diagnostics is focusing on taking a step back on being “corporate,” by pursuing a more humanistic feel in the work they do. For example, the company encourages walks during meetings to give space for people to back away from powerpoint presentations and clear their heads. Mérieux NutriSciences showcases the various benefits available in its monthly spotlight on benefits and programs, said Benefits Manager Talikia Kitchen. They inform employees about what benefits are free and how to access them. For the mental health spotlight, the company guides their employees through the Employee Assistance Program and helps them get in touch with wellness vendors. “With our spotlight program, we spotlight each benefit that we have and we let employees know it’s okay to use this. This is totally confidential. No one will find out. This is for you,” said Kitchen. “It’s to help to ease your mind and to let you know it’s okay to use your benefits.”Kitchen recognizes that mental health is just one segment to multiple pillars of overall wellness.A Manager’s Role in Promoting WellnessWhile companies can provide an exuberant benefits program, if the work environment or company culture is not at the same level, these benefits go to waste, says Matt Jackson, general manager and vice president of Americas at Unmind. “The organization is responsible for creating the talent brand that attracts the right people to your company. They’re not responsible for the culture. The culture sits within the individual teams, and the managers are the stewards of that culture,” Jackson said.Managers hold a lot of power and can impact employees’ mental health more than a significant other or therapist, Jackson says. This highlights the importance of training and equipping leaders to foster a supportive culture within the company. Taking a humanistic approach and understanding the struggles that people may be dealing with can be an effective way to approach wellness. Making the time to hold conversations and build rapport can open up more discussions about how employees are feeling, says Plummer. Even by noticing a change in behavior or reaction in employees and acknowledging it can foster a healthier environment where employees and managers can talk about things that may be negatively affecting them, says Kitchen. “We all sometimes have this crying moment because we’re alone and we’re by ourselves–but sometimes we need that person, even if it’s not asking or telling what’s going on, it’s just [having someone to listen],” she said. Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photos by Tim Hiatt for From Day One)
Enhancing Workplace Culture by Prioritizing Growth and Engagement
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi March 11, 2025Six years ago, BMC Software was hesitant to survey employees and gather their feedback, says Lynn Moffett, vice president of human resources at BMC Software. The company didn’t utilize surveys because it didn’t know what to do with the insights. However, with the arrival of a new CEO, the company embraced a shift in approach.The new executive team pushed for a workplace that embraced interactions with employees that boosted the company culture. Since then, surveys have been a critical part of evaluating employee needs and driving improvement.During a panel discussion at From Day One’s Houston conference, executives spoke on how their corporations are enhancing wellness and workplace culture for its employees.Listening to Employee FeedbackSurveys are serving as a great way for companies to gauge how employees feel about their workplace and pushes the needle to bring change and improvements for the whole corporation. BMC Software’s employee survey measured how employees felt about career growth and development and by partnering with a technology vendor, the company was able to analyze the data and develop a sustainable strategy for the company to deploy, says Moffett.The vendor also helped the company understand how BMC’s initiative compared to other organizations. It found that many others are also focusing on career growth for its employees. BMC aimed to use the surveys to empower managers by giving them access to their own feedback and scores, opening up avenues to hold conversations with their employees, Moffett says. Managers were also trained and supported in having these discussions.Adrienne Adeshina, global head of learning and development for Ericsson, emphasized that the important part of utilizing surveys is actually taking action.Richard Robinson, system vice president of employee and labor relations at CommonSpirit Health, added that companies should reflect on whether any changes occurred since the last survey. When creating a survey, it should recognize the current issues at hand.“I emphasize with the leaders to still check in with employees to see if we moved the needle. And if not, is there something else we should start looking at? Because maybe whatever was drawing the issue at that time may not be driving it anymore,” Robinson said.Carver Edison is using survey data and connecting it back to an evaluation of how employees are engaging with benefits and financial programs, says Aaron Shapiro, the company’s founder and CEO.“That actually helps create context around different survey responses so we can help our clients really understand how the two are connected, how employee survey data actually then connects and translates to the decisions people are making,” said Shapiro.Investing in Employee DevelopmentNational University has started a credential-rich pathway initiative which allows students to gain more experience and connections in addition to graduating with a degree.“No longer are we living this three phase life where you go to school, you have a career and you retire,” said Eric Roe, dean and regional vice president for Texas at National University. “You have this multiphase life where you’re moving in and out of education.”National University is one of the first education institutions to embed an industry certifications into its degree program, Roe says. The university has embedded the Google project management and data science certificate. It also partners with companies like Amazon and Southwest Airlines and takes its leadership training program and incorporates it into the university’s initiatives.Nick Baily, CEO and co-founder of From Day One, moderated the session Adeshina says Ericsson has created a four-level learning plan for global critical skills that the company has identified that are used in the organization. Employees are then given the opportunity to focus on growing these certain skills through short term projects in collaboration with their leaders. These projects open opportunities to network, work with new people and experience a day in the life of someone doing the job more related to that skill, says Adeshina.Holistic Wellness: From Finances to Workplace Flexibility While many employers want to provide more financial stability for employees through raises, budgets always cause a barrier, says Shapiro. Financial wellness is a growing topic among corporations as a report from the Federal Reserve shows that “72% of adults are doing at least okay financially,” which is six percent lower than recorded in 2021.People often look for jobs to make more money, therefore employee retention begins to increase when workers are feeling comfortable with their income and not seeking new employment, says Shapiro. In the remote working space, wellness and productivity can either decline or improve with the different initiatives taken by leaders to ensure the workplace culture is still prevalent for remote workers. The National University’s Center for the Advancement of Virtual Organizations recently published a book titled, Winning in the Virtual Workplace, a framework for leaders on how to successfully lead a remote team.“It really starts with a leader centered in the framework around emotional intelligence,” said Roe. “You have to really be able to understand that employee and connect with them, but then you surround that with a structure that supports that remote workforce.”The framework encourages communication through check ins, maintaining accountability and providing positive encouragement. A communication feedback loop has to be developed to keep remote employees engaged, says Roe.The panelists agreed that what they see drives engagement is stability, flexibility, growth opportunities, and connection.The Importance of DEIAs some corporations are rolling back on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, others are still holding onto its initiatives to make sure that the sense of belonging remains a part of the workplace culture. “Ericsson hasn’t rolled back or changed anything. It’s always been a culture of inclusion and belonging, and that continues,” Adeshina said.Social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion is important for building the next generation of the workforce, says Roe. Supporting DEI helps create a workplace culture where individuals feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute—an environment that leaders are committed to maintaining.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photos by Annie Mulligan for From Day One)
Shaping the Dialogue: Delivering Meaningful Well-Being Support
