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How to Make Employee Recognition Part of a Dynamic Approach to Benefits

Your company may not be recognizing good work as much as it should. Forty percent of employees say they receive recognition just a few times a year—or less—according to a 2022 Gallup report. But recognition works. Employees who are recognized for their work are five times more likely to be connected to the company culture and four times more likely to be engaged.In a From Day One panel conversation titled, “Maximizing Employee Recognition and Satisfaction with Comprehensive Benefits and More,” the speakers had a great deal to say about what kinds of recognition work—recognition of who your employees are and who they want to be, the benefits as well as policies that reward good work, and how to make a habit of reinforcing a sense of belonging on a daily basis. The panel, featuring leaders in HR and related fields, was part of From Day One’s July virtual conference on employee satisfaction, recognition, and retention.The Sentiment Survey, But Better The most common way of evaluating employee satisfaction is the employee sentiment survey. As the moderator, I asked the panelists: Is this the best way to understand how your workforce feels?Their answer was yes, when done the right way. Panelists agreed that frequency matters. Rob Catalano, chief engagement officer at employee-experience platform WorkTango, said sentiment surveys must be frequent enough to identify trends: An annual survey isn’t enough.“If you’re only checking in once a year, no one has accountability to act or do something differently. People aren’t going to change their behaviors if you’re going to check in 365 days down the road,” he said. The period chosen for annual surveys may also fall at a point that skews results, like shortly after pay raises are handed out. Start a habit of surveying regularly, then pair that with diagnostic feedback, asking plenty of whys.The group also recommended pairing up data about employee tenure and point-in-career to flag the types of people more or less likely to feel engaged—early career workers vs. later career workers, for example.Creative Ways to Recognize Workers for Who They Are Inside and Outside of WorkHospice care workers carry out an especially taxing job, and Diane Psaras, the chief HR officer at hospice care provider Vitas Healthcare, came with a long list of ways her company appreciates its employees, like writing letters of gratitude to the workers and their family members, “talking to them about the incredible work that their son, daughter, or spouse is doing at Vitas and thanking them for the support that they give that person day in and day out. That has been incredibly rewarding to the employees because they have seen that as the utmost respect, being recognized to their families,” Psaras said.The panelists spoke in a session titled, “Maximizing Employee Recognition and Satisfaction with Comprehensive Benefits and More”  (photo by From Day One)Vitas also instituted a program that lets peers and bosses recognize excellent work. “Since we started two years ago, we have had over 30,000 folks send in nominations and recognition for folks,” she said. Catalano also endorsed peer recognition since it’s often a worker’s closest peers that know the most about individual contributions, “catching people in the moment when they’re doing something that’s either living your company values or conducting the behaviors that are critical,” he said.Perhaps the most creative form of recognition is Vitas’s podcast, which Psaras hosts. She interviews care workers at the company about their jobs: “I’m asking questions that help to give them the foundation to tell their story and tell their perspective,” Psaras said. “How they and their team have fulfilled a dying patient’s wishes by taking them skydiving. True story—that happens!”Erald Minga, a VP of HR at digital marketing firm Media.Monks, makes a point to celebrate work anniversaries—especially important for remote workers, he said—and instituted an employee-of-the-month program. Excellent work is recognized with extra paid time off or a gift on the employee’s desk. Media.Monks also added a lifestyle savings account, from which employees can get reimbursed for perks like online therapy.Workers deserve recognition for who they are outside of the office as well, said Jeni Mayorskaya, the founder and CEO of family-building benefits company Stork Club, especially when their values align with the company’s. “One of our [employees] is very passionate about reproductive healthcare and also very passionate about justice. She actually got additional education and a certification, and now she’s very active in our community. Recognition is very meaningful,” Mayorskaya said. “This is where people see that the company sees them as a whole person.”In addition to evaluating engagement and satisfaction on a regular basis and rewarding recent behavior, panelists said that recognition must also be forward-looking.Reviews tend to be just that—an accounting of the past. That’s well and good when the purpose is to recognize the good work that an employee has already done. But to Amie Major, head of talent management for Verisk Analytics, that’s only half the job. She prompts managers to ask their direct reports about who they want to be in the future.“People think of reviews as evaluative, you’re just looking back and nobody really looks forward to it. In many cases this was happening maybe once a year, which we know is far from enough, so we made a ton of changes.” One is that managers are expected to have these conversations regularly—don’t wait for an annual review, work it into your daily interactions and one-on-ones. Another change is asking workers about what they want two years from now, said Major. “We prompt other conversations too, whether it’s about development, or ‘Have you asked your employee what their career goals are? Have you prioritized these employees because of a milestone or because they’re a person you’re trying to develop?’”The changes have been a success. “We’re seeing people participating in these conversations, but it’s just more than just a review, we’re trying to get to what employees care about,” said Major. “They’re more likely to see themselves here in two years’ time, or they’re more likely to believe that they have good career opportunities. We’re trying to try to drive retention, just weave it into everyday experience.” Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about work, the job market, and women’s experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Quartz, Fast Company, and Digiday’s Worklife, among others.

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza | September 10, 2023
Total Rewards: How the Definition Is Changing

It was a bounty that wasn’t destined to last. During the Great Resignation and its war for talent, employers offered workers abundant new benefits and other rewards. But now, with employee-retention numbers at high levels and corporate austerity taking hold, finance departments are looking to tighten reward budgets. That has caused some tension with HR leaders charged with attracting and retaining talent.  “We’re in this constant battle with finance,” said Ken Wechsler, VP of total rewards at Akamai Technologies. “We’re fighting for it, and I would guess my colleagues on this call will also fight it. We might not get as much moving forward, but we will fight.” Weschler and three other leaders in the benefits and compensation sector of HR spoke last month in a From Day One webinar about the constantly evolving dynamic of total rewards packages.  Todd Cowgill, VP of global rewards at the data-center company Equinix, says it’s essential to “speak their language” when negotiating with finance and business departments about rewards programs. “If you cannot tell what the return on investment of your program is, you will lose that program,” he said. “You have to understand what the company as a business gets because of the program, what it costs and what it gets back.” David Kirby, senior VP of total rewards and operations at the customer-experience company Epsilon, says once programs are lost due to cost-cutting, it becomes very challenging to revive them in a reasonable amount of time. “I’m very concerned about our secondary benefits,” he said. “We have a company where there’s a snack allowance. That’s the last thing I want to see removed or cut.” Working From Home a Must, But Trips to the Office Help Finding a cutting-edge company in 2023 that isn’t offering some form of work-from-home option is a challenging task, but many HR leaders believe a few trips to the office –even irregular ones–can be highly beneficial. “We give employees the choice of where they want to work, and 90% of them have said they want to work from home,” Wechsler said. “Everything is in play now–things I had never even thought of when it comes to total rewards.” Arvind Kumar, director of total rewards and HR operations in the Asia Pacific for the ad giant McCann Worldgroup, said his workplace policies are as varied as the countries of operation he oversees.The panel on total rewards, top row from left: Arvind Kumar of McCann Worldgroup and David Kirby of Epsilon. Bottom row: Lydia Dishman of Fast Company, Ken Wechsler of Akamai, and Todd cowgill of Equinix. (Image by From Day One; featured illustration by Lemono/iStock by Getty Images)“Asia has a completely different culture,” he said. “I think since Covid we aren’t planning on changing it back to how it used to be. We accepted that hybrid work is here to stay and that’s where we changed our way of working.” Kumar says some countries McCann operates in are more predisposed to working in an office environment, while workers from other Asian countries may enjoy working from home. Though quickly becoming a minority of workers, some will avoid working for a company if its work-from-home policies are too permissive. “They’ll self-select,” Weschler said. “We make the effort to do things in the office a lot–but now a lot means quarterly. We know that most will not want to come, and some folks will want to attend an event because they get to go to the office. Our recruiters ask if you’re looking to be in the office a lot because our package doesn’t include that.” All four total-ewards executives agreed that having opportunities to make intermittent trips to the office is beneficial and allows employees to expand their network by meeting new faces. Kumar says communication with prospective employees is vital for both sides to manage expectations. Fringe Benefits Are a Big Slice of the Pie HR leaders typically seek to gauge what their employees want from their organization. McGill says one of the most tried-and-true methods remains the pulse survey–a short set of questions sent to employees regularly. “That’s the short and efficient way to get into things,” he said. “But then you have to find specific ways to target whatever the issue is.” Ideas from those surveys often get implemented as policies that benefit the worker. “We have five wellness days per year. We completely shut our doors and there’s an unwritten rule that you don’t send emails on those days or on weekends,” Weschler said. “On Fridays, we don’t have any meetings–that has come from leadership.” The speakers reported that requests for childcare assistance have become less common, perhaps due to the increase in remote work that allows childcare to coincide with working. “I think people have gotten better on Zoom with the kid coming in and saying hello,” McGill said. “That blend between home and work has happened in a much more open way and, I think, healthy way than what we’ve seen in the past.” Even so, childcare policy experts warn of a looming “child-care cliff” starting at the end of this month, when many of the child-care programs supported by the American Rescue Plan Act’s stabilization funds expire. Kirby said Epsilon does not track time off for exempt employees and the organization operates on a culture of trust. “We expect folks to work and get their job done,” he said. “Sometimes that means 2 p.m. and other times that means until 9 p.m. We want people to have that flexibility.” Good News on the Health Insurance Front Despite many companies facing double-digit increases in health-insurance costs in 2023, those on the webinar reported that their companies have been absorbing the cost hikes amid the post-Covid inflationary market. “Our trend is nothing near what the market is,” Weschler said. “I’m not sure why, but we are absorbing most of it and trying to keep that minimal increase and maintain the balance of how employees and employers split health care.” Kirby says that Epsilon has also “eaten” the increase in costs at the corporate level. McGill said he attributes some of his company’s ability to absorb the increases in health care costs to an effective wellness program offered to employees. “It varies from country to country, but how do you engage with employees on health care?” he asked. “In some countries, it’s a state-run enterprise and not something we can get into.” Weschler said Akamai provides $500 in wellness reimbursement for employees to allow for fitness equipment purchases or other wellness-related items. “The working life is integrated, so we try to focus on encouraging our employees to participate in healthy activities,” he said.Tim Zyla is the managing editor of a community newspaper in Pennsylvania and has a strong interest in business and finance.  

Tim Zyla | September 06, 2023
When Belonging is Broken: How an Intervention Can Strengthen Your Organization’s Culture

