Categories
Employee Experience

Upgrade your employee experience survey with these 7 tips

The employee experience survey has become a pretty standard tool for people teams in recent years. Many companies now send a giant, all-encompassing engagement survey once or twice per year. 

However, this strategy isn’t effective anymore, and for a lot of organizations, it never was. To stay competitive, you need to switch up your approach.

If you’re not convinced, just consider the facts. There’s a huge disparity between how employees view these surveys and what managers think.

48% of senior managers find surveys highly valuable, yet 45% of employees feel they have little to no value. 

52% of senior managers think surveys provide a very accurate assessment, while 48% of employees say they don’t. 

Which explains why 29% of employees think they’re pointless and only 1/5 of them believe their manager would act on concerns raised in an employee experience survey. They’re probably right; managers estimate they only spend 2-5 days per year on activities relating to their annual engagement survey.

Which kind of makes you wonder: what’s the point?

And is there a better alternative?

Here are some ways to get more value out of your employee experience survey.

Minimize admin work 

A quarter of managers see employee experience surveys as a box-checking exercise. 

This is why minimizing how much admin work they have to do is key. If they don’t view your employee experience survey as useful, they’re never going to take the responses seriously.

This means nothing will change, which brings us back to the question above. What’s the point if there’s no difference between before and after your employee experience survey?

Embrace automated data collection and analysis

When you have an automated process to distribute your employee experience survey and analyze the data coming in, everything becomes easier. Being able to ‘set it and forget it’ frees up more time to review the results. 

Not only that, but it becomes easier to make changes in response to the data. Team members can see everything they need to know at a glance, so there’s no question about where to focus.

And doesn’t everyone want to spend more of their time making a difference rather than staring at spreadsheets?

Track the impact of your employee groups, programs, and events

Investing time and money into employee initiatives is a waste if you can’t measure the impact they have. That’s why it’s so important to monitor their results. Unfortunately, many organizations gloss over or completely skip this topic in their employee experience survey.

When you have up-to-date data measuring how your groups, programs, and events are performing, you can make the most of your energy and budget. What’s more, using this data to optimize your employee experience can help you make big strides on retention and engagement.

Shorten the time between surveying and changes happening

When managers have lots of answers to read, then analyze, it can take a really long time. It’s no wonder 27% of managers never go through them at all – it takes too long!

By automating the analysis piece, managers can skip right to acting on the results. This then becomes a self-reinforcing cycle. Because changes were made in response to their input, employees will be more likely to complete future surveys.

No one wants to wait a year to see whether their voice was heard. Shortening the timeline reduces frustrations, and helps everyone feel more valued and engaged.

Make it easier and quicker to fill in

Think about the last time a brand you love sent you a customer feedback survey. Wanting to help out, you clicked it, only to find it was really long. By the end, you’d stopped typing the in-depth answers they were looking for, if you finished it at all.

The abandonment rate for surveys that take more than 7-8 minutes to fill in is 20%. And only 30% of employees actually fill in surveys. Which isn’t great if you want to get a complete picture of what’s happening in your workforce.

It makes sense, though. Our attention spans are short, and we don’t have that much time. Our working days are filled with, well, work. It’s much easier to find time to complete a short, well-designed survey, than a long, hard to follow one.

For example, Workrowd’s automated feedback questionnaires typically take 2-3 minutes to complete and ask just 5-10 questions.

Sending them out automatically after events and program sessions means data gets collected regularly, while brief pulse surveys help complete the picture. Speaking of which…

Spread out your opportunities to collect data

Things can change quickly when you’re in business, especially in the digital age. 

So, if you’re only collecting data once in a blue moon (which is about every 2-3 years), you’re not going to get accurate insight into how your employees feel. Especially when some employees won’t stick around that long, partially because their input isn’t valued.

Employees want to feel respected. Regularly collecting information on their experience at work is one way you can show them that you really are listening, not treating surveys as a box-checking exercise.

You don’t want to be bothering people every week, obviously, but the shorter the surveys, and the easier they are to fill in, the more often you can send them without employees feeling annoyed or interrupted. 

And you’ll get more relevant, timely data as a result. This also prevents problems from lingering, as you’re more likely to notice them as they appear.

Combining data from a short employee experience survey with feedback from recent events and activities can give you the insight you need to succeed in today’s tight talent market.

Use it to inspire new ideas

It’s all very well and good sending an employee experience survey, but if you’re not doing anything with the feedback, it can easily backfire. As mentioned above, you’ll see low participation, and people may even leave if their input is repeatedly ignored.

Even if what people come back with is uncomfortable to hear, it’s important to listen. You can use the feedback to improve systems that aren’t working, look for ways you can embrace and encourage deeper inclusion, and highlight good things happening within your business.

Conclusion 

Revamping your employee experience survey strategy can help you identify ways to improve. It can also show you where you should be celebrating how great your staff and business are.

If reimagining your relationship with your employee experience survey is of interest to you this year, send us a note at hello@workrowd.com. Our lightweight tools automate the process of collecting employee experience data, then lay the results out for you in readable, real-time dashboards.