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi March 05, 2025In a 2022 survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, results showed that more than 60% of people cited shame and stigma as the main obstacle to accessing mental health care.At Freddie Mac, the company utilizes storytelling to help destigmatize the need for benefits and reminding employees of the plethora of resources available to them, says Jennifer White, head of learning and leadership development.While people across the nation are struggling to care for their mental and physical health, it can be even more difficult to do so with the additional stressors within the workforce. During a panel discussion at From Day One’s Washington, D.C. conference moderated by LA Times reporter Faith Pinho, executives spoke on how leaders can foster cultures that support meaningful missions toward employee well-being.Vulnerability in the WorkplaceOne of the biggest challenges when it comes to communication around mental well-being is the stigma, says Nicole Wolfe, vice president of B2B partnerships at Rula. In order to combat this struggle, it’s important for company leaders to create a culture around transparency, honesty and vulnerability. Nicole Wolfe added that some of the discomfort around seeking help often stems from a lack of awareness of what resources and benefits are available as well.Owner and founder of Westcomm, Guy Westermeyer, says that using storytelling techniques in company campaigns can also help make information more memorable. Featuring the stories and voices of real employees and company leaders sheds the stigma around seeking help and lets them know it’s okay to use these benefits.“When you have stories coming from leaders it helps to show that vulnerability as well, and lets people know that it’s okay to use this benefit and to seek out support,” agreed White.“You have to be open and you have to talk about it regularly. It can’t be a once and done,” said Westermeyer. He also emphasized that companies need to “bust the myths” around mental health and use more relatable terms and scenarios that employees can see themselves in.Developing a Strong Company Culture of WellnessCreating a culture of well-being can be beneficial to employees who see direct actions and outcomes of promises that the company makes. This culture can be formed by holding conversations on how managers are demonstrating behaviors that are being asked for, whether leaders are celebrating employee milestones and more, said Carlee Wolfe, associate vice president of leader development and organizational effectiveness at Hyatt.For larger companies such as Hyatt, with offices and hotels across continents, it's important to evaluate what’s being offered to employees locally. From restaurant staff to housekeeping, the hotel corporation acknowledges the efforts from all levels of the company.Hyatt also celebrates Global Day of Gratitude, where employees across the world engage in spreading appreciation to others in the company and at home. “Not only is that something that reaches our entire organization, but you can really feel that walking through the halls or typing into chat or sitting in the back of the house and how people are working,” said Carlee Wolfe.Panelists discussed how they integrate well-being into their companiesA diverse range of options is valued whenever possible. Freddie Mac offers well-being support by having physicians, counselors and chiropractors on site for corporate offices, says White. It also provides caregiving leave, bereavement leave and well-being leave for employees. The company has developed a coaching program where employees can receive resources on improving their wellness habits such as sleep, time management, exercise and more.Measuring Employee Well-beingIn the hospitality business, like Hyatt, the company focuses on the idea of happy colleagues, happy guests. By evaluating the level of engagement through company activities and surveys, leaders can measure whether their employees are aligning with the well-being culture that is set up by the corporation.Carlee Wolfe said Hyatt sends out a colleague experience survey, which is built on company core values, leadership competencies and wellbeing. The data tells the team what the company can do to support employees and allows them to take action on what they see and hear is needed.“The thing that we really emphasize is the data becoming available at the manager's fingertips. We have data that goes to any leader that has five or more direct reports, so they’re able to look at how [they are] moving the needle on well-being,” said Carlee Wolfe.White also previously worked in the hospitality business at Hilton. During her time there, she said the company started a campaign that aimed to ensure employee well-being through comfortability. This meant looking at the uniforms and making sure they were comfortable and allowing staff to feel confident, so they could be “ready to be at work and do their best job.”In recent years, well-being has evolved beyond physical health, embracing a holistic approach to wellness–a shift that continues to gain momentum. Just five years ago, this broader perspective was far less common. Westermeyer highlights the strong connection between mental and financial wellness, an increasingly recognized priority for companies.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photos by Justin Feltman for From Day One)
Innovative and Efficient Approaches to Improving Employee Well-Being
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi February 26, 2025When the fires in Los Angeles, California sparked in January, many employees of S&P Global were impacted. In order to support its employees, the company looked into its retirement plan and offered its workers to use funds from their 401k plan to get what they needed to support themselves financially through a FEMA disaster relief withdrawal policy.As the world sees increased natural disasters, financial pressures, health challenges and more, employee well-being is a topic that needs to be talked about now more than ever. Well-being includes mental health, physical health and finances. During a panel at From Day One’s Atlanta conference, executives joined moderator and journalist Alexis Hauk for a conversation on how corporations are taking innovative and efficient approaches to improving employee well-being.A Focus on FlexibilityAfter Covid, many companies are working on having employees return to the office after years of remote and hybrid meetings. In this post-pandemic era, companies are facing the conflict of employees seeking flexibility in their work while management attempts to bring them back to work in person.Jan Goldstein, senior vice president of human resources at Gray Media Group works with broadcast journalists who are covering stressful topics about shootings, fires and disasters all while working under a tight deadline and having to look their best while doing it, she says.Under Gray Media Group, management and HR focuses on creating a healthy work environment and culture to encourage employees to come into the office and allow them to feel like they want to be working in person. The company currently has a hybrid model to allow time in person to build relationships and culture while also giving employees flexibility to work from home.Vitor Hugo Cid, global head of HR for patient care informatics at Philips says his company has been in the process of impending the push to return to the office over the last six months. Philips currently has a hybrid work model as well.It’s important to establish clear policies around hybrid, remote or in person work, he says. Some positions such as manufacturing roles simply cannot be done from home. To bring people back into the office, a change in mindset needs to occur, Vitor Cid added.“What we’re starting to do in this new approach is really think about intentionally creating moments that matter, [like] employee experience, so employees can be in the office and they can actually have those moments of creativity, conversation, building and networking,” he said.Philips has expanded its diversity and inclusion team to also incorporate well-being. It has implemented a mental health program that invites company employees to become mental health champions who can help others in the company. They receive training from mental health professionals to learn how to act as a guidepost for employees who may need mental health support. It currently has 500 volunteer mental health champions across 130 countries.Supporting Women’s HealthOvia Health is a unique family health benefits platform that offers women’s health services to employers. While in the workforce, women are impacted by very specific health challenges, including perimenopause, menopause and pregnancy.Von Miles, head of commercial strategy and growth for Ovia Health says since the company’s inception in 2012, it has served over 22 million family journeys. Ovia Health offers women education through articles, videos and support through health coaches.The top four areas of gap that the company identified through surveys from employers included parenting programs, flexibility and schedule, mental health and return to work programs, says Miles. “Feedback is so important, giving them the opportunity to speak to their employer to talk about what their needs and gaps are as it relates to their women's health journey,” said Miles.Measuring the Success of Wellness InitiativesGray Media Group hosts a multitude of events and campaigns for its employees to engage in including gratitude and appreciation campaigns where employees nominate another person they think is awesome to work with, a water drinking challenge and a safe driving pledge. Every month they do something different.Goldstein says she can measure how well the company’s efforts are doing by seeing how many people are actually participating and engaging in these activities. The company also matches employee donations that go towards a financial fund that is provided to them as a grant when an employee needs financial support during an unforeseen event.Financial Well-Being and Emergency SupportAccording to Tapcheck co-founder & COO Kayling Gaver, 14% of Americans are