In 2020 companies spent $8 billion on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Research shows that over the past year, however, 64% of those in the workforce have witnessed or experienced microaggression or bias. Why does this keep happening? How can employers foster a culture where everyone feels valued?In a From Day One webinar, “When Belonging is Broke: How an Intervention Can Strengthen Your Organization's Culture,” experts from Talking Talent addressed those questions. Talking Talent helps large, global organizations build inclusive, fair and opportunity-filled work environments.Through DEI initiatives, “We know that we can decrease stress, illness, depression, and isolation,” Teresa Hopke, CEO of Talking Talent, Americas, told moderator Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza. Hopke said this is important because there’s currently an epidemic of loneliness in the United States, with 40% of people feeling isolated at work. Part of the reason DEI initiatives are not showing results yet is because culture change can take five years or more, according to Hopke. However, she said employers are trying for “quick wins” through activities such as book clubs that can be a positive thing in the workplace but don't necessarily have a long-term impact.“They aren't moving the dial in the way that we need them, because to do the real work, is really hard,” Hopke said. Support for Chief Diversity OfficersAnother problem is that many companies hired chief diversity officers or DEI directors but didn’t give them the resources they needed, according to Renu Sachdeva, Talking Talent’s head of client solutions for North America.“When I say resources, I don't just mean money or staff,” she said. “I also mean actual support.”According to Sachdeva, CDOs are frequently members of an underrepresented population, which sadly means they may feel isolated. “Just because the letter C in their title doesn't mean that they’re not experiencing their share of feeling dismissed, feeling unseen, feeling unheard being the only person who looks like them in the room full of people,” she said.Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza, journalist, moderated the session with speakers Teresa Hopke and Renu Sachdeva of Talking Talent (photo by From Day One)Another issue is companies sometimes assign someone to be a CDO simply because they are a person of color, even if they don’t have experience in changing systems, according to Hopke. “We’ve set them up to fail,” she said. “We have made the job really difficult for them. It’s no wonder they are feeling burnt out.”For DEI initiatives to succeed, everyone in the C suite must not only “have the chief diversity officer’s back, but also be just as ardent advocates for the mission and vision of what the CDO is trying to do," Sachdeva said. This level of support from the executive team filters down through the organization's ranks.DEI in a Post-pandemic WorldSeveral recent studies show that those from marginalized groups who were able to work remotely during the pandemic were reluctant to return to the office because issues like microaggressions made it challenging for them to do their jobs in that setting. “The reason that people are feeling anxious is because the same things they experienced before the pandemic are likely to exist after the pandemic because progress hasn't been made in a meaningful way,” Hopke said. However, this issue could be a way for organizations to finally make the meaningful changes needed to create a culture of belonging, according to Hopke.“A big piece of that is equipping and enabling leaders to be able to support people coming back in and making sure that leaders have the talking points and skill sets and capabilities to have conversations to ask people a simple question: ‘How do you feel about coming back?’” she said. The next step is to address the concerns employees from underrepresented groups have about returning to the office. For example, they might be the only person of color on their team and feel pressure to educate everyone else on DEI. “I feel like they are exhausted by having to play that role,” Hopke said. Another issue workers from marginalized groups struggle with is what they see as a need to “code-switch” in the workplace, which means changing their behavior, language, dress, and hairstyle to fit in. “We have to set up cultures that enable people to be authentic,” Hopke said. Some employers are allowing workers to continue working from home at least part of the time. Employees making that choice include people of color and those with disabilities who saw a whole new world open to them during the pandemic. “The limitations that could exist in an office, they don’t have at home,” Sachdeva said. However, those workers may find they are being left behind, according to Hopke. “We have to make sure the systems we have in place to measure and reward performance aren’t having gaps in promotion and pay because we’re only paying attention to the people who are in the office, and we’re not paying attention some of the people who may still be working from home some of the time, or maybe experiencing issues when they come back to the office that aren’t helping accelerate their career,” she said.Finally, employers must encourage allyship, according to Hopke. “Everybody should be caring for each other and making sure we’re all OK right now,” she said. Overcoming Resistance to DEICreating a culture of belonging requires everyone in the workplace to be committed to the goal. Unfortunately, some people are difficult to persuade. “Usually, people ascend the ranks based on their technical skills, and that’s what they continue to build,” Sachdeva said. “But the human skills aren't necessarily always developed in the same intentional way in organizations.”Empathy is “one of those key human skills, to just understand where people are,” Sachdeva said. People often ask Sachdeva if empathy is an innate trait that someone is born with or not or if it can be taught. She said she believes individuals can learn how to be more empathetic, which helps them “be able to put ourselves in each other's shoes, and maybe get past some of those blocks that we may have,” such as belief systems they may have grown up with or zero-sum thinking – the idea that if one group makes gains, other groups lose something. Overcoming those blocks takes time, and it can’t be done with a checklist, according to Hopke. “What you have to do is change people’s hearts and minds,” she said. “You don’t just tell them to change, or you don’t just tell them, ‘This behavior is annoying and you should stop doing that.”Some companies are overcoming resistance to DEI by changing the title “chief diversity officer” to “chief belonging officer.” Sachdeva said many people yearn for a sense of belonging in the workplace, noting that the U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness an epidemic earlier this year. However, “I think what we have to be careful about is that we don’t lose the importance of DEI even if we call it by a different name,” Sachdeva said. “We still need diverse workforces. We still need equitable outcomes for the people in those workforces.”Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Talking Talent, who supported this webinar. Mary Pieper is a freelance reporter based in Mason City, Iowa.

Mary Pieper | September 05, 2023
Broadening Leadership's Focus to People, Place, and Purpose

“Human resources is an internal consultancy, dedicated to talent, and specifically leveraging talent as a strategic business differentiator, actually making us more competitive,” said Heather Rickard, SVP, global head of talent at Cushman & Wakefield. Once a transaction-oriented department focused on keeping the company staffed and operational, it has changed, evolved and expanded.Speaking in a fireside chat with Bryan Walsh, editor of Vox’s Future Perfect, at From Day One’s August Virtual Conference, Rickard explained that she saw the HR pendulum swing only three years ago. Covid upended how a lot of companies do business, specifically how HR does everything. Why? If a global shutdown has taught us anything, it’s that people matter. Businesses can change their strategies all day long, but without the right people, they’re sunk. “Talent is the only strategy that isn't repeatable,” she said. “When it's maximized, it's something that's rare. It's something that's special, and no competitor can replicate it,” said Rickard. A New ApproachOld metrics can create concern and worry for HR leaders. But those types of things ebb and flow. Rickard recommends instead focusing on important moments of the employee experience. Don’t try to manage everything but try to manage the moments that matter, like hiring. If you get something like that wrong, it’s not reversible, Walsh mentioned.Bryan Walsh, right, interviewed Heather Rickard of Cushman & Wakefield in the grand-finale virtual fireside chat (photo by From Day One)Still, the desire to acquire talent is strong. Covid impacted labor availability causing more rapid hiring. Client needs also shift so rapidly, and the talent can’t always keep up. Rickard says going too fast during the hiring process equals big tradeoffs. HR should shift to being strategic in the hiring moment.“Either spend the time selecting the right talent, or you will spend the time exiting the wrong talent,” she said. “Be really thoughtful about the selection process. It yields dividends.”Doubling down on the important moments is key. For example, when searching for potential hires, challenge the biases. Don’t look at the same type of people all the time, Rickard says. When interviewing, don’t go off script. Focus on the real job at hand to ensure the candidate can fulfill it. Other tools, like assessments, can help create a data profile that helps companies make the right choice. Band vs. VenueAnother important moment challenging many businesses is employees working from home or in the office. Rickard said that 77% of banking CEOs think everybody needs to be back in the office five days a week as soon as possible. Other industries have a hybrid approach. The question is: should businesses mandate returning to the office? Talented employees tend to reject blanket mandates because they don’t meet their needs. Businesses risk losing valuable talent if they don’t take the employees’ needs into consideration. What does Rickard recommend? Delegating to managers who better understand the work and the flexibilities on the team. Again, shift the approach to employee experience. She proposed a scenario: I have concert tickets at the most amazing venue you could imagine. Do you want to go? Most would first ask, “what band is playing?”“If you want people back in the office,” Rickard explained, “focus less on the venue, and more on the band, and the idea that we can solve problems better and we can collaborate and really enjoy each other frankly when we're in person.”     It all comes down to HR being the translator between C-suite and employees. CEOs want to know about financials, but employees value company culture. Retention, cost of turnover—those are measurable things. But many variables aren’t measurable. Like how working during the pandemic has made us become more personal. “My colleagues sat in my basement with me for two years,” she said. “They watched my kids come in and out. They got to see my dog.” Employees don’t just have a ‘work self’ any longer. So HR has to consider the holistic person and meet their needs so they can feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves. Carrie Snider is a Phoenix, Ariz.-based journalist and marketing copywriter. 

Carrie Snider | August 28, 2023
How HR Managers Can Become Strategic Leaders

What if C-suite executives encouraged HR managers to become strategic leaders rather than expecting them only to handle day-to-day administrative tasks? What if they recognized that HR drives value, especially when budgets are tight? The results would be game-changing, said Emily Diaz, the VP of Transform at 15Five. Diaz led a thought leadership spotlight session titled, “The Case for Strategic HR: How to Translate HR Programs Into Business Outcomes for Executive Buy-In” during From Day One’s August virtual conference. “We know strategic HR has a massive impact, particularly around engagement,” Diaz said. “Engaged teams, it has been discovered, are 23% more profitable and 18% more productive.” However, HR managers often have trouble selling the idea of strategic HR to company leadership. Diaz, who serves as an advisor for HR leaders, said they want to focus on things that are most important to the entire business. To do this, they need to establish trust with their leadership team, but they tell Diaz that CEOs and other executives won’t give them the time of day. Sometimes, those leaders are even considering cuts to the HR team. Only 51% of HR leaders surveyed this year said they felt valued by their leadership team, according to HR Dive. And they aren’t just imagining things. Research shows 46% of business leaders see their HR function as being strategic, according to 15Five. However, functions like finance operations and supply chains scored far higher in those perception tests despite how important HR is to companies.“It’s no wonder that 98% of HR leaders are feeling burnout at a time when they’re being asked to deliver more value than ever before to their organization,” Diaz said.Proving the Strategic Value of HROne way HR managers can show they have a role that goes beyond administration is to consider how other company operations that are deemed strategic do this. For example, a CFO can use a P&L or even a cash flow statement to explain exactly how the business is performing to the leadership team.Emily Diaz of 15Five led the thought leadership spotlight (company photo)“If you are able to use data and frame your work through the lens of business outcomes, that’s when you're going to get the buy-in from your leadership team,” Diaz said. Valuable data helps answer crucial questions such as where to invest to increase team performance, which managers are the most effective, and how the team can amplify their efforts. “The right data helps you to take actions that support your business outcomes. It’s data that informs future-facing decisions,” Diaz said. Rocks, Pebbles, and SandDiaz presented a metaphor from Stephen Covey to help HR managers frame their work in a strategic context. The idea is to imagine HR as a jar containing rocks, pebbles, and sand. The sand represents small items on an HR team’s constant to-do list, such as resolving issues with benefits. The pebbles are administrative tasks, smaller chunks of work associated with larger programs. The rocks are outcomes.Many managers put the sand in first because there is so much of it. But that doesn’t leave any room for the rocks and pebbles. This is a crucial mistake because executive leadership teams care about the rocks (the outcomes). Instead, teams should put the rocks in the jar first and let the pebbles and sand settle around them, Diaz said. 15Five's research shows that the outcomes HR drives for a company are maximizing employee performance, improving employee engagement, and reducing turnover. Suppose an HR team wants to show the C-suite how their department can reduce turnover. In that case, they can point out which of their programs and initiatives, such as training, development, benefits, perks, recruitment, selection, and performance management, help achieve that goal.This is where data comes into discussions with company leadership. For instance, replacing an employee can cost a business anywhere from 50% to 400% of that worker’s annual salary, according to Diaz. Empowering Managers to HelpCompany managers have an essential role in assisting HR with achieving outcomes. For instance, managers solely determine 70% of the variance and engagement at a company.“Many HR leaders that we speak to now are starting to empower their managers to do some of the things that were normally the domain of HR,” Diaz said. This includes encouraging managers to have more autonomy with team cadence or performance review conversations.“I can't tell you the number of times I've heard, ‘I really wish my managers would be more proactive with taking care of these little things, because they’re the ones who really are in the power seat,’” Diaz said. “So, we're seeing that managers are able to take some of it.”Of course, the managers don’t have the expertise for some tasks, which remain the responsibility of HR compliance and administrative teams. “But, if you have the framing of your outcomes first, you’ll start to see that the things that were normally considered just tactical are going to fall into place,” Diaz said. “You might even find that there is a natural way to execute them with the prioritization of the outcomes in mind.”Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, 15Five, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight. Mary Pieper is a freelance reporter based in Mason City, Iowa.