Don’t waste your time creating and promoting another long survey this year, only to have to slog through overwhelming piles of data. Do yourself a favor and take advantage of Workrowd’s tool suite to make your life easier and delight employees across your organization.

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Categories
Employee Retention

Boost employee satisfaction in 2023 with these 9 strategies

Recent findings show that only 21.6% of office-based workers are happy with their work environments. That’s compared to 28.3% of hybrid employees, and 35.4% of people who are fully remote. Even for this last group, the rate of employee satisfaction remains low.

But it gets worse.

Just 17.1% of in-office employees are happy with their work-life balance, compared to 25.1% of hybrid workers and 33.2% of remote employees.

Ouch.

If you’re looking to boost employee satisfaction in 2023, look no further. These tips will help your employees feel more satisfied in their roles regardless of your business size.

Send an employee experience survey

Employee experience surveys help you identify issues impacting team members.

How do they feel about what’s happening in your business? What’s their day-to-day experience? What improvements would they like to see?

The more often you send them, the more useful the results will be (as long as you keep them short!).

And, if you automate the process of analyzing the data, you can take action sooner, too.

For example, a tool like Workrowd sends short feedback requests after every event or session your company organizes, along with quick, intermittent pulse surveys. The software combines this with activity tracking and usage data (e.g. RSVPs) to give you real-time dashboards showing employee satisfaction levels.

Make them feel included in discussions and developments

When big changes happen within a business, employees are often the last to know. This can lead to them feeling betrayed, let down, or invisible, even though they’re the ones the changes affect the most.

Being transparent about what’s happening, whether it’s good or bad, helps them feel included.

Even if you don’t take every piece of their feedback, ensuring they have a voice shows you value them and their contributions to the organization.

Give employees the chance to be themselves

Four out of five employed Americans report that they feel seen at work for who they really are, rather than just a stereotype. However, this number is heavily skewed by the fact that 93% of white men agreed with this statement. In contrast, only 73% of BIPOC women feel the same.

Similarly, LGBTQ+ employees rank where they work 6% lower than non-LGBTQ+ peers. Transgender employees rate their employee experience the lowest, at just 3.43 out of 5.

Many employees from underrepresented communities feel the need to hide, mask, or code-switch in the workplace. It’s exhausting and an additional source of stress.

To improve this result at your company, you need an open culture. One where employees feel comfortable being themselves, whatever their background. One where people aren’t assumed to be one thing or another, and are accepted for who they actually are.

As a leader, it’s your job to set that example. Learn how to be a real ally. Share your experiences and get involved. 

The more you show that you really do care, the more likely your employees will be to feel comfortable.

Encourage workplace friendships

60% of employees believe their colleagues make the biggest difference to their workplace happiness. That means if you’re not facilitating coworker relationships, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to increase employee satisfaction.

It’s not just about forced socializing within a team. It’s also about helping employees find people with similar interests they can connect with. This makes them feel like they belong in the workplace and increases the likelihood they’ll stay.

Set clear career paths

Telling an employee they deserve a promotion is one thing. Creating a path to that promotion shows you’re serious about them progressing in their role.

A vague plan is unlikely to ever happen because nobody knows what steps they need to take to get there. It’s also easier to forget.

A clear path, meanwhile, shows them you value them and want to keep their skills and knowledge on the team.

Offer mentoring opportunities

Sometimes an employee needs a little guidance to help them get to the next step in their career. Mentoring is a great way to help them achieve this because they can learn from someone who’s been in a similar situation.

Being a mentor offers a lot of benefits, too. It’s a way for people to give back to their colleagues, build confidence, reinforce knowledge, and feel good about helping someone.

Make breaks a priority, not an afterthought or reward

Breaks shouldn’t be treated as a reward for achieving something. They should be a vital part of getting things done!

The longer we work without a break, the more our productivity and ability to concentrate suffers.

Even a quick, 40-second micro-break helps us recharge and perform better in our roles. 40 seconds!

Ideally, it’s best to take longer than that a few times a day, though. You can’t eat your lunch or drink a coffee in 40 seconds.

Ensuring employees eat their lunch away from their desk is one way for them to get a longer break. Or they could go for a walk to a local park, play with a pet, or read a book. Anything that’s not work-related can help clear their head and increase employee satisfaction.

Reward them

A little reward goes a long way. It doesn’t have to be anything big, or even something that holds monetary value. 

A simple and genuine ‘thank you’ when someone’s done a great job can have a major impact on employee satisfaction.

Grow creative skills

The more creativity and control we have in a role, the happier we’re likely to be. These things can only happen in a supportive, inclusive environment. They’re like muscles; the more someone uses them, the better they get at doing so. 

If someone has never experienced control in a role before, they’re going to need some guidance to help them manage that control. 

If they’re not used to their ideas being accepted and encouraged, it’ll take time for their ability to generate ideas to develop. 

Walking meetings are a good way to get the mind and body going, and can lead to more ideas and better conclusions, too. 

As there’s often a set duration or path for a meeting, it can help attendees stay on track and come to better solutions at the end, too.