underbanked, meaning they don’t have access to traditional credit or finances. When employees are struggling with finances, it shows through absenteeism, low productivity and poor health, Gaver says.By implementing Tapcheck, an instant pay app, employees are able to access their wages immediately when they need them, as they earn their pay. “It’s a gig economy,” said Goldstein. “People can drive an Uber for an hour, download their cash, get gas money to keep driving all day. So having that kind of flexibility and urgent access to their earnings, I just think they're going to start to expect from us.” At Gray Media Group, Goldstein was able to implement earned wage access as well as cover the ATM fee for withdrawals.The executive panelists spoke about "Innovative and Efficient Approaches to Improving Employee Well-Being"Extreme weather phenomena are increasingly impacting employees across the nation. During these times, finances along with safety might be a concern for employees. From wildfires to snowstorms, employees are facing additional stresses in addition to their work lives.At Tapcheck, employers offered their staff an emergency fund to help them prepare for a snow storm that was approaching. The program was offered to them as a way to support employees and make sure they were able to stock their pantries and collect any necessities.Philips also has a crisis team that was developed during Covid that focuses on how to ensure employee safety.Using AI to Enhance WellnessCompanies carry a lot of information and data across various departments and sometimes that can be difficult and time consuming for people to navigate through. Artificial intelligence can be helpful in organizing this data and providing it to people. Tiffany Clark, vice president of people solutions & well-being at S&P Global says her company uses a generative AI bot to help employees find information about benefits. S&P Global has many benefit offerings that range from menopause, leave and financial support. The bots will also help employees interpret the information that is provided. Currently, the bot is still being monitored by an employee who is training it and reviewing its actions to make sure it’s providing accurate information. “I think technology is going to drive a lot that we see in the well-being space, especially when you look at those three points about, how do you educate, how do you get people direct access, and then how do you use that data to be able to drive the different decisions that you make as an organization?” said Clark. While AI is on the rise, it still requires human oversight. Clark clarifies that technology is meant to augment human capabilities, not displacing them. S&P Global has taken many steps in preparing and training the bot by testing its functions, conducting risk assessments with an AI council and forming a knowledge team that governs its AI policies, says Clark. “AI is nothing without the data. And so making sure that our data set is as clean as possible, that's one of the things that we've done to make sure that we're using AI responsibly,” said Clark.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photos by Dustin Chambers for From Day One)
Adapting to Evolving Workforce Expectations: Key Areas for Leaders’ Focus in the New Year
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi January 29, 2025Looking ahead in 2025, leaders are setting their priorities. At From Day One’s December virtual conference, leaders shared their plans to advance development initiatives with a focus on diversity, inclusion, and artificial intelligence in 2025.As companies progress in developing diversity, equity and inclusion goals, Rebecca Warren, director of talent-centered transformation at Eightfold, says that the DEI objectives will continue to move forward and become more integrated within the workforce.“The general definition of diversity is widening. We’re moving from just focusing on demographic, cultural and social identities to also thinking about abilities and perspective and cognitive capabilities as well,” said Warren.DEI can also be reflected in how companies include and engage with their staff. Laura Mazzullo, founder and owner of East Side Staffing, says that when she spoke to undertrained internal recruiters, they expressed a desire to sit in meetings with HR business partners, executives and be involved with creating plans and strategies.Many employees lack the confidence to pursue their goals because they’ve never been given the opportunity. Companies can address this by fostering inclusivity and developing emotional intelligence and other important soft skills.AI and New TechnologyAI is rapidly evolving within companies, particularly in human resources, where it’s being introduced as a tool for task efficiency. But as Warren points out, its full potential is still unfolding with continued use. As AI advances, leaders face a key question: How can companies balance automation with the irreplaceable human touch?At Hearst, the company hosted a learning program to create a cultural switch in the integration of AI. For 2025, Hearst is planning for more programs to be available for staff to continue their education on AI as well as maintaining and developing human based skills such as empathy, collaboration, communication and leadership.“We absolutely envision an environment where technology and power human skills are working together, because we don’t believe that generative AI is going to replace people,” said Maris Krieger, senior director of talent programs at Hearst Corporation.These learning and development efforts are a result of staff feedback and input, says Krieger. “It wasn’t a corporation doing something behind closed doors. We collaborated. We asked what [staff] needed and what their priorities were,” she said.Investing in Development During Times of ChangeAs the workforce undergoes changes with technological advancements and evolving work expectations, companies need to be prepared to adapt. Especially during times of change, it's important for leaders to be a guiding hand for their team.SiriusXM is actively working on leveling up managers, said Bhavna Sharma, vice president of talent enablement and engagement at SiriusXM. Investing in leadership creates a ripple effect on the company’s culture, employee experience and business outcomes, she adds.SiriusXM began by building a leadership profile that reflected the company’s core values to create a baseline of what it means to be a leader. HR also conducts quarterly conversations and succession plannings to assess not only manager readiness but also identify developmental needs.They also launched SiriusXM University, a curriculum based program that aims to support and cultivate a growth mindset for leaders. Sharma emphasized the importance of empowering managers as career coaches. The program provides leaders with quick training sessions and resources that help boost manager accountability and team collaboration, helping them support their employees.Lydia Dishman, senior editor at Fast Company, moderated the panel about "Adapting to Evolving Workforce Expectations: Key Areas for Leaders’ Focus in the New Year" (photo by From Day One)The company dedicates its training to all employees as well, embracing the idea that career progression can be taken in different ways and that the company encourages everyone to develop their skills.At MiTek, the company will be conducting its first upward feedback manager survey, an assessment of the managers performance. Christopher Rotolo, vice president of global talent at MiTek, says that the feedback from the survey will start off as a way for managers to assess their own development, but after a couple of years the survey data will be used to discuss succession and talent mobility.MiTek also encourages managers to hold Aspiration, Capability, Engagement (ACE) conversations with each of their employees at least once a year to hear about their personal aspirations, capabilities and engagement.Holding one-on-one meetings with employees allows managers to gain a better understanding of how they can support their team.When companies around the world evolve, employees might feel pressure from the change. These new evolutions might look like the recent increase in shifting back to in person work or work expectations changing. In these cases, Warren thinks it's more important for companies to focus on the outcome of the employee’s work, not the amount of hours they put in. Companies should be looking at “skill and performance based metrics rather than focusing on schedules or presenteeism,” Warren said.Sharma says that productivity will increase when companies foster a culture of trust and autonomy. By eliminating micromanagement, employees will be empowered in decision making within their role.At Hearst Corporation, Krieger has witnessed many successes with remote work. Although some companies are encouraging people to return to offices, Krieger emphasizes that in person work is not necessary for successful outcomes. Working a remote or hybrid position also plays into mental health and work life balance, agrees Rotolo.HR can sometimes be resistant to trusting data that shows employees are happier and more productive working from home or with a flexible schedule, says Mazzullo. “We talk so much about tech and AI but you’ve got to actually look at the information and then do something with it,” Mazzullo said. “There’s data there that would allow employees to have the flexibility they want. There’s no reason a company should not be listening to that.”Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Benefits Recap & Forecast: Navigating Alternative Health Plan Choices in 2025