Mary Pieper | August 25, 2023
The Impact of HR: Preparing Leaders for the Future Today

When it comes to problem-solving, are you a reactor, a partner, or an anticipator? If you work in human resources, ideally, you are a combination of all three. But as Rosey Rhyne, senior research manager at DDI, points out, 47% fewer organizations identified HR as an anticipator in 2023 compared to 2018. This shows how the onset of the pandemic affected HR’s ability to predict talent behavior and needs in a workplace that is more dynamic than ever before.HR’s talent management skills are crucial, but they remain underutilized. As companies brace for a faster digital future, HR is vital for anticipating and developing leadership and talent strategies.Rhyne led a thought leadership spotlight during From Day One’s August virtual conference where she shared insights from DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast. The study surveyed 13,695 leaders, including 1,827 HR professionals across 1,556 organizations. Rhyne offered key takeaways about current trends and ways that HR can prepare their approach for a rapidly changing workplace future.What Role Do You Play?Rhyne explains how HR can be reactors, partners, or anticipators. Reactors merely respond to what is going on at their organization and to requests from leaders. Partners are more involved. “They identify needs and work together [with leaders] to mitigate any potential risks that pop up,” Rhyne said.Anticipators are the most future-forward HR professionals. “They’re leveraging data to identify and forecast future talent needs,” Rhyne said. “And they’re working to mitigate any gaps that they see in advance and put people in place with the right skill sets to help achieve strategic objectives.” This strategy can be the most rewarding.Rhyne led the thought leadership spotlight during the virtual conference about “The Changing Profile of HR” (company photo)Due to constant disruption in the workforce from the pandemic onward, including an increase in remote workers and a reliance on AI, many HR departments are moving more toward a reactive rather than an anticipatory strategy – there are just too many variables in play to operate otherwise. But Rhyne notes that anticipators are still the ideal going forward, as they are 1.4x more likely to be able to navigate change effectively, and their company is 4x more likely to have a strong bench of leaders ready to tackle surprising challenges.Fragile Workforces Keep CEO’s Up at NightThe need for anticipatory HR strategies became clear when DDI surveyed 529 CEO’s about their greatest concerns, Rhyne notes. The top three CEO fears are all related to future preparedness. 59% are concerned with attracting and retaining top talent. 50% are anxious to develop the next generation of leaders. And 45% worry about maintaining an engaged workforce.Each of these pain points are related. “[CEO’s] recognize that there is a need to have the talent aligned with a strategy to have the right people in the right place at the right time,” Rhyne said.Remove CEO’s Blind Spots With Talent DataIt is crucial, Rhyne says, for HR to arm CEO’s with talent data so that they can mitigate concerns and address them effectively. “In many organizations, there's a disconnect between the CEO’s perceptions of key things like burnout, turnover, inclusion, and senior leader quality in their organizations compared to the rest of their company,” Rhyne said.Leveraging data about employee needs can help HR anticipate them and address them before they become a crisis.Prepare Leaders for the FutureRhyne notes that preparing leadership talent for future success is about more than getting “butts in seats.” A survey on five critical leadership skills shows a critical gap between the percentage of leaders who say skill development is critical vs. the percentage of leaders who have received actual training in those skills. The skills are:Identifying and developing future talentStrategic thinkingManaging successful changeDecision-making prioritizationInfluencing othersAgain, an anticipatory strategy can help prioritize the development of each of these leadership skills so that talent is amply prepared when a challenge arises. By creating a common leadership culture, Rhyne says, companies are poised for greater success. In a study of companies financially performing in the top 10% of their industry, the majority had effective leadership development across all levels of their business. The return on investment in a leadership development program is clear.The Impact of HRRhyne acknowledges that juggling the balance of being a reactor, partner, and anticipator is “not an easy feat.” But there is a strategy to increase the odds of success. HR must increase data collection and make the results visible to the CEO or leadership team to increase situational awareness. Armed with that data, leaders can then identify necessary skills for the future and provide training so that the team is ready when the next disruption hits. Finally, HR and the leadership team must revisit the leadership development program to ensure it is aligned with the organization’s strategic goals.Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, DDI, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight. Katie Chambers is a freelance writer and award-winning communications executive with a lifelong commitment to supporting artists and advocating for inclusion. Her work has been seen in HuffPost, Honeysuckle Magazine, and several printed essay collections, among others, and she has appeared on Cheddar News, iWomanTV, and CBS New York.

Katie Chambers | August 23, 2023
Emphasizing the Human Impact of Technology at a Time of Rapid Change

HR tech is big. Remote and hybrid work have quickly developed the HR tech industry. As of 2022, the HR tech industry is valued at about $63 billion, and by 2026 is expected to surpass $91 billion. Yet roles in the HR department whose only remit is tech are still rare, and HR leaders, generalists, and specialists are learning tech skills as quickly as they can, or working with STEM professionals elsewhere in the company. A sizable share (45%) of HR leaders say they’re sharing responsibility for tech strategy with IT, according to a small 2023 survey by Gartner.I interviewed Sahana Mukherjee, head of HR, global wealth technology at Citi, in a fireside chat during From Day One’s August virtual conference. The conversation titled, “Emphasizing the Human Impact of Technology at a Time of Rapid Change” kicked off the virtual conference.Mukherjee recommended two criteria when picking new tech tools for the HR department. The first is purpose: What are you trying to accomplish and why does it matter? “When it comes to technology and the continued rapid pace of change at which technology evolves, there will always be shiny objects to chase, but we just need to figure out which one is important to us and aligned with our goals,” said Mukherjee.Mukherjee's fireside chat kicked off the virtual conference on the changing profile of HR leaders (photo by From Day One)The second is clarity: How is this going to help other departments? Mukherjee said that HR tends to evaluate tools based on how it benefits its own department. Not inherently bad, of course, just short-sighted. “It’s important to understand how it connects across the board and how it can help others succeed,” she said. “We are the connecting tissue across any organization—from when a person applies or engages with our company site to the point they’re off-boarded and an alumnus of our organization—we are the connecting points.”In this way, she said, HR can be a train, or it can be an Uber. “[A train] has a defined path, defined stops,” she explained. “It’s meant to drive more connectivity where those locations that connect point A and point B wouldn’t have that connectivity to begin with. You can plan in advance because it’s all defined.” But with an Uber you choose points A and B, and the route is fluid.Neither is superior to the other. In fact Mukherjee recommended working both ways—a plan with enough room to adapt as the market and environment changes. That’s part of HR’s new job in business—to be simultaneously visionary and practical. “You should always have an aspirational goal, that this is the target state we want to get to, which is significantly enhancing your current state, but you have to be pragmatic in terms of the steps that lead to that.”HR doesn’t appear to have a lot of confidence in workers’ feelings about tech they have to use. The Gartner survey indicates that less than half of HR tech leaders say workers are happy with HR tech, the rest guess those workers are either neutral or unsatisfied.“Historically, HR has been heavy on crisis management, but we are positioned more and more as value creators for the organization.” How? Human resources can develop its people analytics capability, help prepare the business for AI tools that come its way, and be on the lookout for the skills the business will need in the future, both near and far.Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about work, the job market, and women’s experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Quartz at Work, Fast Company, and Digiday’s Worklife, among others.

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza | August 21, 2023
HR’s Evolving Role in Employee Engagement Through Corporate Social Impact

In a recent survey on corporate social responsibility (CSR), a staggering 93% of employees believe companies must lead with good purpose. Today’s employees want their companies to do well in society.The research points to major benefits for companies with both CSR and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives. With both consumers and employees evaluating companies based on their corporate impact work, companies must do more.During From Day One’s August virtual conference, Ben Sampson, co-founder and CEO of WeHero, now part of WizeHive, led a thought leadership spotlight session on the topic, titled “HR’s Evolving Role in Employee Engagement Through Corporate Social Impact.” At WizeHive, a grants and scholarships management software, Sampson sits with leaders to discuss how to develop impactful and engaging CSR and ESG strategies.Working With LeadershipEstablishing and continuing CSR and ESG initiatives requires tangible investing that is contingent on leadership’s support. Leaders need to see the value of such programs and their impact, a task that leans heavily on HR leaders, Sampson said.In companies with successful CSR and ESG initiatives, increased employee retention and satisfaction are a few benefits that companies reap. In a study by the Society for Human Resource Management, researchers found 86% of workers who work for organizations with ESG-related goals said they were proud to work at their company and reported an increased affinity and loyalty to their companies.When an employee leaves, companies can spend up to 33% of their salary to replace and train a new worker. With employees quitting at an all-time high in the last few years, HR leaders have had to learn and adopt new strategies such as implementing CSR and ESG initiatives to attract and retain their employees.Ben Sampson, co-founder and CEO of WeHero (part of WizeHive), led the thought leadership spotlight (company photo)“We know that the average employee volunteers about 52 hours per year, and we know there’s 35% lower turnover when we have really successful programs in place for social impact and volunteerism,” Sampson said. “The average cost of turnover per employee in the US is around $15,000. We know that for every hour that an employee volunteers, that saves companies an average of $110.”The benefits of having CSR and ESG initiatives are beyond just the workplace. Nearly 90% of American consumers are likely to switch brands supporting a good cause, showing that CSR and ESG initiatives are not only beneficial for retaining and attracting talent but also for attracting consumers. When developing CSR and ESG strategies, HR leaders need to emphasize how it can be a win-win situation for the company. “The closer you align the social impact goals with the business goals, the more buy-in and support you will get from leadership,” Sampson said.Engaging With EmployeesEmployee engagement is also important in successful CSR and ESG initiatives. When engaging with employees, early activation may help in building long-term engagement, Sampson says.“This is, for example, a new cohort of employees that are coming in and engaging with them right out the gate about social impact programs,” Sampson said. “If you do that successfully, it'll be much easier to engage them throughout the rest of their tenure at the company.”By activating employee engagement early, employees are more likely to engage with future volunteer opportunities as well as become volunteer or social impact ambassadors, Sampson said. Doing so can help grow and scale CSR and ESG efforts.“Volunteer or social impact ambassadors are actively promoting volunteer and engagement social impact efforts throughout the company by building programs and events and providing input,” Sampson said. “It’s your employee base that you've strategically planned and engaged with that's taking these programs forward and making a huge amount of impact.”Measuring ImpactTo ensure continual investment in CSR and ESG initiatives, HR leaders need to measure its impact and effectiveness. Through proper documentation, HR leaders are equipped with strong statistical data that supports the benefits of CSR and ESG initiatives.“We can correlate the data that you’re getting from social impact within the company to engagement, retention, and attracting new talent. It becomes a really powerful use case for leadership to get more funding and support for this,” Sampson said. “Even if you don't have a CSR or an ESG team, we’re seeing CSR and ESG teams being built as a result of having this data.”In addition to tracking volunteer hours and the number of programs, Sampson recommends surveying employees after a volunteer engagement experience. This data allows HR leaders to understand the employee’s thoughts on the experience and their company.“I always recommend that you survey employees after the volunteer engagement experiences, about the importance not just of the volunteer engagement effort, but how it relates to how they feel about their company and their brand,” Sampson said. “Questions like ‘Are you more excited to work for your company as a result of this program? How often do you want to have these opportunities to volunteer and engage in it?’ can provide incredibly valuable data.”Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, WizeHive, for sponosoring this thought leadership spotlight. Wanly Chen is a writer and poet based in New York City. 

Wanly Chen | August 18, 2023
The Great Resignation Is Over. Will Employers Take Workers for Granted?