And, since you’re not talking face-to-face like you would in a meeting room, it can feel less confrontational, making it easier to talk about more challenging topics.

Conclusion 

A little bit of support can make a big difference when it comes to employee satisfaction. This could come in the form of changing how you communicate with employees, offering more opportunities to grow their skills, or letting them do something good for themselves and their community.

In order to effectively increase employee satisfaction over time, you need the right tools. Workrowd makes it easy to connect every team member to the best your organization has to offer, no matter where or when they work. Plus, with real-time analytics, you’ll always know where you can improve.

If you want to do more in less time this year, send us a note at hello@workrowd.com. Our lightweight tool suite is a snap to set up, and will have you on the road to higher employee satisfaction in no time.

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Categories
Employee Engagement

9 indicators of successful employee engagement programs

Check out part 1 of this post covering signs your employee engagement programs need a makeover HERE. When you’re running successful employee engagement programs, it can have huge benefits for your business. In the new world of work, these efforts that used to be ‘nice to haves’ have quickly become ‘need to haves’.

But what makes for successful employee engagement programs? And how do you know whether yours are driving results? Here are some things to look out for:

Employees want to join in

When employees want to be a part of your programs, it’s a really good sign. It means they feel like your programs could make a difference to their lives, either personally or professionally.

Another sign of successful employee engagement programs is when people share their enthusiasm with their colleagues. This excitement is contagious and can spread the word without you needing to do as much promotion.

The more everyone talks about the benefits of participating, the more employees you’ll have who want to join in. People don’t like to feel like they’re missing out and will want to experience the benefits, too.

Everyone has a community where they belong

72% of employees feel lonely at least once per month. The same percentage of remote workers feel lonelier than they did when they worked in an office.

As well as being a sad statistic, the truth is that it’s also scary and dangerous. Loneliness is bad for our mental and physical health. It causes everything from anxiety, to a weakened immune system, to an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Most people probably won’t admit to their colleagues that they feel this way. They may not even realize the impact their loneliness could have on their long-term health.

Even without these discussions or this awareness though, successful employee engagement programs help mitigate workplace loneliness. People can find colleagues nearby to chat over coffee with; pet sit so that they can travel more; or co-work together in a local space. 

All these things help employees feel more connected to their teammates and organization, reducing the detrimental impacts of loneliness.

Employee program leaders aren’t drowning in admin work

There may be some people out there who like admin work (I’m not one of them). Regardless, there’s no denying how much it can eat into your time and mean you produce less as a result.

Reducing admin time for employee program leaders gives them more time and energy for their daily tasks while still championing engagement. With the right tools, they can do more in less time, and avoid burning out.

So instead of manually sending reminders about the next event, they can plan interesting discussions, connect with other engagement leaders, or get to know participants better. When tedious, time-consuming tasks are automated, it’s much easier to build successful employee engagement programs.

There’s a clear transition process in place

It’s common when a program or group leader leaves for things to fall apart. A successful employee engagement programs management solution means this doesn’t happen. It ensures there are already steps in place to facilitate a handover, and to make it as seamless as possible.

One thing you can do to help with this is create a list of potential leaders to step in when someone leaves. Or, you could always have a deputy leader who’s the natural next person to fill the position.

Whomever takes over needs to know where all the files are and have permission to access/edit them.

They also need access to any policies or documents which explain how the program or group operates. That way, they’ll know what’s expected of them as a leader and of group members, and can update things if/when required.

Having a central repository can go a long way towards helping you build successful employee engagement programs. That way, leaders, participants, and executives all know exactly where to look when they need something.

Every aspect is intuitive and user-friendly

The most important thing about a great user experience is that it just works. It’s so perfectly organized and logical that people barely have to think about it.

This is sometimes easier said than done, but when employees know where to find the latest information, they can log in to get what they want, maybe find something else that’s also of interest to them, then continue with their day.

It’s simple, it’s intuitive, and it allows them to make the most of your successful employee engagement programs with the least amount of effort.

What’s more, it doesn’t interrupt them. Rather than receiving emails and chat notifications about a free fitness class while trying to focus on a big project, they can learn what’s happening when it’s convenient for them.

They offer people opportunities to develop their skills

Many employees are always on the lookout for ways to improve their skills, grow in their roles, and advance their careers. If they don’t feel they can do that at your organization, they’re more likely to leave.

Successful employee engagement programs provide team members who want to grow their skills access to relevant training. They can also connect them to mentors or coaches. 

They improve communication

When you encourage employees to interact with people from other areas of the business, it can improve relationships between different departments. 

This makes collaboration much easier. It also helps prevent us vs. them mentalities and myths that can occur between different departments.

Successful employee engagement programs build cross-team links that ensure your business can stay agile and competitive.

You can track their effectiveness

If you want successful employee engagement programs, it’s important to be able to track their effectiveness. That’s how you know what you’re doing is benefitting your business and your staff. 

Without any trackable metrics, your programs could be a huge waste of time and money. You wouldn’t know it, though, because you would have no way of measuring.

With metrics, you can clearly see what’s working and what isn’t. It’s important that you’re pulling information from a variety of sources and at different points in time. Relying on a once or twice yearly engagement survey won’t get you the data you need.