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi January 27, 2025On a summer day in 2024, Matt Cook, chief commercial officer of Firefly Health, suddenly felt some pain in his stomach. He reached out to his Firefly care team and scheduled a 15 minute appointment with a nurse practitioner who ordered him to get a CT scan. The results showed Cook had appendicitis and the next day he was scheduled for a surgery. All of this happened within 72 hours of care.Firefly Health is a virtual-first healthcare company that offers an alternative health plan that aims to make it easier for people to get the care they need. During a From Day One webinar, journalist Jenny Sucov spoke with Cook and Erik Sossa, independent advisor and consultant to Firefly and former Vice President of Global Benefits and Wellness at PepsiCo about health plan trends and challenges employers face with the changing landscape for benefits.The Shortfalls of Typical Healthcare BenefitsWhile Sossa was working with PepsiCo., he felt that employers were leaving employees to manage their benefits on their own. “They had to deal with changes in annual enrollment, finding an in network provider, prior authorization and an explanation of benefits,” he said.Despite the value of healthcare benefits, corporations are taking away from the positive employee experience while they themselves are struggling with the cost of providing care for their workers. “Employees oftentimes are facing the brunt of some of those tough decisions in the form of maybe a more restricted plan,” said Cook. “Affordability is such an issue for both the employee and employers themselves.”Coming from the corporate side, Sossa acknowledges that companies struggle with cost sharing and sometimes burden employees with having to educate themselves on healthcare plans while they may not have the time to learn the ins and outs of health insurance.“For an employee who doesn’t navigate healthcare for a living, they serve our companies for a living, that’s a tremendous burden on them to try to navigate through this,” said Sossa. “That’s part of the dynamic and one of the things I’m very excited about with companies like Firefly that are trying to really change that paradigm.”Matt Cook, the chief commercial officer of Firefly Health, spoke during the webinar (company photo)Cook said that one group that launched Firefly’s health plan alongside traditional plans told them that Firefly was “the first plan they ever offered where frontline workers and executives alike chose the same plan.” The concept of healthcare affordability is not just with money, but also time. For busy workers, healthcare is only useful when it can be accessible according to the member’s schedule.What is Alternative Healthcare?Alternative health care is an alternative to “historical medical plans that have been delivered in this country across a consolidated set of health plans that are out there today,” said Cook.Firefly is trying to “rethink” the medical plan experience by taking off the burden that has been placed on employees. Sossa views it as the “next evolution” of healthcare. “It’s an alternative to a broken system but hopefully that alternative becomes more and more of the status quo as we rethink the way healthcare needs to be delivered in this country,” Cook said.The new generation of healthcare that Sossa envisions is one that is affordable, accountable, productive and healthy. Firefly is using industry wide data sets on wellness, prescription drugs and labs to understand the gaps that need to be filled in healthcare.Firefly’s model allows patients to quickly schedule a 15 minute visit and continue the engagement in between visits. The company found that there were more longitudinal engagements with its members that were dealing with chronic conditions, some of which they were seeing two dozen to 100 times a year. In a primary care system, they might be visiting their doctor once a year, said Cook.The company offers both virtual and in person care through local partnerships. Firefly uses a care model that ensures members are consistently met with the same team throughout their journey.Pitching New Programs to StakeholdersChanges in new programs, like healthcare, can be exciting but it has to be approved by company stakeholders in order to be implemented. Sossa said when something new is being pitched, you have to have a “clear understanding of your audience and speak their language.”When talking to the CFO, understand the marketing, investments and advertising aspects. When discussing with human resources, touch on the represented population, labor landscape and contracts. Sossa says stakeholders will be more receptive to ideas that are half-baked, ones that require some brainstorming.“Bring them the idea at a 30% mark, where you have the ability to sonar ping with them, get their influence and get their reaction. But if you have a chance to sonar ping your ideas as you go through, that makes them part of developing the solution, and they are much more receptive to that,” Sossa added.He encourages corporate leaders to “resist the gravitational forces of short term thinking” and consider how something that will be sustainable and will solve issues takes time. Sossa advises his clients to think of themselves as moving into the first year of a three year strategy. “Aim a little higher in your steering,” he said.The Future of HealthcareAlternative healthcare is at an inflection point, but it is still a slow progressing industry as they introduce the concept to the corporate world, says Sossa. Cook added that the inflection comes at a time where provider shortages are only getting worse.“Ultimately, the average person is going to be looking for that accessible, high quality care and I think that moment is coming. We need to bring great quality care to our people, not leave it to them to go and figure out where to find it,” said Cook.More competitors are entering the alternative health care industry and the adoption of it is going to increase in 2025, predicts Sossa. Especially with growing frustrations on the traditional healthcare models and lack of progression to meet members’ needs.Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Firefly Health, for sponsoring this webinar. Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.(Photo by Phanphen Kaewwannarat/iStock)
How to Connect a People Strategy to a Business Strategy
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi January 08, 2025Lennar Corporation, a housing construction company based in Miami has over 13,000 employees and hundreds of thousands of trade partners. How does it maintain a strong group of staff with diverse skills and talents? Drew Holler, chief human resource officer at Lennar, says what plays well in recruiting and retaining thousands of employees is promoting a personal connection to the business.Holler spoke during a fireside chat at From Day One’s Miami conference. He and moderator Tim Padgett, Americas Editor for WLRN spoke about how HR leaders can connect people strategy to business strategy to hire, train and retain employees.Developing an Emotional Connection to the MissionWhat attracts people to Lennar is the industry it’s in: housing. Holler says that because a majority of people have a home, people can relate to the industry through the personal significance of becoming a homeowner or having the goal of home ownership.“When you buy a home, it’s the biggest asset that you’ll ever buy in your life,” said Holler. “There’s this emotional connection to the business that really plays well and then it’s also as people understand the growth potential in this industry.”Tim Padgett, Americas Editor, WLRN, NPR News, right, interviewed Lennar Corp.'s CHROLennar is able to recruit and retain employees by maintaining this deeper connection between the staff and the company’s mission. It allows them to effectively bring in the diverse talent that is necessary for Lennar to function.The company is also known for building affordable housing across the nation in states such as California, New Jersey, Arizona and Texas. Much of the nation’s population can understand the struggles of rising housing costs. As Lennar works toward building more affordable homes, people can relate to the company’s social mission. “We really do feel like our role is helping America build a more healthy housing market and to do that, there are a lot of different elements. One huge element is more attainable housing,” said Holler.AI Drives Human CreativityLike most corporate companies, the use of AI technology has become more common and embedded into the work within the industry. Holler says in the HR sector that AI has allowed for mundane tasks to become automated, freeing up time for workers to put their creative focus on other things.“There’s been little pockets where I’ve seen this already, in our business of individuals that were very heads down, doing the same repeatable tasks, that now can put their head up a little bit, not all the way, but a little bit, and so now they’re spending 50% or more of their time really adding value,” said Holler.Lennar also uses AI to generate training videos based on HR Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). This process centralizes text based information into a video for people to digest in a different format.HR is transforming under the growth of AI technology and as the economy and corporate industry grows, Holler says it’s important to have the talented staff that will support the company in the coming years.Building a Social MissionLennar’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts directly blend into the work it does for consumers and staff by making sure that everyone feels included. Holler emphasized that there’s an existing feeling that everyone wants to belong and the company upholds this by connecting with its team, mission and work.“If you want to have a great workplace that's productive, you want to have a workplace that actually takes care of customers’ needs. You need to have engaged employees, and the best way to do that is to make sure they feel included with their teams and with their work,” said Holler.Lennar’s mission to serve communities that need affordable housing dives into this effort towards welcoming and including all people. The company builds single-family, multi-family homes as well as housing for rent. Holler acknowledges that the “life-cycle of a consumer,” can look different for everyone and the company strives to meet the needs of all types of people.“It’s an exciting time to be in this space. You have an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives,” said Holler.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Prioritizing Employee Investment: A Key to Thriving in Challenging Times