As the months of 2023 have ticked by, the Great Resignation has quietly lost something: its greatness. The worker resignation rate in June fell to 2.4%, essentially returning to where it was in June 2019. For employers who had been in a war for talent, the dramatic lack of turnover has brought welcome relief. But what does that mean for workers, who in 2020-22 enjoyed a wealth of new benefits, job flexibility, and employer concern about their well-being? Will employers start taking workers for granted?While HR experts say that most employers won’t be inclined to turn the clock back to 2019, workers will see a more miserly approach. In terms of total rewards, you could call it the Great Moderation. “Employee retention at all costs–in terms of very high salaries; PTO and other employee perks–is over,” Janine Yancey, CEO of the corporate-culture platform Emtrain, told From Day One. While she believes that job flexibility and pay equity are here to stay, “we’re moving into a time of scarcity, not abundance, which impacts the employee experience.”The Great Resignation’s obituary was written earlier this month, when the management professor who coined the term in 2021, Anthony Klotz, told Fast Company, “I believe the Great Resignation has largely come to an end.” Added Klotz, who is now a professor at University College London’s School of Management: “The backlog of quitting has certainly cleared, as has the turnover contagion and tight labor market it caused in its wake. People who had pandemic epiphanies and planned life pivots have enacted them; and in some cases, boomeranged back to what they were doing before.”Why They’re StayingEmployee surveys indicate that workers are motivated to stay in their jobs by a mixture of caution and the need for a calm stretch of time. The massive layoffs early in the pandemic, followed by the wave of austerity-inspired layoffs in the last year, have made workers less inclined to be job-hopping if they trust their situation.At the same time, they are overdue for some R and R for the sake of their sanity. “We are now in a time when stability and routine are supporting mental-health needs as many recover from the shock of unplanned life/work changes,” Laura Sewell, EVP of North American HR for the IT services consultancy Avanade, told From Day One. “It has only been in the past 12 to 18 months that more and more people have begun planning vacations, events, and other activities which were put on hold during the pandemic. As such, having access to paid time off through their employer offers them both the time they need and the financial backing to finally take those trips and plan the events. And you are less likely to switch employers when you are planning big, fun things outside of work in your personal life.”The incentive to switch jobs for higher compensation has eased as well, Sewell notes. “While the war for talent was raging, employees could often get 20%+ more by leaving their employer to join a competitor. Job seekers today may not find that same opportunity for significant increase in earnings, thus reducing a motivating factor for making that move.”Why Employers Are Tightening UpThe combination of high interest rates and slow economic growth have inspired companies to clamp down on spending as well as hiring. “2023 has been the year of massive downsizing across the board,” observes Yancey. “Capital is scarce and capital fuels business growth, so that will impact job growth. Businesses are focused on showing profitability first and foremost.”How will the austerity mindset affect employee benefits? That issue has caused tension between finance departments and HR leaders who just recently had been working overtime to create new incentives to attract and retain employees, including programs to support worker well-being and family caregiving. “We’re in this constant battle with finance,” said Ken Wechsler, VP of total rewards at Akamai Technologies, in a recent From Day One webinar on employee benefits. “We’re fighting for it, and I guess my colleagues on this call will also fight it. We might not get as much moving forward, but we will fight.”Benefits leaders are finding that they need to justify spending much more than they did in the recent past, said Todd Cowgill, VP of global rewards for Equinix, a digital-infrastructure company. “If you cannot tell what the return on investment of your program is, you will lose that program,” he said in the webinar. “You have to understand what the company as a business gets because of the program, what it costs, and what it gets back.”Which Workplace Improvements Will EndurePart of the reason for low turnover right now, Avanade’s Sewell points out, is the enhanced working conditions that were inspired by the hardships of the pandemic. “Over the past three years, inclusion and well-being have rocketed to the top of our people priorities. With this increased focus, employees are feeling better supported at work, have access to more resources and benefits to take care of themselves, and in general, most have greater flexibility in how and where they get their work done.”Despite well-publicized efforts by some major employers, notably in finance, to bring workers back to the office for a majority of the workweek, job flexibility is a value that has become well-embedded in the expectations of most workers. Asserted Emtrain’s Yancey: “I believe the need for job flexibility is here to stay and employer's obligation to create jobs with pay equity and a healthy, inclusive work culture is here to stay.”So is the inclination for workers to negotiate their terms. “Everything is in play now­–things I had never even thought of when it comes to total rewards,” said Akamai’s Wechsler. “We give employees the choice of where they want to work, and 90% of them have said they want to work from home. They’ll self-select. We make the effort to do things in the office a lot–but now a lot means quarterly. We know that most will not want to come, and some folks will want to attend an event because they get to go to the office.”  Trying to Reach an EquilibriumWhile turnover may be low at the moment, forward-looking employers know that future job shortages driven by an aging population and new attitudes toward work mean that they can’t forget the lessons learned during the Great Resignation. “It’s a new culture of work,” behavioral scientist Laurel McKenzie told Fast Company’s AJ Hess. “No one’s staying at organizations for years and years. The new culture of work is that people are willing to leave and find something better. There’s not a sense of loyalty to organizations anymore. People are more focused on taking care of themselves and finding organizations that will enable that.”Avanade’s Sewell says her company keeps close tabs on employee-engagement surveys to pick up on trends in employee sentiment. “We take nothing for granted. There will always be cycles, which can often be unpredictable. Our goal is to maintain the hearts and minds of our employees through all of the ups and downs and be prepared for what is ahead. By building loyalty now, we are creating a stronger foundation for whatever wave comes next.”In a book to be published next month, The Retention Revolution: 7 Surprising (and Very Human!) Ways to Keep Employees Connected to Your Company, workplace strategist and bestselling author Erica Keswin calls for a new paradigm in thinking about the relationship between workkers and employers. “The time is now to reconsider everything we know about the employee journey and why linear thinking is being replaced by the more human reality of cycles, revolving doors, and dynamic change.” Steve Koepp is From Day One’s chief content officer. 

Stephen Koepp | August 16, 2023
The Care They Crave: Winning Hearts With Gender-Inclusive Health Benefits

Timely and accessible gender-inclusive benefits have become a competitive advantage for employers, especially given the health gap in the medical system. “We have to jump through all of these hoops. Women have to get prior authorizations. They must get several letters before getting an MRI for breast cancer screening. It’s unfair that men can get everything and get assistance quickly,” said Barb Dehn. Dehn, VP of menopause and women’s health services at Peppy Health, discussed the challenges that women face with addressing their health issues during From Day One’s July virtual conference.Peppy provides a platform specializing in gender-specific healthcare services such as menopause, endometriosis, erectile dysfunction, gender-affirming care and much more. Its reach is 280 businesses and over 1 million employees.Ken Mitchell, VP of men’s health services at Peppy Health, joined Dehn in the thought leadership spotlight session, highlighting spots where men might struggle finding health support and care. He discussed the challenges men face with getting treated for erectile dysfunction since it can be developed as an effect of various diseases and illnesses. ‘’Somebody who undergoes treatment for prostate cancer may develop erectile dysfunction, not realizing they had it before undergoing treatment,’’ said Mitchell. Gender Neutral Health IssuesDehn discussed health benefits not being embraced as gender-inclusive if menopause and chronic pelvic pain are adopted as women’s health issues. “Ken and I both recognize that not everyone who has [gendered] health concerns identifies as a woman or a man,” said Dehn. Dehn emphasized that menopause and chronic pelvic pain must be embraced as a “human problem” by employers presenting employee health benefits as gender-inclusive. Employers must also provide cost-effective health benefits in treating menopause and chronic pelvic pain. Dehn indicated that healthcare providers only receive an hour of training on menopause, which results in patients receiving sub-standard care.  It can take as long as seven years to treat menopause due to its various stages and side effects.Anyone can experience chronic pelvic pain. The condition has many causes, including endometriosis and irritable bowel syndrome. Discomfort with such pain can result in absenteeism at work. People who are suffering don’t always explain that their absence at work is due to the condition and the challenges that come with it.Barb Dehn led the thought leadership spotlight session titled, “The Care They Crave: Winning Hearts With Gender-Inclusive Health Benefits” (company photo)The LGBTQ+ community experiences struggles with menopause and chronic pelvic pain, which is recognized through services offered by Peppy Health LGBTQ+ support. Peppy Health recognizes that current health solutions offered by other healthcare providers do not adequately address the specific needs of the LGBTQ+ community. Individuals within the community have been historically neglected both in the workplace and by medical professionals. According to research by Peppy Health, 1 in 8 LGBTQ+ Americans now live in states where doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals can legally refuse to treat them. And approximately 80% of medical students don’t feel fully competent in treating LGBTQ+ patients.Mental Well-Being Dehn and Mitchell discussed how employees and employers forget the correlation between mental well-being and productivity. Dehn explains how the average employee does not feel comfortable talking about their health issues at work, stating, “This is not a workplace issue.’’ She refers to a typical workplace situation where employees are uncomfortable sharing why they go to the restrooms frequently. It’s probably due to a condition that can be treated through their health benefits, but they won’t find out if they don’t confide in healthcare providers that can recommend solutions.Mitchell discussed his strategy for establishing comfortable communication with his patients with erectile dysfunction, recognizing men’s struggle with vulnerability. “My job is to help you get a healthy erection. What you do with it is none of my business.’’ Mitchell takes this light-hearted approach when discussing the challenges of erectile dysfunction with his patients, recognizing that it has a personal and professional impact on them. He also uses visual presentations to help patients understand why they should consider looking into all underlying conditions that can cause erectile dysfunction. Employee Satisfaction and Retention Strategies Employers need to embrace gender-inclusive health benefits as employee satisfaction and retention strategies. It reduces costs in employee turnover. Studies by McKinsey & Co. reveal that employees seek a sense of belonging in the workplace beyond financial compensation. They will go as far as leaving their employers to seek such satisfaction elsewhere. Employers provide a sense of belonging by offering equitable access to gender-inclusive health benefits. Employees who are satisfied with their access to gender-inclusive health benefits feel a greater sense of belonging. They feel they have all the tools needed to get their jobs done.    Dehn shared what employers should consider when offering gender-inclusive health benefits. Gender-inclusive health benefits fill the gaps to address health issues more holistically than traditional health insurance. She mentioned that employers must deeply dive into their health benefits to determine what’s covered and not covered to ensure employees can obtain baseline primary care that does not fall under a one size fits all model.Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Peppy Health, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight. Linda Devonish-Mills is a freelance writer and diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant based in Teaneck, New Jersey. Her articles have been published by Thrive Global, a Huffington Post publication, Cowen Partners, an executive search firm, and Hunt Scanlon Media.

Linda Devonish-Mills | August 16, 2023
The Evolving Role of Leaders in Enhancing Employee Engagement