With automated, real-time analytics, you always know which programs are driving results, and which need some extra support. You can then use that information to make more informed decisions and maximize your ROI.

They benefit your business

The most successful employee engagement programs benefit businesses in ways both big and small. 

They lead to employees being happier and more productive because they feel like you care about them beyond daily workplace activities. It’s a reciprocal relationship. And the more you foster that relationship, the more success you’ll both experience.

If you’re interested in building more successful employee engagement programs this year, Workrowd can help. With a one-stop shop for marketing, managing, and measuring all of your programs, groups, and events, everything you need is right at your fingertips.

Send us a note at hello@workrowd.com to learn more. We’d love to discuss how some easy-to-implement tools can take your employee engagement programs to the next level in 2023.

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Categories
Employee Engagement

8 signs your employee engagement programs need a makeover

From professional development to diversity and inclusion, employee engagement programs are key to retention. Beyond that, they’re also a powerful, underutilized tool that can benefit almost every area of your business.

Unfortunately, it’s easy to set up employee engagement programs with the best intentions, only to get distracted by other tasks. As a result, they never reach their full potential and fail to drive ROI. 

Or, they’re implemented and nobody even knows they’re a thing. Obviously, in this case, no one gets to experience any of the benefits.

Here are some key signs your employee engagement programs need a makeover in 2023. Check back next week for what to do about it!

No one uses them—or even knows they exist

Maybe your employee engagement programs have lots of people signed up, but nobody’s engaged. Or nobody joins them in the first place. Either way, this is problematic.

Ineffective employee engagement programs can have a tremendous impact on a person’s ability to feel like part of the team. Beyond that, it can even have a detrimental effect on their career trajectory. 

It’s a story the Workrowd team has heard all too often. The company’s founder, Rachel Goor, notes:

“Especially in remote and hybrid environments, it’s easy for employees to miss out on opportunities to build a better work life. For instance, we recently learned about an individual who found out three years into her tenure with a company that there was a mentoring program she could have joined from day one. She was burned out and ended up leaving, but tapping into this great initiative that the company was already running could have completely transformed her experience.”

Three years of growth missed out on all because no one connected her to a program that already existed.

Running them is detrimental to leaders’ careers

If you have employee engagement programs led by team members (e.g. ERGs), supporting them is crucial.

Running any sort of community is a huge commitment and can really eat into their time. Trying to do that alongside their full-time job makes things even more challenging. Either their program or their job suffers.

And of course, this could lead to adverse outcomes for these engagement champions. It leaves them less time for their job responsibilities, despite their significant contributions to company culture.

Rachel noted another example where:

“An employee was so passionate about social impact efforts that she took it upon herself to personally spearhead things for two years. She, too, ended up leaving, because the company had no way to support or empower her.”

It must’ve been heartbreaking for that individual to put everything into building opportunities for her colleagues to give back, positively influence the company’s culture, but then have to leave because her personal development suffered as a result.

Things fall apart when someone leaves

At some point, a leader or champion of one or more of your employee engagement programs is going to leave. It may be because they’ve found an opportunity elsewhere, they’re moving, or they’re retiring. If there’s no handover process in place, it can cause programs to fall apart.

This can come down to poor organization or limited knowledge transfer. Your program then falters and has to start again from scratch, if at all. This leaves a lot of opportunities and potentially disappointed employees behind.

Even if your program has seen high engagement up to this point, it’s unlikely things will stay that way if no one is trained to take over and they don’t know where to find all the information they need. 

Any initiative’s atmosphere is directly influenced by the people running it. The only way to maintain that is for a new leader to hit the ground running when they take over.

You’re not effectively tracking their impact

It’s really important to have some form of data collection. Without it, you won’t know what’s working, what’s not, and where you can improve. How do you know what difference your employee engagement programs are making? More importantly, how do you know where to invest your time and money moving forward?

It doesn’t just have to be hard numbers, of course. Anecdotes about employees’ improved confidence, skills, or new contacts they’ve met because of employee engagement programs can be just as powerful. 

But if there’s nowhere for them to share those stories, how will you ever hear about them?

You don’t market or promote them 

Quite often, you think you’re talking a lot about something, but nobody has heard you talk about it at all. This is common when you work in marketing, and marketing internal initiatives is no different. 

So, while you may think you’re shouting, only a handful of people have probably heard about your employee engagement programs.

You need to actively promote your initiatives to new employees, as well as existing employees looking for something new. Promote them in as many places as possible, including in print, by word-of-mouth, and beyond.

Employees may not join the first time they hear about a group, program, or event. Over time though, they may change their minds.

They may realize the benefits of being a part of them and want to join in, too. Therefore, you need to talk about your employee engagement programs and their benefits as much as possible to encourage participation.

The organizational system is a mess

When employee engagement programs are managed manually, it makes the whole process clunkier. Almost every other part of our lives can be automated now. Employees expect a seamless experience for groups and events at work just as they do in their outside lives. Are you delivering?

