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In this February 2021 issue:

• Remote Work
• Building Diverse Teams
• Mentoring Program Mishaps
• Leading Through Burnout
• Employer Webinar

Does Your Company Have the Potential to Go Remote Permanently?

Last March, many employees were sent home to work remotely for a few weeks until this “pesky” coronavirus (COVID-19) resolved itself. Almost a year has passed, and many employees are still working from home. Companies are evaluating the costs of continuing to hold onto office real estate while their staff work effectively (some would say more effectively) at home. Many executive teams, facility professionals, and HR teams are wondering if it is worth keeping a brick-and-mortar space for their business post-COVID. Before deciding to end the lease or consolidate company locations, pressure-test the infrastructure of your organization to see if it would support a permanent change to a fully virtual or hybrid environment.

The Ketchup Question: Building Diverse Teams

“It’s the right thing to do.” This simple conclusion was an early driver for HR professionals and hiring managers to add diversity initiatives to their recruitment strategies. Next came a slightly more nuanced line of reasoning – research study data showed a correlation between diverse employee populations and positive revenue trends. While the target remained the same – building teams with diverse perspective and experiences – the data to support diversity hiring has evolved over time. One simple question exemplifies why building a team of diverse players is so important, and it likely won’t be what you expect. A great case study example to support diversity hiring is found in the answers to one simple question, “where do you keep your ketchup?”

Mentoring Program Mishaps—Avoid These Common Pitfalls

Influential business leaders often thank mentors for support in reaching their goals. Sheryl Sandburg credits Ariana Huffington. Mark Zuckerberg was mentored by Apple’s Steve Jobs. In a 2019 study conducted by Olivet Nazarene University, 76% of participants agreed that professional mentorship relationships were important. Mentoring has the added perks of bolstering employee engagement and increasing employee retention rates. All of this adds up to a rather good reason to build a mentorship program this year to support your employee population. Don’t be hasty! A poorly constructed program could cause more harm than good. Review these common mentoring program pitfalls to start your program research.

Leading through Burnout

The World Health Organization (WHO) expanded its definition of burnout as an “occupational phenomenon,” giving credence to a set of conditions that many have experienced but not been able to name. According to WHO, burnout is characterized by "feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one's job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficacy." Leading executive search firm, Korn Ferry, reports 7 in 10 employees are feeling burnout – a statistic that increased dramatically since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Without proper support, employees dealing with burnout may choose to look for a new job in the hopes that symptoms will decline as a result of a change. Managers can retain employees struggling with burnout by leading by example and empowering teams to approach the solution as a group.

Employer Webinar

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 Group Health Plan Considerations and COVID-19 Vaccine Wellness Programs

Tuesday, March 9th, 2021
2:00 p.m. ET / 11:00 a.m. PT

On December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Appropriations Act) was enacted. The Appropriations Act contains various provisions affecting group health plans including health flexible spending arrangement (health FSA) and dependent care flexible spending arrangement (DCAP) relief, mental health and substance use disorder parity, and the No Surprises Act. This webinar will help employers understand these provisions and the steps an employer should take to be compliant.

Additionally, this webinar will address the compliance considerations for employers seeking to implement a vaccine wellness program to encourage employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.