Lots of companies talk about well-being, but many don’t follow through in a tangible way. Rosey Rhyne, senior research manager at DDI, a global leadership-development firm, recommends that leaders should walk the walk–sometimes literally. “For a leader, showing how they prioritize wellness could mean saying, ‘I’m going for a walk to clear my head after this busy morning.’ It’s about doing little things where well-being is a priority that is being communicated,” said Rhyne. “Doing that really shows vulnerability, too. It shows that they’re willing to be vulnerable, to some extent with their team members, and that they’re human.”Showing vulnerability helps build trust, an intangible yet crucial aspect of leadership. According to DDI’s recently published Global Leadership Forecast 2023, when leaders regularly display vulnerability, their employees are 5.3X more likely to trust them.From Day One talked with Rhyne, who contributed to the research, to learn more about leading a successfully engaged workforce. Rhyne holds a masters degree in industrial/organizational psychology and has served in several roles in HR, all of which allows her to better understand the employee experience, identify workplace trends, and consider how they impact leaders. Excerpts:Q: The concept of employee engagement has been around since the 1990s. How has it changed in recent years? What’s the same?A: A lot in our world has changed, so the workforce is constantly evolving now too. The speed and rapidity with which we’re seeing all of these changes is way different than 20 years ago. I don’t think engagement itself is changing. But what we’re seeing is the environment around us in the workplace evolving. For example, remote and hybrid work became a norm because of the pandemic, but a lot of people decided to continue to work remotely or in hybrid settings. And in doing that, from a leadership perspective, it changes the dynamic of how work gets done, because a leader can’t just walk by a desk and see that someone’s on their computer but not focusing on the work. Or that they’re stuck. Leaders are missing out on the nonverbal cues that would signify this.Leaders today need to be comfortable with this different way of thinking. They might not have that visibility, but there has to be trust. They need to trust that their workers are doing their work, or if needed, feel comfortable asking for help. Leaders also need to find innovative ways to check in with their team on a frequent basis.Q: What happens when leaders themselves are not engaged?A: If a leader is not engaged in their role, how are they supposed to help their team members be engaged in their roles? There will be a lack of purpose and trust if a leader is checked out. It causes a ripple effect, where it isn’t just the leader that is not doing their work or not executing projects, but their team members too, since they don’t have the guidance and support that they need. And if there are high performers who are trying to compensate for the fact that their leader is lacking direction, then they might actually become burnt out because their needs aren’t being met, but they continue to try. So there’s a major ripple effect, and that can be costly.Q: What should leaders focus on to build engagement today?A: In our Global Leadership Forecast 2023, we identified four behaviors that are consistent with driving higher engagement within companies. Here’s what we found in order of importance: maintaining trust with employees, encouraging others to challenge the status quo, being open to that feedback by listening and responding with empathy, and lastly, providing opportunities for team members to gain visibility.From Day One spoke with Rhyne about DDI's Guide to Employee Engagement and Retention (company photo)We found that these behaviors help leaders meet the personal needs of their team. But there are also practical needs that need attention. Those involve things like a leader being there to help make a critical decision, removing barriers and obstacles to getting work accomplished, and even something as simple as making sure they have the tools to do their jobs effectively. Making sure both the personal and practical needs are met can help leaders make sure their team is performing at their best and engaged while doing so.Q: Now that we’ve discussed how leaders can cultivate engagement, where are organizations going wrong? What do companies get wrong about employee engagement?A: There are a few things companies are getting wrong. First, it’s easy to think that HR is responsible for engagement, like when things are going well, that's great, everyone’s doing wonderfully. But if there’s a disengagement problem, regardless of where it is in the company, then it becomes an HR problem. The reality is that disengagement is actually everyone’s issue, because everyone plays such a critical role in making sure that engagement is happening. Leaders are there to remove barriers and make sure they are inspiring the motivation and meeting the needs of their team. Meanwhile, team members have the responsibility to say if they’re not engaged and try to figure out why.Another thing that we get wrong about engagement has to do with measuring it. A lot of companies have a way of measuring engagement–but the frequency at which we measure it, and what we do with the results of those measurements, is where things can go wrong. For instance, if we just measure engagement one time a year, does that mean that people are engaged at that level throughout the year? No, it doesn’t. So if we have more frequent pulse checks and more frequent conversations about engagement, it will help a lot.The other half of that is figuring out what to do with the results. Sometimes we see companies that do an amazing job of coming back and action-planning from their engagement data. But workers might not be able to make the connection between the action and the engagement results. And part of that might be because managers are not communicating that, ‘Hey, we’re doing this because of the results that we saw in the engagement survey.’ What that’s going to do is encourage people to go back and take the survey the next time and be honest in their contributions.Q: Do you have any tips or advice to leave with leaders who are striving to enhance employee engagement within their team or organization?A: Make sure that you’re paying attention to the needs of your team members. Not just from a day-to-day work perspective, but also what’s going on outside of work that might be impacting how they’re feeling towards work. Be there for them and talk to them, ask how things are going using your strong EQ skills.If I could leave just one piece of advice that I haven’t already touched on, it would be to regularly check in with team members regardless of how strong a performer they are. If they’re doing well and they're still getting their work done on time or before deadlines, that is wonderful news. But that doesn’t mean that all of their needs are being met. They could be experiencing a situation where they’re focusing a lot on work, but they have needs outside of work that are not being met. If that’s the case, their personal needs aren’t being met; checking in with them is how you can build trust and prevent burnout. Don’t assume that everything is okay just because somebody is getting their work done.To learn more about cultivating an engaged workforce, check out DDI’s Guide to Employee Engagement and Retention. The practical guide offers methods to improve those aspects of the workplace, focusing on three essential steps:First, providing career growth opportunities, since only 24% of leaders report training in identifying and developing future talent.Second, leading with emotional intelligence (EQ), or the ability to manage yourself and your relationship to others. And lastly, fostering a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In its research, DDI found that nearly 75% of employees who report feeling included in the workplace also report feeling completely engaged in their organizations.Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, DDI, for sponsoring this sponsor spotlight.Erin Behrens is a member of the editorial staff of From Day One.

Erin Behrens | August 15, 2023
Why Corporate Culture Is the Solution for Employee Well-Being and Performance: Six Building Blocks for Success

When Dr. Richard Safeer was starting out his career as a family doctor, he noticed that his stressed-out patients would come in for their appointments directly from work then head straight back to the office. They were neglecting their exercise and nutrition due to the day-to-day strains of juggling kids, jobs, and other priorities, says Safeer, author and chief medical director of employee health and well-being at Johns Hopkins Medicine.“Most of the people who were coming into my office probably wouldn't have needed to be there, if they only knew what they could do themselves to have a healthier day. It became very clear to me that their commitment to their job was superseding their commitment to their health,” Safeer said.Safeer’s quick discovery led him to his current role, and to write the book A Cure for the Common Company: A Well-Being Prescription for a Happier, Healthier, and More Resilient Workforce. He explains that a culture that supports a well workforce can have a profound effect on avoiding anxiety, burnout, disengagement, and poor mental health, and offers a point-by-point blueprint to creating a robust culture of health at your company. Journalist Kelly Bourdet interviewed Safeer in a fireside chat during From Day One’s July virtual conference to learn more about cultivating this culture of well-being.Recognizing the Individual Needs of the Employee as a Leadership StrategySafeer notes that while the World Health Organization defines wellness as “a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease,” it’s important not to get caught up in semantics. Instead, employers should recognize that each employee will have their own individual needs.“I think that most leaders don't fully appreciate the impact that each of us has on the health and well-being of those we lead, whether it’s the immediate direct reports, or the entire part of our organization that we influence,” Safeer said. He cites a study from UKG which showed that the percentage of employees who said that their spouse had a big influence on their mental health was equal to the percentage who said that their manager had a big impact on their mental health. Employers must recognize their employees’ needs, as well as their own impact on those needs, and prioritize well-being within corporate culture.The Six Building Blocks of Employee Well-Being Safeer has identified six building blocks of corporate culture to promote employee well-being, easily remembered through the acronym ‘plan for success.’Peer SupportLeadership EngagementNormsSocial ClimateCulture Connection PointsShared ValuesHe emphasizes that the team leaders must be the ones to set the standards for each of these building blocks for employees to follow, and that each block impacts the others.The Employer as a Role Model for Well-BeingBlock two, leadership engagement, suggests that employers or managers become role-models of well-being. This doesn’t just mean showing off while eating a salad in the lunchroom, but consistently embodying all of the tenets of employee well-being, even the subtle ones: taking a break, getting up and taking a walk with a colleague, refraining from sending late-night emails, and showing appreciation and respect for individual’s contributions.Another tip is removing barriers to well-being from within the work environment. Simply put: that copy machine that’s driving everyone bonkers? Fix it! Employees will have a better day and see their manager’s solutions-oriented mindset as an extension of the corporate culture. It also builds trust.Dr. Richard Safeer and Kelly Bourdet kicked off the From Day One July virtual conference in their fireside chat titled, “Why Corporate Culture Is the Solution for Employee Well-Being and Performance” (photo by From Day One)Management can also set the norms, block three of employee well-being, which Safeer defines as “the expected behaviors of a group of people.” For example, encouraging employees to all take a break for lunch at noon, so that working through lunch does not become the norm. This can also tie into block one, peer support. If a leader sees that a colleague needs a break, they could suggest taking one together. Breaks can, and should, still happen even when a team is virtual, which is why it can be helpful to designate a specific time and even encourage a group-wide away message.Safeer finds the key to achieving a corporate culture that promotes well-being is to include the employee in conversations and to show vulnerability. “It’s important for our employees to feel heard, and to have their well-being journey supported,” he said. Through authentic conversations, employers can build trust with their teams and create a more positive, productive culture.Katie Chambers is a freelance writer and award-winning communications executive with a lifelong commitment to supporting artists and advocating for inclusion. Her work has been seen in HuffPost, Honeysuckle Magazine, and several printed essay collections, among others, and she has appeared on Cheddar News, iWomanTV, and CBS New York.

Katie Chambers | August 14, 2023
Manager Effectiveness as the Path to Individual and Organizational Success

“People don’t quit companies, they quit managers.”Adam Bouse, manager of performance coaching at 15Five, often hears this saying in business circles — but if it were up to him, he’d amend the quote.  “People don’t quit companies, they quit managers who haven’t been set up to succeed,” he said during From Day One’s July virtual conference. Bouse led a thought leadership spotlight on manager effectiveness as the path to individual and organizational success.While it’s not uncommon for employees to criticize direct superiors due to unsatisfactory work conditions, Bouse said 15Five looks higher up the ladder to help reverse negative trends such as voluntary turnover among employees.“The majority of managers want to be good at their job,” he said. “Most managers come in with the best intentions. They simply haven’t been given the training, coaching and tools to succeed. It used to be considered progressive to have free snacks, ping pong tables, or dry cleaning at the office, but today the true measure of progressive human resources is human-centered leadership and human-centered cultures.”Helping Managers SucceedHuman resource leaders are constantly prioritizing what initiatives may best benefit the organization they work for, and often it is taken for granted that managers are working to improve their ability as leaders.“Managers are wearing many hats,” Bouse said. “They’re a coach and a player, and we need human resources to come in and say, ‘This is a key priority, and we will intentionally create some protected time to invest in our managers.’”Adam Bouse, performance coach at 15Five, led the thought leadership spotlight (company photo)That direction is needed in the modern-day workplace, where a study from 15Five found 57% of employees leave their jobs due to negative workplace culture, 52% because of unsupportive management and 48% due to work-life balance concerns. Additionally, 75% of employees who voluntarily left a company said their departure was influenced directly by managers.In the same study, managers reported they wanted training in four primary areas of concern; learning how to help set and track goals, give effective feedback, motivate people and conduct strength-based management.“If we work from the assumption that managers want to be good but aren’t getting the training and support they need, now it makes sense why employees and managers become frustrated,” Bouse said. “All of this is a drag on human resources.”Building Intrinsic MotivationWhile extrinsic motivation such as giving praise, salary increases or providing other perks should be in every manager’s repertoire, studies show the benefits are often short-lived.“It works for about 60 days, and then you need to again figure out what will inspire,” Bouse said. “A higher salary doesn’t correlate with employee engagement.”Instead, the goal for managers should be to create a work environment that helps employees motivate themselves, otherwise known as intrinsic motivation, which Bouse says can be built in four ways.Relatedness: Build a sense of belonging and connection to others, which helps employees feel understood and, as a byproduct, creates more motivation.Autonomy: Give employees the ability to make meaningful decisions about their work and work experience. Managers should schedule regular check-ins to discuss the work environment, which helps to make employees feel part of the overall conversation in the company.Mastery: People want to get better at what they’re doing. Managers should help develop skills throughout their teams to help employees meet challenges confidently, leading to success.Purpose: It is human nature to want to contribute to something bigger and employees are no different. Many workers want to see how they fit into the big picture of their organization. Managers should be clear and aligned with employees on the company’s goal and how to achieve the goal.Bouse says this science-backed, four-factor model of building intrinsic motivation is vital in building sustainable and predictable success. All managers can begin making positive changes now using these tools.“They have everything they need to take the next step,” he said. “It’s as simple as gaining self-awareness of the strengths, gaps and opportunities in front of you. If you trust the process, that will help you grow and develop as a manager.”Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, 15Five, who sponsored this thought leadership spotlight.Tim Zyla is the managing editor of a community newspaper in Pennsylvania and has a strong interest in business and finance.