Tasks like signing up, sharing files, organizing meetings, RSVPing for events, and sending reminders should be as easy as possible. This is true for both program leaders and for members and participants as well. This only happens when there’s a clear, easy-to-follow system in place.

Lack of regionalization/localization

What appeals to someone in one country will be different from what appeals to someone in another. Even countries that speak the same language can have dramatic cultural differences. (Like the US and the UK, for example.)

Being aware of these differences is important.

It’s also important to consider that some employees will prefer to meet in person. If they work remotely, it’s a great opportunity for them to get out of the house and connect with people.

Insufficient support/buy-in from the company 

It’s all too easy for a company to decide to launch employee engagement programs, give employees the chance to run them, then abandon them, expecting employees to do all the work. 

Your programs still need some sort of support from the business for them to be a success. 

Many aspects of culture come from the top, and this includes the adoption of employee engagement programs. That’s the only way businesses will experience the full benefits of them.

If initiatives are left with small or non-existent budgets, or a disengaged/non-existent executive sponsor, they’re unlikely to deliver the results you’d hoped for.

Conclusion

An effective employee engagement programs strategy can lead to positive changes in employees’ skills, networks, and career paths. 

However, when they’re done wrong, they can feel like a waste of time and resources for everyone.

If you’d like to ensure you’re maximizing the value of your employee engagement programs in 2023, Workrowd can help. Tune in next week for a post on solutions. Or, reach out to us directly to explore easy-to-implement tools to solve your engagement challenges.

Our one-stop platform has everything you need to successfully market, manage, and measure your employee engagement programs to drive greater impact. Learn more by visiting us online, or send us a note at hello@workrowd.com.

Check out part 2 of this post covering solutions to improve the effectiveness of your employee engagement programs HERE.

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Categories
Learning & Development

7 steps to help you get employee development planning right

Deciding on our futures can be a challenging and daunting prospect. Having someone to guide us and offer advice can help us figure out the right direction. That’s why it’s so important to get employee development planning right.

Managers are in a key position to help with this because employees trust them, they understand their employees’ strengths, and they know what opportunities are available within the business.

Employees may find that as they explore a particular path, it’s not for them. But they don’t know unless they try, and they’re much more likely to make the right decision with someone to help them along the way. The more information they have when they choose their path, the more likely they are to choose the right option the first time.

Let’s take a look at what you need to consider when it comes to employee development planning:

What are their skills?

Technical skills are, and always will be, important. This goes further than that, though. 

How are their communication skills? Do they want to improve them, or would they be better off spending their time elsewhere?

Knowing what their current skills are gives you a direction to start with that can then be influenced by my next point…

What are they interested in?

Being good at something and enjoying something are two very different things. Someone may be good at dealing with conflict, but they may dislike dealing with people. If you know someone like this, they’re probably not a great fit to be a manager. They’ll end up finding it increasingly frustrating over time.

Instead, you want to find that sweet spot between what employees enjoy and what their skills are.

Someone who enjoys going deep on a particular topic and likes poking holes in things would be a great subject matter expert, for example.

The more interested someone is in something, the more work they’ll put into learning the skills required to excel in a particular role. This will then lead to bigger benefits for your business.

Where do they need to grow?

To progress in our careers, we all need to grow in one way or another. It could be by learning a new programming language, a new social media platform, or leadership skills.

Having a clear list of areas to focus on as a result of employee development planning gives team members a clear idea of what direction to head in. It can essentially create a checklist of what they need to work on to hit their goals. This can help to motivate them and keep them focused.

What’s a hard no?

We all have our non-negotiables. For me, it’s noisy office environments. I just can’t concentrate in them, and they trigger my chronic pain.

Keeping in mind what someone doesn’t want to do narrows down the list of options when it comes to employee development planning. This can make the decision-making process a bit easier. 

It doesn’t matter how great your employee is, or how well they perform in a particular position. They’ll never enjoy a role that requires them to do things that make them uncomfortable or unhappy.

No amount of money, status, or training will make up for their discomfort. It’s therefore better to rule this out early so that you don’t risk losing them. If they’re doing something that goes against their values, health, or comfort, they’ll be much more likely to leave.

Can you offer them what they need?

If an employee needs to grow certain skills to achieve their career goals, can you help them get there? Does your business have the opportunities and roles that they need? 

If the answer is no, could you create them? If you don’t know how, can you find the answers elsewhere, either from your network or by researching?

When an employee is a great fit for your business, you don’t want to lose them because you can’t offer what they need. You’ll end up losing their loyalty and their company knowledge, and it’ll cost you more money to hire and train a new employee.

Finding external trainers and creating new programs helps you help that employee while future-proofing your business. If any other employees come along with similar needs as you continue to grow, you’ll be ready. Effective employee development planning extends beyond just one individual.

Make your plan

When you’ve answered all these questions, it’s time to create a plan. What do they need to learn, and by when? Setting deadlines makes it easier for employees to stay motivated. It also helps you track what’s happening and when, and gives you both something to work toward.

Consider setting SMART goals:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Relevant
  • Time-sensitive

While the concept is one we’ve all heard ad nauseam, the specificity of SMART goals is what’s important. They’re more likely to be successful because you can pinpoint if, when, and how something is working. In this case, you can assess how effective your employee development planning has been.