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi December 18, 2024As a working professional, Madhavi Vemireddy, CEO of Cleo, has been serving as a caregiver to her special needs son, as well as her husband and sister who were diagnosed with cancer. She noticed that “no one was understanding [people’s] unique caregiver journeys and what education is needed so they can advocate for their loved ones.” Vemireddy created Cleo, a family care platform that supports individuals at every stage of life that now serves over 200 clients.Managers may not know it, but many of their employees may be experiencing stress with their lives outside of work and this can impact their ability to focus at work. This is why it’s important for companies to invest in their employees' mental well being. During a panel discussion at From Day One’s Brooklyn conference, leaders discussed how their companies invest in employee growth and mental health.Inclusivity and Mental HealthWarner Bros. employee resource groups hosted a summit focused on helping employees build their careers and creating spaces that foster a sense of community and belonging. The summit brought in specialists who understood the unique needs of a particular community and guided them with sustainable tools they could use to prevent burnout in a constantly evolving industry.“One of the things we want to be mindful of is that our diverse populations are not a monolith,” said Jhneall Gardner, vice president of talent management at Warner Bros. Discovery. “So we’re really focusing on some of the unique needs that they might have,” she said.Warner Bros. also had a career focused podcast called “Empowered Women” which celebrates and recognizes the work of women in the tech and media industry.Journalist Jenny Sucov, left, moderated the discussionIn corporate work environments with thousands of employees, it’s important to recognize the mental health of staff that are supporting the company with their work. Mastercard has implemented multiple initiatives to improve employee mental health including work from home weeks, meeting free days, flex Fridays and its Mental Health Champions program, says Adam Mesh, vice president of human resource at Mastercard.Started in 2023, the Mental Health Champions program had employees around the world go through 12 hours of training to get certified as a mental health champion. These employees now serve as advocates in the workforce for others to turn to for help and find resources.To reduce the monotony of working daily in an office, Mastercard’s workplace flexibility allows employees to work remotely from anywhere four weeks a year. Meeting free days allow for employees to focus on catching up on work, take time to care for themselves or take a learning course to develop skills.Purpose is also key. “I think purpose is so important for organizations because it creates that emotional attachment of employees, not only to the company, but to a broader purpose,” Mesh said.Destigmatizing Mental Health DiscussionsIn order to acknowledge the mental health of employees, companies have to learn how to facilitate conversations around mental health. Melissa Doman, organizational psychologist, author, and strategic advisor to BetterHelp Business, helps companies understand the necessary language and skills to talk about mental health at work.Doman provides keynotes, fireside interviews, workshops, and a certification course specifically for leaders to teach them how to “talk about mental health at work, for themselves, and for their teams.” The key reasons why people tend to avoid talking about mental health in the workplace is because they’re worried about saying the wrong thing or crossing the legal boundaries around discussing it, she says.Asking someone “Are you okay?” is not the same as asking someone “Do you have a major depressive disorder?” said Doman, who says that inquiring about someone’s well-being is not the same as asking about protected health information. The stigma around mental health discussions is one of the reasons why there should be more conversations about it within companies, Mesh adds. “I think just having employees understand that it’s okay to have that discussion, and for your leadership to buy in that this is a real thing and we need to be supportive of our employees,” said Mesh.Supporting Employees, Preventing BurnoutWork can be stressful itself, but individuals all experience outside pressures from home life as well. Vemireddy shared that more than 50% of employees don’t tell their managers that they have caregiving duties. “The hidden toll that we’re seeing is that there’s a much higher risk of burnout,” said Vemireddy.Cleo launched a Family Health Index to understand the biggest challenges that families are facing as caregivers, whether they’re exhibiting early signs of depression and anxiety and feeling burnout from their responsibilities.After over 10,000 people took the assessment, results showed that about a third are at higher risk of burnout. She adds that almost half of its families failed a self-report questionnaire that screens for anxiety and depression.“We see caregivers, especially those higher risk caregivers who are at that stage of burnout,either go on leave or they essentially are leaving the workforce altogether, which then has an impact on their own ability to save up for retirement and save up for their own caregiving needs. So we're setting this vicious cycle,” said Vemireddy.HR executives are often the ones to take on these acknowledgements that their employees may be struggling from stress and burnout, but how can HR teams help support them?Rosa Meza-Zambrio, director of organizational analytics and people insights strategy at S&P Global says her company utilizes artificial intelligence to support the workload and productivity of employees and leaders. AI tools can even help streamline HR tasks, said Meza-Zambrio.AI systems are able to collect data and knowledge for employees so that people can focus on other important aspects of their jobs. S&P has its own internal AI assistant called Spark Assist and the company has also created an AI literacy program called AI Academy.“We're doing this because we want to help our people reduce that mental load, focus on the things that are important to you, as well as increasing our scope and our support for our people without that additional headcount,” said Meza-Zambrio.She encourages people to leverage AI technology because it can provide more knowledge for employees without making a big financial investment. AI tools also reduce repetitive and complex tasks for HR teams and help them manage their workload and mental health as well.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Using AI to Revolutionize Hiring for Top Talent
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi December 11, 2024With the help of artificial intelligence, a task that would take hours, days, or even weeks to complete can now be done in five minutes, says Mike Aronson, senior director of talent acquisition at Johnson Controls.In talent acquisition, AI has been a useful tool in generating job descriptions, screening applicants, and sourcing candidates. During a panel at From Day One’s November virtual conference, executives touched on how AI has revolutionized hiring the best candidates and streamlined productivity.Balancing AI and Human OperationsLesli Stasiek, senior director of human resources at Cencora says that they maintain the “human touch” through the hiring process by still interacting through recruiters and hiring managers, while also using Phenom AI as a way to drive efficiency in filtering through applications on a daily basis. “We don’t have enough recruiters to go through everything, so we’re leveraging the AI at the top of the funnel,” said Stasiek.Cencora is still at the start of its journey with utilizing AI but Stasiek shares that she hopes it can be leveraged “internally to empower employees and give them the resources to build their careers and drive better discussions.”AI is being implemented into talent acquisition to quickly check off tedious tasks that may be taking up time that can be investing towards more productivity. When it comes to creating job postings, AI is also used to source the best candidates through algorithms within job boards. During the hiring process, AI minimizes the time recruiters spend on summarizing interview notes and conversations to provide to managers.