Tim Zyla | August 10, 2023
Bridging the Distance: How Tech Can Boost Engagement and Recognition

Imagine attending an all-hands meeting with hundreds of employees, and a team leader singles out a shy, quiet employee to congratulate them on a recent job well done – totally horrifying them in the process! If only the manager had known, they could have rewarded the employee in a way that made them feel comfortable and valued.Getting to know employee personalities, preferences, quirks, and demeanors can be a challenge, especially in a large and distributed workforce operating across offices, homes, and even time zones. How can employers promote both team cohesion and making individual employees feel seen by their managers and peers? Employee engagement software can help. During From Day One’s July virtual conference, business leaders gathered for a panel discussion about “Bridging the Distance: How Tech Can Boost Engagement and Recognition,” where they discussed which technologies and practices are most motivational and informative.The Evolution of Employee EngagementEngagement software can offer several automated systems to improve the employee experience and outcome including personalization and reminders for busy workers, notes Casey Wahl, CEO of software company Attuned. It’s especially effective for larger workforces and helping leaders see the forest rather than the trees. Wahl says that as software has evolved, it has become more individualized. “You can see personal engagement, and to understand that which motivates or engages each person is different,” Wahl said. Then, automated nudges to team leaders can remind and encourage them to act on the data.Leadership’s response to the data collected is key, since Chatbots and AI can’t replace human empathy and compassion. “As much as there is great software out there, there is no software that’s figured out how to be your friend,” said Tyler Weeks, VP of talent analytics at Marriott.Software can also be used to spark personal employee interactions. Marie Potter, senior director of culture and development at Getty Images shares an example of a team Slack channel ‘watercooler conversation’ in which employees were asked to share the rose, thorn, and bud of their day – something for which one is grateful, something stressful, and something that inspires hope or growth.How Recognition Efforts Inspire EmployeesSystematized collection of employee preferences can, if interpreted correctly by a human leader, allow for personalized recognition efforts that inspire employees. Software can, for instance, find out which employees prefer public recognition as opposed to those who would prefer private acknowledgment in a one-on-one meeting.Lydia Dishman, senior editor for growth and engagement at Fast Company, top left, moderated the executive panel discussion (photo by From Day One)Potter suggests that HR can partner with the internal communications team to recognize and inspire employees through company newsletters, employee profiles, and even awards. In the Getty Images newsletter, Potter said, “there are deep dives that feature certain employees. And usually, those employees are connecting what they do with how they live our leadership principles, with how they utilize our operating principles, with the fun things they like to do on the weekend.” It’s all geared toward getting to know one another and being inspired to connect with the company mission.Weeks cites that at Marriott's internal studies supported the power of recognition and reward. Managers were encouraged to give out token rewards to recognize employees who were excelling, small Visa gift cards of $10 or $25. “The teams with the lowest amount of peer recognition were the highest in attrition,” Weeks said. “It was the simplest thing.”Software can support these efforts. Michael Watson, head of customer success, North America at Eightfold, says his organization uses a program called Nectar to track and distribute employee rewards which they can even redeem themselves. “As a manager, I'm allocated a certain amount of points every month,” Watson said. “I hand those out. And we give them for anniversaries.” Points can be exchanged toward gift cards at major retailers of choice, at wherever is most useful or valuable to the worker, or even donated to a philanthropic cause.Collecting Data as a Sign of RespectRekha Gurnani, senior director of global compensation & people analytics at Box, shares that gathering information about employee preferences can increase productivity through customized workflow and is also simply a sign of personal respect. “I asked everyone to share their preferred mode of communication. Do they want to be sent a Slack? Do they want to text? Do they want an email?” she said. She also finds out what core hours they will be online, to ease scheduling meetings, in addition to how they prefer to be recognized – be it publicly, privately, with an award, monetarily, etc.Wahl says that gaining insights into how employees are motivated can help managers inspire them to achieve. “I think this is where technology can be a champion,” he said. Potter says Getty Images uses Quantum Workplace to gather that information through biannual surveys of its more than 1,000 employees, including both multiple choice and write-in questions to gather specific suggestions as to how to incentivize a team and gauge how engaged team members feel with the corporate culture.At Eightfold, Watson says there’s also an emphasis on making sure employees are getting the skills and education they need to succeed at their current workplace and beyond. The organization creates what they call a Project Marketplace, where employees can sign up through internal engagement software for certain projects that will help them develop their skills.Employers can use engagement software to track employee preferences, schedules, personalities, and desires, and even offer an internal reward system so that all team members can feel recognized and connected to their corporate culture.Katie Chambers is a freelance writer and award-winning communications executive with a lifelong commitment to supporting artists and advocating for inclusion. Her work has been seen in HuffPost, Honeysuckle Magazine, and several printed essay collections, among others, and she has appeared on Cheddar News, iWomanTV, and CBS New York.

Katie Chambers | August 09, 2023
Making Health and Well-Being a Priority for Workers and Their Families

Imagine growing up in a tight-knit family. When you’re 12 years old, your mother passes away, and you are raised by a near and dear family friend throughout the rest of your teen years. This person means the world to you. 20 years later, this friend passes as well. You go to your employer for bereavement time to process your heartache. And you are denied, because despite your deep relationship with this friend, they are not a blood relation, so HR will not recognize this grief as a reasonable accommodation.At Northwell Health, such a scenario would not happen. The company’s bereavement policy is more inclusive than other more traditional approaches, thanks to the organization’s broader commitment to the health and well-being of its diverse network of employees. Northwell Health is a nonprofit integrated healthcare network that is New York State's largest healthcare provider and private employer, with more than 81,000 employees working across 23 hospitals and more than 800 ambulatory sites. Gregg Nevola, VP and chief rewards officer at Northwell Health, participated in a fireside chat during From Day One’s July virtual conference, where he detailed the organization’s forward-thinking policies.“We have the privilege of working in one of the most diverse areas in the country,” Nevola said. With that diversity, comes different ways of approaching a family unit, and Northwell recognizes that it’s not for the employer to make judgments on what might be a “non-traditional” family structure. That willingness to listen and adapt to the needs of a diverse workforce is what drives the company’s successful benefits offerings and human resources policy.Recognizing Employee Well-Being as Key to Organizational SuccessThe flexible bereavement policy is not only a kind choice, but a smart one. Nevola is responsible for the benefits and well-being functions for employees at Northwell Health, and recognizes that his role is key to the organization’s overall success in serving its millions of patients. “A team member that has a higher well-being is going to be able to provide better care to all of our patients across our footprint,” Nevola said.Lydia Dishman of Fast Company interviewed Gregg during the fireside chat session (photo by From Day One)He notes that Covid-19 posed a challenge as the company had to rethink and reinforce how it prioritized employee well-being, especially as their team worked on the frontlines, facing long hours, dire conditions, and the psychological and emotional stress of being an essential worker during a ruthless pandemic. Nevola’s central concern that drives his strategy is a combination of relationship-building and adaptability. “Am I connecting with the team members? Am I creating that relationship, that trust, that they know where to go, why we did something, what is changing, how to react to that, and how they can move forward in that new world?” he said.Nevola and his team noticed employees were actively looking for additional support in the behavioral care space. Northwell created new pathways to increase access to care, leveraging its own provider network to serve employees. In recognition of the diverse needs of the community, Northwell has a variety of options available – immediate, urgent mental healthcare available same-day; assessment tests and a more long-term measured approach; and an option for text and video care as opposed to in-person, to allow for maximum accessibility and comfort, even during busy work schedules.Northwell also offers a program called Team Lavender, a cross-functional team made up of the chaplaincy program, employee assistance program (EAP), and patient experience program that provides in-the-moment crisis support to workers. “Very often, as clinicians, [Northwell employees] are faced with a very difficult circumstance,” Nevola said. “They might have lost a patient, they might have had to give a difficult diagnosis, might have been in a stressful situation. And this allows us to almost call a virtual timeout, and allow the care team to take a breath, to come to a safe space, and share the experience with the other team members.” This program has been effective in helping employees get through their rounds and accomplish their tasks, while still accessing the healing and mental health care that they need at the moment.The EAP at Northwell is positioned as an advocate for the worker rather than a disciplinarian, further building employee trust and loyalty. Caregiving is always the priority at Northwell, regardless of the recipient. The company’s leadership team takes the same approach to its employees as it does to its patients. “A team member who is in crisis is really a patient to us. And we look to provide that same level of care in that circumstance,” Nevola said.Incorporating Employee Families into Company PolicyPart of Northwell’s well-being strategy is including employee families in activities so there is a more emotional connection and satisfaction in the work. “We’ve always felt there is a relationship between a team member, their family, and the community,” Nevola said. “All the other stuff is ancillary. The relationship between HR and the employees and their families is the thing I focus on.”Northwell has a program called Northwell Kids, targeted toward employees and their children, which provides fun group activities like a museum day, holiday light exhibits, and Olympic competitions. Each activity has an educational aspect (to train them, in Nevola’s words, to be “mini-CEOs”) and serves to bring employees closer to their children, hopefully lessening some of the strain the day-to-day of their jobs in healthcare might have on familial relationships.By operating from a position of warmth, empathy, compassion, understanding, and respect, employers can build employee trust, enthusiasm, and retention by prioritizing the health and well-being of workers and their families.Katie Chambers is a freelance writer and award-winning communications executive with a lifelong commitment to supporting artists and advocating for inclusion. Her work has been seen in HuffPost, Honeysuckle Magazine, and several printed essay collections, among others, and she has appeared on Cheddar News, iWomanTV, and CBS New York.

Katie Chambers | August 08, 2023
Developing Leaders for a New Era of Workforce Flexibility and Inclusion

Despite a fairly stable job market over the last several months and relatively low unemployment, 2023 ushered in a deluge of white collar layoffs. AI and automation are sending shockwaves through the economic landscape with many workers feeling uncertain about their future. And companies that hire for these positions are slow-walking their hiring process to really vet candidates. “We are still seeing a tough market. It’s still scarce for certain talents and certain capabilities as we came through Covid,” said Christina Schelling, Verizon's chief diversity officer.Schelling says the problem is that many companies are hiring for similar types of roles, which is unprecedented. “Every company needs data scientists now. Every company needs digital or cloud engineers now. I think for the types of skills that are needed to meet the needs of the different business strategies, it's still a really tough market,” Schelling added.Schelling, who has more than two decades in leadership roles, talent acquisition, and DEI training, and a job history that includes Estée Lauder, Prudential, and American Express, sat down with The Wall Street Journal's business editor, Jamie Heller, for a From Day One fireside chat in Brooklyn. On the agenda were hiring woes, the advent of ChatGPT and AI automation, hybrid work, and DEI.I submitted my résumé to a robotOnline hiring is now the default and many applicants can't be blamed for feeling like robots are the new, indifferent gatekeepers. ChatGPT and Open AI, two immensely powerful and disruptive technologies, have made it easier for companies to sift through massive quantities of résumés quickly. Submitting an application online can feel no different than tossing your résumé and cover letter into the void.Schelling sees the new landscape of AI differently and says Verizon has been “leveraging that thinking and...muscle to care for employees.” But is the algorithm providing care to Verizon’s employees and those seeking employment there? They get 800,000 résumés and conduct at least 100,000 interviews a year.“We can't possibly get to the human piece of that without help from technology. When I think about our employees, and when they need benefits, or when they need help at different points in their lives, a lot of that help can be provided faster, and [with] better quality, in real time, with the help of chatbots.”Schelling says that “machine learning” speeds up the process of “getting to the right conversation with humans faster.” She assures that every résumé at least gets a look by their scanning equipment. And, most likely a human. “We do keep a human element to it…There are other organizations that take the human out more often than we do.”Jamie Heller, left, interviewed Christina Schelling, right, in the opening fireside chat session at the Brooklyn museum (photo by Cassandra Sajna for From Day One)Schelling offers some advice for candidates feeling the woe of the hiring process: Understand the importance of the words and the experiences matching the job requirements and the posting. Applicants can learn to game the system – i.e. play by the algorithm’s rules. “It's not super complicated how it works…the more prepared and the more connected a candidate makes [their résumé and cover letter] the easier it is to kind of get to the right conversation.”The right conversations are ultimately taken on by Verizon’s “fairly large in-house recruiting team,” according to Schelling. Not all those interviews are the perfect fit for a job opening, but many lead to “informational conversations” that allows interviewers to get to know someone. Perhaps an applicant’s skills aren't an exact match but they have more to offer. “We want to hire for careers, not just jobs. So we probably talk to people more than other organizations.”The New Normal: Hybrid WorkOnce an applicant gets in the door, depending on their role in the company, they can expect the new normal of hybrid work. Many of these workers are no longer willing to spend a traditional work week in the office. As the pandemic continues receding in the rearview, working remotely – a special privilege in the past – is here to stay. Recognizing this trend, Verizon hasn’t established any “mandates” about coming back into the office.Heller raised the issue of many companies mandating employees returning to work. In fact, a lot of companies are now pushing employees back to work via the "stick" not the "carrot," threatening pay, bonuses, and other performance measures. Yet, the more "punitive" measures are having consequences in talent acquisition. Multitudes of quality workers prefer a hybrid schedule.Here, Schelling takes a philosophical approach to the question. “I think the world is still figuring it out. And what we did at the beginning of last year will be different from what we have learned and evolved to in the beginning of this year.” She says that if people want to come in to work more, “no one's going to tell [them] not to come in.”“We've described hybrid at this point to be at least one day in the office monthly,” Schelling said, but they encourage their leaders to figure out what works and create reasons for people to come in. “Whether it's a learning experience, whether it's a team event, whether it's a volunteering event, whether it's just, you know, we've got a lot of work, quarterly close, let's come in and just be together.”Schelling sees the hybrid setup as offering the best in terms of personal and professional success. “Our whole mantra is we don't want to be a mandate, we want to be a magnet.” A New Millennium of DEITouching on the three year anniversary of the killing of George Floyd, Schelling delved into corporate America’s navigation of these issues and said she’s “optimistic how [those] crises and social and civil experiences pushed for more accountability within the corporate space,” but said that corporate America wasn't “done.”DEI – diversity, equity, and inclusion (umbrella of another acronym, ESG – environmental impact, social responsibility, and corporate governance), is 21st century standard in company culture. Having leaders who understand “why diversity and equity [are] important to the workplace” is a key part of training. It's “not a stand alone course” employees can opt into anymore, ”it's part of the setup and the expectation,” and according to Schelling it's what Verizon believes “is the right model for...leadership.”“DEI, the idea of human rights…has now rolled into ESG [and] has been around in different shapes and forms in most of the bigger organizations for many years. So now it's part of the ecosystem and the expectation, and then there's the public accountability, which I quite like.”Just a few years ago, questions of inclusion practices were not part of corporate and customer vernacular, Schelling pointed out, but now they are. “I think that with the economic pressures with the challenges and workforce availability, we recognize now that diverse talent is a significant unlock. And it's not something that falls by the wayside. It's something that is even more prioritized.”Matthew Koheler is a freelance journalist and licensed real estate agent based in Washington, DC. His work has appeared in Greater Greater Washington, The Washington Post, The Southwester, and Walking Cinema, among others.