Review your plan

Reviewing the results of your employee development planning process periodically ensures that it still aligns with what team members want to achieve. If they’ve hit any roadblocks, you can help them overcome them or alter the plan to fit their needs.

Alternatively, the employee may find that they no longer want to work toward the same goal. Perhaps their career trajectory has changed. That’s all fine and acceptable. 

It’s much better for them to realize this and come out and say it. That way, you can work together to change the direction, rather than risk losing them. If they don’t feel like they can communicate with you about how they’re feeling, they may consider leaving.

Think of the plan as scaffolding, i.e. a guide. What happens inside it can change based on employees’ needs as you continue to build together.

Conclusion 

Managers’ trusted and knowledgeable roles mean they’re in powerful positions to help with effective employee development planning. While paths can change, managers can use the information they have on employees and the business to make suggestions.

Helping employees identify areas where they can grow their skills can benefit everyone. Supporting them to lean into their strengths and work on weaknesses can lead to better long-term career outcomes as well.

Employee development planning can be tough. The work doesn’t end with the plan, though. You have to provide employees with ample opportunities to pursue their stated learning goals. Then, you have to make it easy for them to engage.

By organizing all your learning groups, programs, and events in one place with Workrowd, you can connect every team member to the resources they need to succeed. Plus, with real-time analytics, you’ll always know which initiatives are driving results for team members.

If you’d like to learn more and explore how Workrowd can accelerate the impact of your employee development planning, send a note to hello@workrowd.com. We’d love to chat and see how we can collaborate.

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Learning & Development

Employee training & development ideas to make 2023 a success

Employee training and development is important for upskilling your employees, making them better at their jobs, and driving retention.

It doesn’t have to come in the form of a sit-down class like we’re back at school, though. Shudder. 

Not everyone learns that way. And the longer someone must sit still in a training session like that, the less likely they are to pay attention or remember anything that was covered.

There are plenty of ways to make employee training and development engaging, interactive, and maybe even fun. No matter what industry you and your employees are in.

Here are some ways to help your employees grow their skills in 2023:

Books

Books are great because they allow us to learn at our own pace and refer to information easily. 

We can read them on an e-reader with a backlight; on our phones while we’re traveling; or as a physical copy. And we can annotate them or highlight passages that are interesting or relevant to us in any of these forms. 

If you’ve got a Kindle, for example, it can sync with Goodreads and remember your highlighted passages.

However, as an author and avid reader, one of my pet peeves is book recommendations. Most people explain why they liked the book, not what the person they’re talking to could get out of reading it. 

So, before you recommend a book, consider:

  • What skills the other person could learn
  • How it relates to their current or future role
  • The book’s writing style—is it chatty and fast-paced? Or is it formal and academic? Which would they prefer?
  • Length—is it a quick read or does it take time to digest? Do they have the time or patience for something longer/heavier?

Different types of books appeal to different people. Just because you found something game-changing, that doesn’t mean everyone else will. 

As part of this, you could put together a book club. But beware that everyone reads at different paces and people who enjoy reading for fun may prefer to learn by other means. 

Even for avid nonfiction readers like myself, something like a book club can turn a fun hobby into a chore if it’s not done right. Solicit input from team members to help you effectively incorporate books into your employee training and development program.

Emails and downloadable guides

Emails are great for drip-feeding information. This makes them a useful tool for employee training and development.

They take a few minutes to read, then the recipient can carry on with their day. Then the next training comes the following day or week, and so on.

Downloadable guides, meanwhile, are a longer version of this. They’re often used as sales lead magnets, but they can also be used internally for employee training and development. 

Quizzes

Remember those personality quizzes that used to be in magazines and were strangely addictive? The ones that are still all over Buzzfeed and other corners of the internet? 

Just me? Okay…

Well, less personality-focused, more fact-based quizzes, are a fun, engaging way to help employees learn and retain information. 

And when you combine them with my next point, the lessons become more memorable because employees can see what they need to do.

Show examples

Listening to someone talk about what to do or not do can get tedious quickly. Relatable examples help employees visualize what they’re trying to learn. 

This could come in the form of perfect examples, or not-so-perfect examples.

In a group environment, you could discuss why something works or doesn’t work, encouraging participation so that employees can share their trains of thought and understand what’s needed for the skills they’re trying to learn. 

This can also support employee training and development around soft skills, like analysis and feedback, alongside the skill they’re actively trying to build.

Live webinars and workshops

There’s something magical about a live workshop. Everyone’s working together on the same thing, at the same time, making a concentrated effort to better themselves in one area. The engagement can be contagious, too.

A webinar being live can also mean that the employee is more likely to carve out specific time to take part because they know exactly when it’s going to happen and can work the rest of their day around it, rather than working their employee training and development around everything else.

Virtual summits

Think of virtual summits like an all-day version of a live webinar.

If employees can’t travel to an event in-person, they offer an opportunity for them to grow their skills from the comfort of their own desk.

