Last week, Customer Success Team Member Juliana Withers hosted Truvelop’s User Community Lunch and Learn about Putting the Focus on Team Member Wellbeing. Collaborating with Truvelop customer b.well’s Head of People and Culture, Alicia Raymond, the women explored why we need organizational wellness, the benefits of wellness initiatives, some initiatives that our users are incorporating with their own teams, and lastly how Truvelop can help foster Team Member wellbeing. We heard a lot of amazing ideas and perspectives from our user community, making this Lunch and Learn fun, engaging, and enriching.
Why do we need Team Member Wellbeing Initiatives?
There were a few statistics that caught our attention when we were conceptualizing the need for Organizational Wellness. A survey from CareerBuilder a few years back found that 61% of employees are burnt out on the job. That number is even higher today, with estimates looking at nearly 80%. Additionally, the American Psychological Association has found that nearly 2 in 3 adults say the current amount of uncertainty in our nation causes them stress. The APA also found that this stress has been shown to be linked to higher rates of depression and anxiety in the past year. At Truvelop, we emphasize the Team Member experience by continuing to focus on people and how they feel, but it is also worth noting that the National Institute of Stress has estimated that job stress costs U.S. industry more than $300 billion a year in absenteeism, turnover, diminished productivity, and medical, legal, and insurance costs. When people are struggling, organizations struggle. Because of this, there is an intense need for wellness initiatives, now more than ever.
What is Organizational Wellness?
The Global Wellness Institute defines organizational wellness as “Any workplace health promotion activity or organizational policy designed to support healthy behavior among employees and to improve health outcomes.” That may sound pretty vague, but it can really be quite simple and encompass a variety of approaches. For example, some organizations this past year pushed to do walking meetings, where instead of sitting on Zoom, they encourage Team Members to take the call while they are out for a walk. Other organizations may offer to help pay for a gym membership as part of a benefits package. Sometimes, it can be just as simple as encouraging Managers to have regular check-in conversations with their Team Members. When someone is on Zoom, it’s harder to read their body language and their emotions. In the office, it can be easier to notice if someone is a little bit off, but sometimes even then, they won’t completely open up and share if they have anything going on. It is so important that we check-in and determine how we can best support our Team Members, as well as checking in with ourselves and monitoring our own wellbeing. After all, we can’t pour from an empty cup.
How Can Truvelop Help?
Through our rich discussion with our users, we came to the conclusion that monitoring and supporting Team Member wellbeing ultimately comes down to communication. With more frequent touchpoints, we are able to better notice if someone is showing a subtle fluctuation in their typical behavior, tipping us off to have a check-in. Below are some ways that Truvelop can help our users to best support their teams:
- With our Employee Assessments and Trend statuses, managers are able to notice right away if someone’s performance is dipping or improving. If it is improving, we want to check-in, recognize that person’s hard work, figure out what positive changes they made, and make sure that their grind hasn’t impacted them negatively. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if that Team Member has a dip in their performance, this flag helps us to check-in and see what changed and how we can help this person get back on track. Maybe this person is experiencing burnout, so asking how we can help them to re-engage is an important step.
- With Spark, we can start to notice additional trends and we can also share positive reinforcement for healthy and productive behaviors. Spark can be used in so many different ways, including recognizing the little wins. For example, we could do a Spark with the category of Attitude and the classification of Praise, leaving a message of, “Hey! Noticed that you came in with a really refreshed energy. Keep up the awesome work.” Additionally, this will aid in the Manager’s ability to notice any changes because they’re using these increased touchpoints. When we connect with people more frequently, we’re going to notice some of the more subtle changes. Regular Sparks can help us to identify these changes.
- Lastly, our users can use Survey to pulse check on a larger scale. Everyone has different needs, and a survey can help us to identify from a bigger lens what’s missing and how we can fill that gap. People have different comfort levels with vulnerability. While they may not always feel comfortable voicing how they’re feeling face-to-face, they can use a survey to share honestly and transparently where they’re at and what they need going forward. Since everything is documented and stored, this is something we can measure over time. With Survey, we can track any changes in engagement and wellbeing, and determine how effective any given initiative is.
Team Member wellbeing is taking the spotlight right now as organizations around the country navigate change and transitions. Communicating regularly and productively can help to ensure that no employee falls through the cracks. Truvelop makes that communication easy. Contact us today to learn more about our modern approach to performance management and development that actually improves the manager and employee relationship. Don’t just take our word for it, see what our Customers have to say.