“It’s not replacing the person. It’s making the job a bit easier so that they can have a conversation around why [they] think this person’s good,” said Aronson.Companies who use skills-based hiring processes also benefit from the efficiencies of using AI to filter through applications that match the best skill sets. Angie Lombardo, global director of operations for talent acquisition at Arcadis, says the company’s applicant tracking system has an AI that will help rank the talent pool based on skills.This tool is helpful in regions like India and the Middle East where they receive thousands of applications within a week of posting a job opportunity, says Lombardo.Mitigating Bias in AIAI functions through system memory and if human bias has already been incorporated, machines will learn to replicate the same bias. Jenny Cotie Kangas, director of talent-centered transformation at Eightfold, says that it’s important to understand how you’re using the AI, how it’s coded, and the necessary guardrails to prevent wrong decision making.“When we’re talking about job descriptions and leveraging [generative] AI for job descriptions, it’s always important to run that through some sort of anti-bias tool,” said Kangas. “We want to kind of reset and recalibrate and make sure that we’re creating job descriptions that are truly inclusive.”AI is useful in eliminating the natural human bias such as what Kangas describes as the decisions she’ll make when she’s really hungry and when she’s not. Generative AI tends to be more male leaning, she added. The system may also be seeking “charged words” to identify patterns from the past in order to predict next steps. Kangas adds that even when companies use tools like AI, it’s always important to layer other tools on top to make sure all pieces are being covered.Utilizing AI for Internal GrowthAI’s efficiency not only helps with sourcing applicants but it can also help identify current employees who are ready for development and growth as future leaders. Especially in organizations with thousands of employees, it’s almost impossible for managers to know every employee well enough to identify possible candidates.Lydia Dishman of Fast Company moderated the discussion among industry experts (photo by From Day One)“Tools like this allow us to look at not just career pathing within a function, but across multiple functions or business units,” said Stasiek. “You drive that connectivity and you drive that networking and then you can grow your pipeline and your succession planning exponentially.” Investing in the career development of current employees also increases engagement and retention.Tracking the Applicant ExperienceThe digital platform of AI, allows everything to be tracked and digitized for future data analysis. For example, hiring managers can see what questions candidates are asking a website’s embedded chatbot and understand what they are looking for and what problems need to be solved, says Aronson.The reason why websites like Amazon are visited so regularly is because it’s easy to use. Company pages should be emulating this simplicity to improve the candidate experience during application processes, he added.Especially with the culture of recruiters “ghosting,” improving the candidate experience is also a key aspect to attracting the best candidates, said Kristen Baller, head of talent acquisition at DISH Network. By using AI to cut down tedious tasks, recruiters have more time to focus on “engaging and partnering with the candidate throughout their journey,” she said.The Challenges of AIAI is a powerful tool within the corporate space and it’s now being used by more companies, but what challenges can rise with increased use?“I think education is what we’re going to have to really think about,” said Baller. “We’re giving all these teams a Ferrari but nobody’s taught them how to drive it.” Stasiek emphasized that education is important to create awareness, but change management is where leaders can really see the impact of implementing a new system.As we remember that AI is a machine, Lombardo points out that “the more that we use AI, we do have to be careful that we’re not just using AI to do our work, but we are putting that human touch on it before we put anything out to be viewed.”Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Developing Workforce Culture Skills to Thrive in 2025
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi December 10, 2024Emtrain’s 2024 report, “Workplace Culture in 2024 and What It Signals for 2025,” recorded that that there was a 4% increase in people’s experiences on respect, inclusion and belonging in the workplace but a 5% decrease in people’s perceptions of the personal integrity and integrity of their leaders. What does this data tell us?During a thought leadership spotlight at From Day One’s Brooklyn conference, founder and CEO of Emtrain, Janine Yancey presented how businesses can effectively use a culture survey to gain better insights on how employees are doing and how to prepare for the future as the industry evolves.With an uptick in major layoffs across corporations, Yancey says that the boosted numbers in experiences of respect and belonging come from those who were chosen to stay amid layoffs, but the decrease in people’s perception of integrity in leaders come from increasing doubt about leaders making impactful decisions.“Employees right now are heavily doubting and distrustful of their leaders,” said Yancey. “We’ve got a society that’s more polarized than it really has been in decades. We’ve got so many people all working side by side.”Corporations have become more diverse over the last five years with a multigenerational, multicultural and mulitracial staff. These changes call for a stronger need to understand the social dynamics within a workplace.The long existing human capital metric tells businesses the basic information of total staff, demographics and promotion rates but what lacks in this measurement is the social dynamics between employees. Yancey says implementing a social capital metric can measure culture skills within a company which can show how people interact, collaborate, and work through changes.Janine Yancey of Emtrain led the thought leadership spotlight All of these metrics show what exists today, but they can also show what can be expected in the future, says Yancey. “Our ability and our skill to mitigate biases, all of those skills at the individual level, coworker level, team level and enterprise level, they are all skills that tell you what kind of social dynamics and outcomes you’re going to have,” she said.Yancey, as a former litigator, said all of her harassment and discrimination cases reflected “weak skills in managing power.” By measuring and evaluating how employees perceive the culture skills of their coworkers and manager under the umbrella of respect, inclusion, belonging and ethics, business leaders can predict what they can expect from their employees.Emtrain’s culture survey measures 16 different culture skills including mitigating bias, ensuring equity, fostering curiosity, advancing allyship, authenticity, nurturing trust and accountability.The data collected from these surveys reflect what would be learned in a one on one conversation but in an “automated, scalable way.” Results can show who’s displaying strong skills and who could benefit from more coaching and development.“We need to think about honing in and developing the culture skills of everyone, team members, direct managers, leaders, and focusing everyone on developing and measuring those skills, because that's going to be basically the shock absorbers that's going to carry us through navigating through different and uncertain economic times,” Yancey said.She encourages leaders to take actions towards restoring and building trust with their employees to show them that they can be confident in their leaders.Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Emtrain, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Enhancing Manager Effectiveness With Transparency, Technology, and Leadership Development
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi November 27, 2024Creating transparency and trust within a company allows for employees to feel trust with managers, but how can companies measure management success and continue to improve their impact on employees? In an executive panel discussion, leaders at From Day One’s Austin conference spoke about “Manager Effectiveness: Defining It, Measuring It, and Improving It.”“You have to really be able to be transparent. You have to be able to be authentic and be willing to not know all the answers and rely and trust your team to help you get things done,” said Patrick Felder, senior vice president of employee success at Salesforce.Using AI as a Tool“2024 is all about AI,” said Arun Serikar, vice president of digital human resources at Schneider Electric, who uses tools like Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT in his role as a manager. Serikar says AI allows for more efficiency for meeting notes, scheduling and synthesizing information from meetings.AI however functions off of available data which means that in order for the system to function effectively, you need to ensure that the system has the knowledge, articles and information before deploying it.Ricardo Galan, vice president of diversity, inclusion and talent experience at QBE, says his company uses AI to train managers on skills such as how to facilitate difficult conversations. “Our HR department cannot go to every single leader and teach them how to have a difficult convocation, but AI can actually help you practice in a safe environment,” Galan said.For companies with thousands of employees, it can be difficult to reach each person and give each of them the necessary training and workshops but implementing AI tools can help streamline these processes.Companies like Salesforce overlook over 30,000 team members, many of which are based in India. Salesforce created its own AI virtual agent called Agentforce, a competitor to Microsoft Copilot. Within the company however, leaders use a separate tool called the manager 360 dashboard which allows them to access all of their team’s