Some are free to watch live, with replays available for 24 hours. After that, there’s a fee. 

Summits often focus on one area, and they sometimes also include virtual networking. This means employee can grow their skills and get to know useful industry contacts for later. 

Groups

Employee groups help connect employees with similar interests. This makes them powerful for someone looking to expand their skills. They don’t need to search for external trainers—they’ve got a readymade group of people they can go to for answers!

If no group exists for their area of interest, they could create it, and invite others who share that interest to take part. 

If it’s a valuable workplace skill, there are bound to be others within your business who want to learn it too. Bottom up efforts like these can be an important part of your employee training and development program.

Mentoring and coaching

Mentoring and coaching programs can provide employees with specific, guided, hands-on tutelage. 

This can grow their skills faster because it’s concentrated on what they need, rather than the more generalized approach group programs must take so that they can cater to as many people as possible.

Work trips

A change of scenery is good for creativity and happiness. It can break someone out of a funk and help them solve a problem that’s been bugging them for weeks. 

Work trips and conferences allow employees to fully immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the event.

It opens up new conversations, generating ideas employees never would’ve come up with otherwise. 

Volunteer days

Doing something vaguely related—or completely unrelated—to your job can be surprisingly good for deep thinking. I often get content ideas while exercising, for example, but I rarely write about actual exercise. 

You could join the ranks of businesses who give their employees time each year to work with a good cause. This could be a local school, a food bank, or something else. 

This will reflect well on you as a business, boost employee morale, and can improve skills like teamwork, leadership, and communication—all vital skills in any workplace. Paid volunteering is an opportunity to do well by doing good, and can do wonders from an employee training and development standpoint.

Conclusion 

Everyone learns in different ways. To get the most out of your team members, you want to find employee training and development strategies that equip them to retain and act on their learnings.

You can do this by simply asking them what they’d like the most. They’ll feel like their opinions and differences are valued, and something you’re willing to take into account.

Getting employee training and development right isn’t just about putting programs in place, though. You also have to make it easy for team members to get involved, and track the effectiveness of your initiatives over time. This can be tough if your employee training and development efforts are spread across a variety of platforms and systems.

Luckily, Workrowd can help. With a central hub for all your employee groups, programs, and events, team members can join in with just one click, and real-time analytics make it easy to track your impact. If you’d like to explore how our user-friendly tool suite can support your employee training and development efforts, send us a note at hello@workrowd.com. We’d love to accelerate learning outcomes for your team in 2023.

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Hybrid/Remote

9 strategies to combat workplace loneliness for remote workers

Ever since the pandemic pushed entire organizations into full-time remote work, workplace loneliness has been on the rise. Loneliness is an epidemic, affecting two-thirds of US adults, up from just over half in 2018. 

Loneliness is defined as a lack of social support, negative feelings about personal relationships, lacking balance (such as from working too much), and a decline in physical and mental health.

Some studies have found that loneliness can even mean we suffer from more health issues and don’t live as long.

Since we spend so much time working, it’s important that businesses address this issue. They may be unintentionally exacerbating feelings of loneliness among their employees. And it’s most definitely an issue that affects businesses, too—lonelier employees are less productive and more likely to leave.

Combatting workplace loneliness when you see people in person regularly is one thing, but what if employees work completely remotely? Is there anything you can do to make sure they don’t feel so isolated? Read on to find out.

Check-ins

Regular check-ins give employees the opportunity to talk about things that are on their minds. 

So long as the catch-ups are at a frequency the employee is comfortable with, they make them feel less alone, too. 

If the check-ins happen more often than someone is expecting, it can make them feel lonelier and less understood. It’s therefore important that you understand their needs and set up a regular schedule to support them. 

Communication and organization are key to making someone feel like you’re on their side. This helps fend off workplace loneliness.

Socializing opportunities

Whether it’s in-person get togethers or virtual chats, offering your employees opportunities to socialize with their colleagues helps them to feel like part of the team. It’s also a fun way for new team members to meet their colleagues. Building connections early on is important for countering workplace loneliness.

Employee resource groups

ERGs are a great way for employees to meet colleagues, grow their network, and expand their skill set. These things are all important for making someone feel like they’re a part of the team and working on their personal lives/skills.

Open discussions about mental health

At an old job of mine, an employee was on leave due to stress. Almost everyone from every department knew this and made fun of said employee for it. 

This is an awful way to discuss mental health. Not only for that person, but for other employees who may be going through something similar.

Talking about mental health is challenging. While society has made some progress in recent years, in some areas there’s still more stigma than support.

When leaders have open discussions about their mental health, it becomes easier for employees to open up, too. This changes the narrative in the workplace, and maybe even in employees’ personal lives, too. It can make them kinder to themselves and the people around them, all because one person set an example.

Plus, by ensuring employees don’t feel isolated by their struggles, you can reduce the risk of workplace loneliness.

Connect employees who are nearby

Sometimes you may have a handful of employees who live near each other, or someone who’s just moved to a new area and doesn’t know anyone. 

Why not give them the opportunity to meet up and work together, or just catch up over coffee? 