Matthew Koehler | August 07, 2023
Leaning on Company Benefits to Fuel Employee Engagement

In a recent study on worker satisfaction in the U.S., only 49% of workers stated they were satisfied with their company benefits. At a time when employee satisfaction is increasingly important because of a mass exodus of employees paired with quiet quitting, employers need to prioritize not only salaries, but also benefits and work culture.Companies and leaders need to develop new strategies to keep and attract talent. In a From Day One thought leadership spotlight session titled, “Using Benefits to Drive Employee Engagement,” Veronica Knuth, chief people officer at Quantum Health, a consumer healthcare navigation company, speaks to leaders on how to use benefits to increase employee engagement.Personalizing and Communicating Company BenefitsWhen offering benefits, leaders need to ensure employees learn of company benefits as early as possible, Knuth said. By engaging with employees in the early stages of their job, leaders can help mitigate questions and concerns early and increase employee engagement.“First, you may have candidates who are coming with pre-existing conditions who will want to know [these benefits], so make sure you have real ways to engage with them even in the candidate stage,” Knuth said. “Then, giving [employees] more benefits information when they have a job offer, an offer of acceptance or at new hire orientation. At 30, 60, even at 90 days on the job, companies should keep reminding new employees of where to find the benefits and what benefits they have access to.”But having benefits is only a part of activating employee engagement, Knuth said. Companies and leaders need to personalize benefits for their employees, especially around key life changes or milestones. For employees of all ages, a certain birthday is usually a milestone for healthcare and requires companies to proactively reach out to their employees.Veronica Knuth, Quantum Health's chief people officer, led the session (company photo)“We send our employees information when they turn 40 or 50 because there are some important things that they need to do from a healthcare perspective. When they reach those milestones, we need to make sure that they know what those things are, and how to access the providers,” Knuth said. “We also have to engage with early career employees. In Ohio, people age out of their parents’ benefits at 26 so [it’s important to engage] with employees on their 25th birthday to help them think about potentially needing to sign up for a benefit plan.”’Companies should also build strong relationships with benefits champion groups like employee resource groups (ERGs) to not only help disseminate information but to also further expand and revise benefits offerings as needed.“We talk to [our ERG leaders] about the healthcare needs of specific demographics and populations,” Knuth said. “It gives us an opportunity to say, “Did you know that we offer these benefits?” or “We’re planning to look at our 2024 benefits. What are the gaps that you’re seeing in your population?”’Reducing ComplexityFinding and understanding information related to benefits can be overwhelming for employees. In a study on healthcare benefits by Jellyvision, researchers found 49% of employees find making health insurance decisions difficult. Over half of these employees (56%) stated they would like help from their employers to choose a health plan.To reduce the complexity of benefits, companies should make sure adequate help is available for employees' questions and concerns, Knuth said. For a company, this may require setting up human and digital point solutions that are prepared to engage with employees at any time.“Employees want to know where they can go when they have a challenging healthcare situation and they might want to talk to an individual, so make sure that you make that easily available,” Knuth said. “We [created] a document for our employees that [offers guidance on] when to use telehealth, when to go to their primary care provider, when to go to urgent care, and when to go to the emergency room. We [also] gave them the costs of those choices so that they’re more informed.”Using Navigation and Care SolutionsHaving a navigation and care solution partner for company benefits can also be an asset for companies and leaders. By working with employees directly, navigation and care solution partners can provide the personal and human-centric help that members need while ensuring they receive quality and cost-effective care.Quantum Health does just that, Knuth says. As a leader in the industry, Knuth discusses what employers should look for in a navigation partner.“If you are looking for a navigation partner, you want to look for a solution that is really at the center of the member which may be your employee, the employer, yourself, and the providers,” Knuth said. “The right navigation partner will simplify the user experience, increase member engagement, improve clinical outcomes and reduce claims costs to provide significant ROI.”Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Quantum Health, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight.Wanly Chen is a writer and poet based in New York City. 

Wanly Chen | August 04, 2023
Connecting The Dots Between Fertility Benefits and Health Outcomes

“We’re having a baby.” Individuals and couples expanding their families may not realize what is involved beyond the emotion of joy that comes with the announcement. It’s just one step in what can be a long and challenging road. The journey can be less challenging if employees are aware of their fertility benefits options, though. Samantha Purciello, sales strategy manager at Carrot Fertility, discussed that correlation during a thought leadership spotlight session titled “Connecting The Dots Between Fertility Benefits and Health Outcomes’’ during From Day One’s July virtual conference. Purciello talks about the importance of employers offering fertility benefits that support employees through the phases of childbirth and how employees can manage their health as they navigate through the steps. ‘’Fertility benefits make it possible for employees to access treatments like IVF. But for the best pregnancy outcomes, support should not stop or start with care access alone. Better pregnancy outcomes start before fertility treatments begin, throughout pregnancy, and during postpartum,’’ said Purciello. Carrot Fertility establishes relationships with employers to help employees obtain personalized care related to their fertility journey. Who Has Access to Fertility Benefits? Purciello points out that IVF is the first treatment that comes to mind regarding fertility benefits, but it also covers egg freezing and adoption. She diffuses the theory that fertility benefits are only available to families that are going through the journey of pregnancy and experiencing challenges. Fertility benefits are and should also be available to individuals and couples focusing on long-range planning while considering expanding their families. Purciello refers to hypothetical case studies throughout the session as examples of how employees can connect the dots with fertility benefits and health outcomes throughout each stage of pregnancy. Family Planning Purciello refers to a case study of a young married couple that focuses on their nutritional habits by speaking with a nutritionist and making dietary changes. Meanwhile the gentleman was undergoing periodic sperm testing as part of a health benefit offered by his employer. The couple learned a valuable lesson about the correlation of good nutritional habits impacting sperm health, resulting in a healthy pregnancy and childbirth.Samantha Purciello of Carrot Fertility led the virtual presentation (company photo)Research conducted by the Nurses' Health Study confirmed the benefits of women following fertility diets and taking folic acid supplements. Purciello mentioned that, unfortunately, the average couple going through a pregnancy journey is unaware of the correlation between healthy nutritional habits and sperm testing, as it is not discussed during OB/GYN appointments. Great packages of fertility benefits offered by employers should include employees’ access to nutritionists and sperm testing. PregnancyPurciello refers to another hypothetical case study about an African American couple expecting their first child. The study focuses on the woman's actions to overcome challenges she faced during her pregnancy. Her biggest challenge was not keeping up with OB/GYN appointments due to the doctor’s office not being close to her house. A co-worker informed her about a prenatal education session series. The company’s plan of fertility benefits covers the sessions' costs. Her session attendance reminded her of the importance of keeping up with her OB/GYN appointments. Group prenatal care reduces preterm birth risk by 33%, according to research by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.The couple also benefited from creating a birth plan by establishing a relationship with a midwife. The pregnant woman identified the midwife through her fertility benefits plan. Establishing birth plans helps expecting parents feel more prepared for labor and delivery. DeliveryThe case study for the delivery phase highlights an African American woman establishing a relationship with a doula during her pregnancy since she did not have a good relationship with her obstetrician. Doulas can help reduce preterm birth and increase spontaneous vaginal delivery, according to research by the National Library of Medicine.  Doulas are advocates for women throughout their entire journey with pregnancy through the development of a birth plan. Establishing a relationship with a doula is an excellent option for women of color, as research has shown how they are subjected to systemic discrimination related to fertility issues. Purciello mentions that doula support is not typically covered by insurance. However, employers can make it possible for employees to obtain access to pregnancy professionals. Employers providing such support allow them to give their employees equitable opportunities for healthy outcomes related to childbirth and benefits that are culturally sensitive to their needs. PostpartumPurciello states that postpartum medical care is critical in the first 6 to 8 weeks after childbirth. Medical care at the postpartum stage has been linked to better future health outcomes. Such maintenance is essential for women of color as they are at high risk for hypertension. Postpartum depression affects up to 19% of women who have recently given birth. The case study for the postpartum stage refers to a woman returning to work after having a baby. She experiences anxiety about handling her baby's nutritional needs through breastfeeding and pumping when she returns to work, along with concerns about addressing hundreds of e-mail messages not addressed during maternity leave. Purciello refers to this study to describe how women benefit from telehealth options for referrals to lactation consultants and emotional support experts. Connection with Fertility Benefits and Health OutcomesPurciello emphasizes the importance of employers providing a fertility benefits solution that includes care coordination and guidance at every stage of childbirth. ‘’When you begin your search for a fertility benefits platform, you’ll first want to ensure that the platform is truly end to end and covers every step of a fertility, health care, or family forming journey,’’ said Purciello. She recommends that employers look for a solution emphasizing a few key areas, including personalization, evidence-based care, global solutions, and aligned incentives. Personalization: look for a program that’s personalized to every employee. Plans should never be a “one size fits all.” Evidence-based care: ask about the expertise behind the platform. Determine how easy it is for employees to access expert support. Global solutions: this is a priority for employers with employees outside of the U.S. When reviewing vendors, ask how they vet clinics and agencies in other countries and how they handle the different global rules and regulations governing fertility care. Aligned incentives: Purciello embraces this critical area as a solution for systemic discrimination with fertility issues.“Equitable coverage for all fertility journeys and a payments platform that supports income diversity, by removing the need to pay for expensive care upfront, is another way to provide culturally sensitive and inclusive support.”Such practices among employers ensure equitable access to fertility benefits, especially for women of color and the LGBTQ+ community.Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Carrot Fertility, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight.Linda Devonish-Mills is a writer and diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant based in Teaneck, New Jersey. Her articles have been published by Thrive Global, a Huffington Post publication, Cowen Partners, an executive search firm, and Hunt Scanlon Media. 