data, offers suggestions and provides summaries.Panelists spoke about "Manager Effectiveness: Defining It, Measuring It, and Improving It," in a session moderated by Tom Miller, morning anchor at KXAN“The idea is, to continue to build better leaders you have to give them all of the relevant information, make sure they understand all the component pieces and then bring that to them at their fingertips within the flow of work,” said Felder.Growing and Developing LeadersLeaders within a company don’t come out of thin air. Leaders like Jennifer Newbill, director of emerging talent at Dell Technologies, have to be able to spot future employees with potential in management and leadership.At Dell, the company has implemented programs around the world where students can rotate throughout the company and learn about different aspects of departments. Throughout these programs, a student’s potential is being measured through observations on whether they exhibit the skills that match existing company values and leadership principles.Haeli Harris, director of clinical operations at Nivati says empathy is also an important skill for leaders to have. “Empathy is a key piece in building trust,” she said.Leaders are natural problem solvers but it’s also an important skill to be good at connecting with employees on a personal level and be able to see when behaviors change and notice when there might be something wrong, says Harris. “We want managers to be able to recognize when people are struggling, and the tools of ‘how do I help them, and how can I be a better manager,’” she said.Training on emotional intelligence can improve relationships between managers and employees. One skill that managers can build is as simple as listening. “Sometimes people don’t want to sit and get advice. They want to be heard,” said Newbill.Learning to become a leader comes with experience and development and hosting workshops can be helpful in boosting the growth of current and potential managers. Salesforce uses a manager training program called Lead India, which aims for the growth of leadership in employees based in India.Over the last few years, Salesforce has expanded their leadership team in India to now over 900 leaders this year, says Felder. With this expansion, Lead India also had to adapt. The training program this year embedded wellness conversations, Indian luminaries to spark inspiration and focused conversations led by leaders.Felder adds that when hiring for a company, leaders should be hiring those who are better than themselves to build a strong team that will carry the company forward. “You really have to be open and make sure that you’re holding folks accountable to hiring better than who they are, because the talent that you need is out there, but leaders sometimes want to hire like themselves, and you've got to push people a little bit harder to think differently about that,” said Felder.Keeping Teams Connected RemotelyAs many companies are now allowing employees to work remotely or hybrid, it can be difficult to maintain the connection between your team compared to an everyday in-person setting. Serikar emphasizes that open communication platforms like Slack or Yammer, now Viva Engage, can be helpful in connecting with employees remotely.Felder, who uses Slack, said he will take videos with recaps of conferences and events to share to his team working offsite. Salesforce also utilizes multiple Slack channels where different teams and groups can connect with each other and maintain communication. Managers can build trust with their employees by opening themselves up to feedback and following up with what is shared.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Helping Managers and Workers Cope With Transformation
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi November 25, 2024Over the last seven years, Samantha Khoury, vice president of human resources for the Los Angeles Lakers, has seen several changes in management, including four different head coaches. In times of change, Khoury advises transparency to maintain success and satisfaction among employees.During an executive panel at From Day One’s LA conference, leaders discussed the many ways companies can support the mental health of employees, guide them through challenges with company changes and ensure all voices are heard.Making Your Employees Feel SeenIn order to gauge feedback within a company, many employers will opt for a survey, but what makes the impact is for employees to hear back and see their survey responses being considered to make changes in the workplace.“It’s easy to roll out a survey. What’s important is what you do with the results, how you measure them, and how you communicate them with the workforce so that you can show you heard them loud and clear,” said Sarah Jingco, vice president of human resources for Securitas.Vulnerability and honesty from leadership can make a large impact on employee satisfaction and positivity. Creating a consistent feedback loop between management and employees can help build a culture where people feel safe and welcome to share their thoughts and feelings, says Carrie Bergen, senior strategist at Lyra Health.Especially in times of change, whether it’s a layoff or management shift, maintaining a strong sense of leadership as an employer is important for companies to move forward through change, despite leaders themselves carrying a sense of uncertainty.In these situations, leadership can be displayed through communication, offering support and opening up spaces for questions and concerns, said Jingco. Employees have to feel like they can trust their leadership and know that they are being prioritized by the company, says Laura Bartus, head of learning at Humana CenterWell Pharmacy.“I think people are craving leaders of fabric, leaders with high integrity, leaders that can lead from the front, lead in plain sight,” said Jeff Williams, president and CEO of Aptia.Providing Mental Health SupportChanges can also bring on increased mental health impacts, but how can managers recognize and respond to employee struggles while they manage their own well being?Faith Pinho, reporter for the Los Angeles Times, left, moderated the discussionBergen emphasizes that providing managers with training is a critical aspect to helping leaders recognize mental health issues and taking the appropriate action to help their employees. Even for managers to communicate to employees that they recognize their struggles and open the door to mental health support for when they want it can make an impact.Leaders play a large role in maintaining a sense of stability for employees during changes, but it’s also important to remind leaders that “it’s okay to not always be the strong one,” said Bartus. “It’s okay to seek help and find resources, because often we feel like we have to be invulnerable.”For managers and employees, acknowledging this vulnerability of not always being strong can be important to the long term well being of workers.“Sometimes you have to tell people to take a break,” said Jingco.”I always tell my employees, ‘You’re not a machine. You know you’re not gonna break down and I can just fix you and you’re back to work. It doesn’t work that way.’”From the pandemic, many companies have become remote, but some executives are calling for employees to return to the office. Jingco recognizes that it varies among employees whether they prefer remote or in person work, but the real key performance indicator isn’t about being in the office, it’s about getting the job done.Hardships During LayoffsCompanies nationwide have been announcing major layoffs over the years and during these transitions companies put a strong focus on rightfully taking care of the people being let go. In times where laid off employees are being supported, remaining workers who are left to pick up the company’s work might be seen as an afterthought.Despite how much attention is given to people being laid off, Bartus says it’s also crucial for companies to hold space for remaining employees to express their fears, nerves and to provide feedback. “I need to let them know we’re not going to do 100% of what we used to do with 20% fewer people. Let's talk about prioritizing what we don't do anymore, and talk about making what we do now more efficient, because that's gonna be their biggest fear,” Bartus said.Maintaining a healthy relationship with remaining employees is important to move forward during major changes like layoffs. Especially when workload and responsibilities might be shifting, companies should be setting a clear vision of future expectations for employees to understand.At the Lakers, Khoury says that layoffs are driven by changes in investment and moving towards what would benefit the company in the future. With new visions on how the company will progress, leadership will need to deliver the hard truth and recognize that not everyone will find themselves in those changes.“Getting to the heart of the matter on [changes] and making sure you have a group that’s aligned on the purpose, the mission and being true to that mission is vital as well because you can’t have this sense of active dissent of people who can't get past it either,” said Khoury.Finding the best avenue to addressing change is not a direct road. Companies have to take notes on what worked best, what didn’t and find the balance between “exploration and engaging the employees,” said Jingco.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Conversations: The Currency of the Future
