As employees begin to return to the office – some part-time, some full-time – a clearer understanding is emerging of how severely COVID-19 impacted mental health. Among the many changes employees said they experienced while working remotely, the most common were feelings of loneliness caused by long periods of isolation….
Author: Kevin Walker
Educating Your Workforce on Juneteenth
Even as Juneteenth officially became a federal holiday in 2021, many employers likely have large portions of their workforce who remain unfamiliar with the details of the holiday. This month provides the perfect opportunity to explain the significance of Juneteenth not only for Black Americans but for all Americans. The…
How to Prepare Your Workforce for a Recession and Other Less-Than-Ideal Events
For its first two decades, the 21st century has exhibited an unfortunate tendency to toss humanity from one dramatic and often terrible event to the next, like falling dominoes of bad news. And while history shows such times are not unprecedented, that’s cold comfort. People are more concerned with living…
State Abortion Restrictions and How They Impact Employees
A handful of states have recently imposed new laws that severely restrict a woman’s right to access abortion services. Texas took the first step with a near-total ban on abortion, followed by lawmakers in Florida, Kentucky and other states passing similar restrictions. These moves by GOP-led states happened in anticipation…
Focusing on Mental Health in the Workplace
Mental Health Awareness Month in May provides business leaders an appropriate time to consider ways to prioritize mental health in the workplace both during the month and for the long term. The goal is to ensure employees understand both the seriousness of the issue and the resources they can turn…
Earth Day 2022: Investing in a Green Economy
With businesses taking a more active role in addressing issues beyond the bottom line through their ESG strategies, the choice for the Earth Day 2022 theme seems appropriate: Invest in Our Planet. While the theme is meant for individuals and organizations, it might prove especially meaningful in the business world. More…
How Sports Influence Diversity Policies and Where More Needs To Be Done
The Indianapolis Colts recently made news by creating a program to promote diverse coaches in the National Football League by earning fellowships on the Colts’ coaching staff. The Colts named the Tony Dungy Diversity Fellowship after the head coach who led the team to victory in Super Bowl LXI, making…
How to Educate Teams on Different Religions and Cultures
A diverse and inclusive workforce extends beyond race and ethnicity to include cultural and religious practices. If offices in the U.S. continue to mark Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter, it’s important to also consider the position of those with non-Christian religious beliefs. This, of course, is a complex…
Focusing on the ‘S’ in ESG
Every business has operations intertwined with environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns, which is why investors increasingly focus on these issues when deciding where to move capital. Knowing this, business leaders should strive to build an ESG proposition into every facet of their operations. Part of this is driven by…
The Business Value of the ‘E’ in ESG
Once considered a small factor in the overall economic equation, environmental issues now represent a growing financial risk for businesses. Companies that adhere to an environmental, social and governance (ESG) approach quickly discover the business value of the “E” in ESG. It’s become so important that some argue an “F”…