Linda Devonish-Mills | August 03, 2023
From Recruitment to Advancement: How to Keep Momentum Going on Diversity and Inclusion

84% of CHRO’s say that their organizations are increasing investment in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives. But only 31% of employees say that their organization is committed to improving equity in the workplace, according to a Gallup poll conducted in the spring of 2022. Workplace diversity is experiencing a disconnect.“A lot of companies make very public commitments to diversity inclusion, especially in the Bay Area,” said Shawna Chen, a breaking news reporter for Axios. “But obviously, it's not as simple as enacting a program or two or doing training.”Chen moderated the panel, “From Recruitment to Advancement: How to Keep Momentum Going on Diversity and Inclusion,” at From Day One’s San Francisco conference. She was joined by corporate diversity experts, as they discussed what companies are struggling with when it comes to DEIB.“There's a focus on either diversity or inclusion over everything else, of thinking there's just one number that they need to get to,” said Meghna Majmudar, head of executive and leadership engagement at ReadySet, a database software company. “[And] thinking about internal stuff, about hiring only in terms of DEI and not thinking about what this means in terms of our experience. And a disconnect between leadership and what people are really thinking.”Making the connection between the internal and external means having a workforce that reflects the diversity in a company’s customer base. Majmudar acknowledged that leaders tend to come from more privileged backgrounds. They might not be aware that someone who has a different background doesn't have the same access to resources, and may focus on initiatives that employees do not care about.“Sometimes the approach can be more programmatic instead of strategic,” said Shai Poulard, global head of diversity, inclusion, and belonging at NerdWallet, a personal finance company. “The approach is always to roll out programs, whether it's a recruiting initiative or employee resource groups. Very rarely do you see leaders take it a step further and understand, how do I regard this as a function similar to finance?”In Poulard’s analogy, everyone at a company is a steward of finance. They own a budget. They’re efficient, ensuring spending benefits both the internal organization and consumers. Finance teams are rarely dismissed or viewed as a programmatic function. The disconnect with DEIB programs is that they’re often viewed as a ‘nice to have’ instead of something embedded into the organization.“For it to be an effective strategy, it needs to be integrated into the employee lifecycle from day one,” said Poulard, “from onboarding through someone making a decision to leave the company. They have to see people that look like them. They have to feel included.”“We are aspiring to ground our diversity-equity-inclusion work in our strategic plan and recognize that we have to begin with our employee base, our staff team,” said Chad Nico Hiu, senior vice president of strategy, equity, and impact at YMCA of San Francisco. “Sometimes in the polarized context of our society, issues show up. We have to not see [DEIB] as separate from what people are experiencing in their lives. What are the tactical ways we can create space for all of us to bring our authentic selves, especially when it's messy, conflictory, and challenging?”“It's also about understanding that [DEIB] would help in driving core business growth for the company, driving a key strategy for the company,” said Sumit Khandelwal, co-founder and CEO of Xoxoday, an engagement software platform. “When you start hiring people across different geographies, it becomes very apparent that the leaders understand the culture of different countries.” Embracing DEIB is vital in effectively communicating with a global marketplace.“What I’ve seen make a real difference is the specificity of behavior,” said Majmudar. “There were many clients at a financial services firm where they didn't want to give feedback to women because they're like, ‘but what if she cries?’ If you're thinking about her crying, you're focused on your comfort and not helping her be better at her job.”The leaders discussed how they are maintaining and enhancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts in their organizations (photo by David Coe for From Day One)Leaders can coach each other to handle vulnerability and allow humanity to exist at work. Leaders can also use their influence to impact and affect change, at all levels of the organization.“Become more comfortable being uncomfortable,” said Hiu. “Be comfortable with being more authentic in spaces where we may not feel authentically safe and surround ourselves with different perspectives.”“DEIB is a co-op,” said Poulard. “And how to do that is you systematize as much as you can.”Sometimes there's resistance to participation. Poulard’s team started integrating DEI concepts into other forms of training, like management. “So instead of saying we're rolling out ‘inclusive management training,’” she said, “it's expected at NerdWallet that you are an inclusive manager, and that's going to be embedded in the training.”Her team also started emphasizing allyship and what it means to the organization, both internally and to external stakeholders. NerdWallet employees (aka, “Nerds”) are told that allyship is a verb, not a noun, and missteps will be made. But that’s okay.“Let's get comfortable making those mistakes—fail fast, learn faster,” said Poulard. “We found by implementing those pieces, we've seen a change in engagement.”“One thing we can do is focus on symbols and signals,” said Antoinette Hamilton, global head of inclusion and diversity at Lam Research. “How do you incorporate and signify that it's okay to celebrate culture within your organization?”“We have to think about what belonging means outside the US context,” said Hamilton. “When we're on a Zoom call, sometimes my colleagues who are in other countries are very silent. So when I think about belonging, it's understanding and recognizing that that looks different in other places. And then my job as a leader is to be able to articulate and voice up for that.”There’s a US-centric way of operating, and then there's a global way of operating. Inclusion means nothing without equity, said Poulard, who advises meeting employees, colleagues, and consumers where they are.“If we're focusing on increasing representation and making sure our internal representation matches the communities that we serve,” she said, “we have inclusive practices, we are being equitable in our approach, then ideally everyone should feel that sense of belonging. If we build with the person with the most need in mind, everyone wins.”“It cannot be something which you speak about once in a while,” said Khandelwal. “It has to become the DNA of the organization.”“Before it was so much on the interpersonal,” said Majmudar. “Now we get to do the systemic change. We are asking fundamental questions about how we structure work and our societies. And that's very exciting.”Samantha Campos is a freelance journalist who’s written for regional publications in Hawaii and California, with forays into medical cannabis and food justice nonprofits. She currently resides in Oakland, California.

Samantha Campos | August 03, 2023
How a Gen Z Advocate Applies Science to Help His Generation Thrive

Leaders in today’s workplaces desire to better understand the motivations, aspirations, and values of Generation Z. Harrison Bach finds himself with a unique and timely opportunity to deliver on that desire. Bach, 23, is not only a member of Gen Z, but also a student of his contemporaries in his role as the client engagement manager for Regenerate, a training and consulting firm that leverages the science of human energy to help leaders work and live more sustainably.While generational labels don’t apply to everyone, Gen Z, generally defined as those born between 1997 and 2012, has acquired a reputation for several defining characteristics, including a purpose-driven perspective, support for diversity and inclusion, and a culture of creativity. In his exploration of their mindset, Bach delves into the ways in which Gen Zers can thrive in the workplace. He examines trends among peak performers and aims to inspire those qualities in the young workforce as they advance in their careers.Bach, who graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in social sciences and psychology, studied performance science and data analytics as well, which he brings to his role at Regenerate. Coming up this fall, Bach is leading a workshop on managing Gen Z at From Day One’s September virtual conference about building a healthy work environment. From Day One spoke with Bach to get a sneak preview into some of the valuable insights he will be sharing during his session. Excerpts:Q: There has been debate about whether we can make generalizations among generations. Why is it helpful to characterize and try to understand people as a cohort and not just individuals?A: I’ve certainly wondered that myself, Is it really fair to generalize? Aren’t we all human? Strictly looking at the scientific evidence, though, one of the most effective ways that we can draw insights from research around workplace trends is looking at it generationally. We can do this pretty reliably for Gen Z and generations before that, too. There is obviously individuality with everyone, but I would say that looking at generations as a whole is a sound way to look into things like workforce development and organizational development.Q: So there’s value in grouping by generation. What are some of the unique experiences that Gen Z has had growing up that might influence their life experience?A: One of the major points is the digital environment. We’re referred to as “digital natives,” since we’ve been brought up around devices and digital communication. And that significantly changed the way that we’ve developed in terms of interacting with people, sensory input, and the effects on the brain. So, there are some implications on the biological end and also socially, like how we engage with other people and in the workplace.From Day One interviewed Harrison Bach about Gen Z's role in the workplace (company photo)One way this presents itself is through Gen Z’s communication style. Gen Z is more used to shooting and receiving texts versus face-to-face conversation. We can read a text, think about it, and then send a message back at our convenience. The same goes for all the virtual communications tools. And when you get to the work environment, where you’re going to have more real-time, face-to-face conversations, your ability to think on your feet and carry yourself in the present matters more than we’re used to.I would also say that many sources speak to the large degrees of unrest and uncertainty that we have lived through. Whether that be internationally, with conflict and war, politically, or socioeconomically. That has played a large factor in shaping what’s important to the younger workforce. As they enter into their careers, they’re looking for ways that they can contribute positively in those areas, in addition to getting their job done.Q: Would you say that there’s been more uncertainty than some other generations? I mean, there’s always uncertainty in the world, but especially with recent political divisiveness, the pandemic, and situations like that.A: There is certainly a high degree of perceived uncertainty among Gen Z, whether that’s truly the case or not. In a Deloitte study, about half of Gen Z participants reported that it was hard to cope with world factors going on. That was at the height of the pandemic, during a lot of political unrest, especially in the United States. And it’s translating to increased implications in mental health and coping behaviors. So, thankfully, employers are taking note of that and asking, how can we really serve these people to the best of our ability so that they can provide for us?Q: What is Regenerate’s philosophy, and what does it bring to the table for workers?A: Regenerate is a health and well-being training and coaching firm. We help teach a roadmap to busy leaders and teams about how to effectively manage their energy. We teach energy as the most critical resource to understand, build, and maximize in the physical, emotional, and mental dimensions. A key emphasis is on the recovery of energy. Most human beings, especially busy professionals, are pretty good on the spend side of energy and less so on the recovery side. But recovery is an integral part of how we’re meant to function. So, we discuss things like understanding your emotional landscape, how to build focus, and minimize distractions. This way you’re mentally in a good place to perform at your best and can fully disconnect after work or during off work hours to recharge and create the time and space for what’s important to you outside of work.Q: Why was it helpful to focus on Gen Z to tailor this approach?A: When we talk about something like stress, the majority of Gen Z, according to many reports, say they’re struggling or just flat out trying to keep their head above water right now. It’s important to make sure that they’re meeting their base physical needs and have a cognitive toolkit readily available. That includes regularly connecting with gratitude, optimism, kindness, and acknowledging that the full emotional landscape, even the negative side, is part of the human experience. That reframe alone is a really regenerative practice.And then on the mental side, we have things like inducing a “challenge stress” mindset. How are you framing adversity and processing it if you fail? Is it an opportunity to grow, learn, and improve? In focusing on this mindset, we really start to mobilize and overcome those challenges.With Gen Z, where there is evidence that the stress of today’s workplace is taking a toll on their well-being, those practices really become important. And our philosophy is that we are each responsible for getting our needs met. There is an individual component to ensure that I’m showing up at my best regularly. How am I regularly recovering my energy? Because I understand that’s a key to thriving and putting my best foot forward.Q: What is one of the biggest, most draining things for Gen Z that might be different from other generations?A: Long meetings, for sure. And I know that’s not specific to just Gen Z, but meeting hygiene has been a big area of focus for our company culture. I definitely find it difficult to focus and stay motivated during extensive meetings, as do over a third of Gen Z employees.There’s also evidence around the development of dopamine that plays out in difficulty sticking to tasks for long periods of time. Dopamine works as the brain’s motivator. It motivates towards some tasks that will come with a reward. We’ve evolved for thousands of years to have a dopamine spike, and then a pursuit of something, and then the reward. And the convenience created by things like technology takes away that middle chunk, the pursuit, which is more or less integral to the brain development that we’ve evolved to have. So, rather than pursuit then reward, we can simply seek out rewards. This can create a gap when we get to the workplace where we’re going to be working on a project for a few months at a time. As a consequence, simply of the environment in which we grew up, patience and persistence can be even more of a challenge.Q: Now, looking at this subject from a personal perspective rather than a collective, what informs your ideas about the workforce and workplace culture?A: Through my college curriculum, I gained an understanding of human biology, psychology, and sociology to maximize performance in any discipline. I learned there are certain mindset characteristics that peak performers across all disciplines demonstrate, and all of them are learnable with the right guidance. A perspective I hold on to is not to see well-being and productivity as a tradeoff, but understanding well-being as the foundational element that makes peak performance possible. We can’t possibly perform at our best unless we’re physically energized and mentally positive, clear, and focused.My time at Regenerate has reinforced this: better physical health, mental focus, and greater happiness are all correlated with increased career and business outcomes. Yet, in many ways it’s countercultural.Hustle culture is so deeply ingrained in American work. I absolutely love the idea that we can achieve success with enough hard work and persistence, and that’s great if you truly love working and value that above all else. But many professionals are struggling. They’re feeling burnout or other health symptoms and need to continue showing up for their families and peers.Regenerate helped me to understand these challenges as an energy problem.  There’s a need to balance working hard with working smart by understanding and respecting how the human system is meant to operate. We draw on this body of work to create practical guidance for people who have nothing left in the tank and their organizations to strive for an energy-inspired culture.Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Regenerate, for sponsoring this sponsor spotlight. If you’re interested in hearing more on this topic as well as Regenerate’s mission, tune into their workshop during our September virtual conference.Erin Behrens is a member of the editorial staff of From Day One.

Erin Behrens | August 02, 2023