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi November 08, 2024Steve Artnz, CEO of Campfire, poses the question, “what is a conversation to you?” In the digital age, conversations can include verbal communication, texts, phone calls and even interactions with artificial intelligence.During a thought leadership spotlight at From Day One’s October virtual conference, Arntz spoke about the art of conversations to build stronger relationships, productive work environments and inclusive workplaces.Conversations are fundamental to fueling relationships with everyone in your life, but some conversations are harder than others. Arntz presents the audience with a mnemonic to help people focus on the key aspects to a conversation: FLAME for fluid, lively, authentic, meaningful, engaging.Fluidity “creates a mutual understanding and respect,” he said. Liveliness provides the enthusiasm and engagement between people. Authenticity helps build trust and opens up meaningful conversations that strengthen relationships. Engagement is crucial to maintain participation from both sides in the conversation.As conversation tools in the workplace, Arntz focuses on check-ins, asking deep questions and listening generatively.Steve Arntz, CEO of Campfire, led the virtual thought leadership spotlight In a general check-in, you might ask “How are you feeling?” but Arntz suggests posing deeper questions like “What are you feeling? What are your distractions? What are your intentions for our time and space together?” These can serve as more effective starting points for teams to check-in on each other.Starting off with these questions,“will reduce the number of meetings on your calendar” and “increase the path to efficiency in those meetings,” Arntz said.To dive even deeper, ask people why, how and what questions to learn more about their feelings. For example, “why is this situation frustrating you?” or “how does this feeling impact your work right now?” Asking these types of questions will allow the conversation to flow into greater discussions on feelings, thoughts and intentions.Following this tool, Arntz provides four ways to engage in conversations fully: download, which is confirming that people are heard; facts, listening with an open mind and asking questions to gather information; empathy, connecting with experiences and emotions; and creation, which is the act of creating something new together.“When you practice this generative listening with intent to learn from the unknown, to connect with the broader, bigger thing, then you can really build on each other’s insights and create new insights,” Arntz said.Although these questions and conversations can provide deeper connections between managers and employees, an existing feeling of distrust can also hold people back from being honest and vulnerable. Especially when companies are aiming for efficiency and profitability, actions can seem more transactional.“If my manager were to ask me, ‘what are you feeling?’ I might have a hard time really trusting that person actually cares and sometimes it’s because I don’t trust that the organization cares,” said Artnz. “So the manager and organization start to become conflated and they inherit each other’s weaknesses and strengths.”In these cases, it can be helpful to see vulnerability from the manager first. Prior to opening up the conversation on what employees may be feeling, start off by sharing your own thoughts and emotions, creating an environment that welcomes and encourages others to share.These skills can be utilized when holding conversations with people, but with the increased use of AI, it’s important to remember that communicating with robots is much different. “Artificial intelligence does not equal conversational intelligence,” said Arntz.Conversations with AI focus on logic, accuracy and efficiency, lacking the emotion and authenticity that takes place in human interactions. But this is not to say that technology is not useful in bettering conversations.“It’s not robots or humans. It’s robots and humans together. I see a world in which we can stop tripping on each other as much as we are today,” said Arntz. “As we get assistance from these robots…we can have much more impactful and meaningful and creative relationships and that’s a world that I'm really excited about helping to shape and create.”Arntz encourages people to use the conversational tools he discussed in addition to interactions with both robots and humans. Blending the two can help expand their insight on how to engage, create partnerships, and take action with others.Editor's note: From Day One thanks our partner, Campfire, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight. Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
People First: The Crucial Role of Investing in Employees
BY Jennifer Yoshikoshi November 05, 2024Chelsie Rae Lee, CEO and co-founder of Knowwn, says over her 14 years working for Southern California Edison, she held 17 different roles. By moving within the company she was able to figure out what she was good at through different opportunities, all of which later helped her found her own company. During a session at From Day One’s Philadelphia conference, Rae Lee and other executive panelists shared their ideas on how companies can ensure they are investing in their employees to create a thriving workplace.Kate Feather, SVP, head of HR, corporate functions for Lincoln Financial Group, said it’s powerful when managers “show up as fans of their teams and their individual employees.” She favors the idea of employers acting almost as fans of their workers and providing them with unconditional support. Support can take place in the form of engagement like one-on-one meetings and encouraging development through projects, meetings, or building connections with people.At NFI Industries, a supply chain management company, they have implemented cohort-based learning programs for potential leaders. Melissa Winkelman, the SVP of HR, is a graduate from one of these cohort programs—one specifically for women in leadership. By encouraging women in the company to attend this program Winkelman says that retention rates for women in the company is 81%, and 71% who attended have been promoted.Just like in any form of relationship, creating personal connections between individuals allows for a development for a stronger foundation. “There’s a big difference between giving someone a $20 gift card to Amazon and giving someone a $5 gift card to the coffee shop that you know they go to every day with their coworker,” said Rae Lee. Rae Lee emphasizes that making the effort to make sure your employees know they are personally cared for can make a bigger impact on employee investment.Investing in EmployeesWhen employees don’t feel seen or heard, they might leave you mentally or physically, says Dana Valentine, vice president of HR at Comcast. Employees might start to become disengaged, less productive or leave the company without valuable company investment efforts.Lincoln Financial Group offers their employees opportunities for career growth and development through an opportunities marketplace where anyone can post a project or a job shadowing opportunity. “By building skills-based mentoring into this program, not only are we giving the employees the opportunity to be mentored on specific skills that are important for their employability, but we’re also giving the managers who want to cultivate talent the opportunity to do that too,” said Feather.Ximena Conde, reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer, moderated the sessionRae Lee says “the formal ability for people to move around within the company and really understand themselves is so critical to people’s growth personally.”“You are the architect of your own career,” said Feather, who encourages employers to have consistent conversations with employees about what they want to get out of their career. She also encourages employees to talk to their managers about their interests in new paths and how to go down their desired career paths.Measuring SuccessWhile companies are creating new programs to support employee growth, not all initiatives will be successful. Implementing new efforts can be a process of trial and error but what pitfalls should managers look out for when introducing new programs?Russ Freyman, VP of business development for Progyny, a family building and reproductive health organization, says it's important to evaluate the metrics of what defines success. “You can declare success just because it feels good, but if you don’t have a metric at the end of the day that you were moving towards, maybe it wasn’t successful,” said Freyman.When it involves the company budget, Valentine says that managers need to carry a wider lens of how much of an impact their initiatives will make and the tradeoffs to afford them.Success of these programs are measured in different ways. In order to understand whether an initiative has a positive impact, companies must identify the problem, their intentions and what they are trying to measure. Rather than implement programs broadly for happier employees. It’s important to look into employee engagement, retention rates, and impact of recognition, says Feather.“Oftentimes, we’re trying to measure tenure, retention, those kinds of things. One of the things that I've seen done well is really deciding for each position, what does success look like?” said Rae Lee.Employee surveys are one way to gauge employee sentiments within a company. Freyman highlights that it’s a useful tool to measure the sentiments of up and coming leaders, underrepresented groups and employee resource groups to ensure “you have a happy workforce and a healthy workforce.”For initiatives to have a strong impact, the entire organization also needs to be on board with the company goals. “You need organizational buy-in and support from all across your business,” said Winkleman.Jennifer Yoshikoshi is a local news and education reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.