If you haven’t read a Holiday article on talent retention and engagement, then stop what you are doing!

More and more workplace suicides, folks bringing guns to school and work, and more employees leaving their fields. Phew- youth and young adults are still trending as the most stressed and highest suicide rate. But adults are right behind them! It is my hope that we all can take time and lean into one another a little bit more this week than previous ones. If you need suggestions, I am always here to talk and share some tips.  See my contact information at the bottom.

And here are some quick ones below.

1. Making Time to Communicate

2. Employee Support

3. Employee Appreciation

4. Freshen up the office with pops of vibrant and cheerful color like this yellow below

Make Time to Communicate

Good communication is being begged of management.  And not just checking-in with the usual “How are you doing?” but with real talk time. Set aside time on your calendar, at least 15-minutes per employee. But you may need 45-minutes. Are you prepared to make that priority? If you are not, you might be prioritizing rehiring in your future.  The better we understand our employees during this time of year and life, the better chance your business to survive.

Employee Support

Hopefully by now you have begun to research ways to support your employees.  Or at least begun thinking about it.  It can be stressful on you the Leader to know what you can do to lean in to help.  Leveraging experts in this field can shoulder some of that anxiety and burden.  If you have time over the coming Holidays, start to read and listen to the numerous experts that are sharing resources and tips.  At Peak Mind, we have built a platform to help leaders like you.  “Emotional Intelligence on a platter” some have called it.  Our mental well-being platform addresses the $1.1 T problem of work-related stress, related chronic disease, work-related injury, and employee disengagement. So if that number of business expense doesn’t startle you into action, then consider that the average cost to recruit and train a new hire is $36,000 of your time and expense.

Employee Appreciation

It’s that time of year to appreciate and recognize people anyways, per our US cultures and traditions. But take extra time this year to think about why you are recognizing the employees that are with you. For one reason alone, is that we know they have a choice to be with us, and they know they have choices.  With the job openings being more than the people looking for jobs, the market is on their side.  And I am sure that there are other reasons that you are grateful this year.  Lean into those feelings and perhaps be more vulnerable than you have in years past.  Share why you appreciate life these days, and in turn, you might open up more psychological safety with your teammates.  This is crucial to a healthy and happy team.

• Have you asked your team what they are grateful for these days?

• Have you considered volunteering together during a workday to be able to spend more quality time with your team?

• Have you provided well-being resources to empower your team to thrive?

The key is to provide action steps that meet the employee where they are.  And to provide a diversity of resources and tools so that in various life stresses, they feel supported in those moments.  This is a marathon journey, not a sprint. It’s not if life stresses will hit, it’s when, and how bad will it affect your company, and you personally.

Countless research shows us that when companies lean into workplace wellness, their talent engagement goes up. And companies benefit from a $3,000 reduction in insurance cost and 69 more minutes, per month, of employee engagement.

Companies like Peak Mind work to understand each individual worker and produce customized rewards, office comforts and communication suggestions to empower that employee to thrive. And now is the time for companies to take big steps forward regarding their talent, and their role in overcoming these life challenges. When you look at where adults spend most of their waking hours, it’s doing work for you.

We all need less stress these days! So Let’s Peak together. #PeakAtWork #BeWell #MentalWellbeingMatters

Need help getting started? Shoot me a message at Alicia@JoinPeakMind.com.

- Dr. Alicia E. Mckoy, Founder & CEO Peak Mind