This can help them get to know people from their own or other teams. It will improve collaboration and idea generation, as well as make them feel more like they belong in the workplace.

Be inclusive with your approach and language

If you use language that’s ableist, racist, sexist, transphobic, or ‘others’ someone in any way, it can make those people feel isolated.

If you’re not sure what word or phrase to use, ask your employees what they prefer. You could run a poll or survey, or ask individuals you know who share that identity.

The most important thing is that you approach your language usage with an open mind, and as a growth opportunity. Language grows and changes all the time. It always has, and it always will.

Evolving language usage isn’t about preventing freedom of speech. It’s about making other people feel like they belong, too.

Make sure everyone can communicate how they’re comfortable

Some people love quick videos; others prefer an email. It’s important that everyone communicates in a way that they’re comfortable with, not in a way that’s forced on them.

For some, recording a video is akin to being on stage performing standup comedy. You don’t want to make those people feel less included, or totally uncomfortable, by forcing them to do what they feel unable to do. Guide them, set examples, but remember that everyone is different.

Just because you love videos, that doesn’t mean it should be the default for everyone. Some employees may never process information shared over audio or video as well as a written email. 

Likewise, there may be some that prefer audio or video because they can process it quicker. 

There’s no harm in accommodating different communication styles so that you can get the best out of everyone and combat workplace loneliness.

Send presents

If someone has completed a big project, or it’s their birthday, consider sending them a gift to thank them for all their hard work and show them you’re thinking of them. 

You could send them their favorite brand of chocolate, a book they’ve been wanting to read, or a gift voucher for a day out somewhere. It doesn’t have to be anything expensive. What matters is that it’s a gesture to prove to them that you care about them and they’re not alone.

Give them a purpose

When we have a purpose in life, we’re happier and healthier. Why should work be any different? Someone’s purpose doesn’t have to be tied to their job, of course, but there’s no reason it can’t be, either.

To ensure people feel like they’re making a difference, think about how you explain what they’re doing and how it ties into the business’s bigger picture. Quite often, we’re not given this information. We end up feeling like we’re operating in a silo, not really making a difference to the business’s wider objectives.

All great businesses are big on teamwork and cooperation, though. So, explaining to employees what you need from them in relation to business goals and their internal motivations can give them a greater sense of purpose.

Are they motivated to help people? To grow their skills? To design new technologies? Something else? Everyone has something that drives them. You just need to find a way to tap into that to ensure they feel seen and don’t fall prey to workplace loneliness.

Conclusion 

Loneliness is an epidemic that’s damaging to our long- and short-term health. Businesses can help to improve their remote employees’ health by taking small steps to support them and making sure they feel like part of the team.

If you want to protect your employees from workplace loneliness, giving them an easy way to build connections from day one is a must. Workrowd puts all your employee groups, programs, and events, just a click away, ensuring everyone feels welcome. With real-time analytics, you can see what’s actually making a difference for team members and double down on your most effective programming.

If you’d like to learn more and see how Workrowd can help your people find their people, no matter where or when they work, send us a note at hello@workrowd.com.

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Categories
Wellness

How to support an employee dealing with chronic pain at work

Chronic illness can affect every facet of a person’s life, or it can impact just one. It includes everything from fibromyalgia to Crohn’s disease to depression and everything in between. As a result, many employees have to manage chronic pain at work.

More than 50 million Americans live with chronic pain; that’s 1 in every 5 people. You—or your employee—may never be able to solve their health issues. That said, there are things you can both do to make their working lives more comfortable and support them in performing their job to the best of their ability. 

Dealing with chronic pain at work doesn’t have to hold someone back in being great at what they do. I should know, I’ve had chronic pain for over five years, and I do content marketing, podcasting, and book publishing. 

So, what can you do to support employees facing chronic pain at work?

Accept it’s unpredictable 

Many chronic health issues can flare up without notice. They can also get better in what seems like a magical way (although this is less likely to happen).

As humans, we really like patterns. So, we may look for them and feel frustrated when we can’t find them.

Or, if you do go through an employees’ absence history and find a pattern, it may be worth investigating or enquiring about what happens around this time. 

Stress exacerbates many health conditions, and work is one of the biggest causes of stress for most of us. 

Could it be that something is happening at work that’s elevating their stress, but they haven’t felt able to talk about it?

Gently raising the subject can make them feel comfortable discussing it with you. 

Perhaps there’s an aspect of their job that they could use some assistance with? Or, if they’re taking more time off than usual, are they working too much? Or too little?

Balance their workload

We often associate workplace stress with having too much to do. Not having enough to do or being under-stimulated can also be triggers, though. 

Our brains like novelty, particularly when we have conditions like ADHD. When daily life starts to feel too automatic, we grow bored, our brains switch to auto-pilot, our stress levels increase, and our work quality goes down.

Keeping the pace of work consistent and regular means employees know what their employer expects from them. It gives them a level of stability they don’t have from other areas of their life, like their health.

While you want the pace to be regular, you can still vary what they’re doing to keep it interesting.

Giving them a task that’s just outside of their comfort zone will mean they get to challenge their skills. They can focus on that and expand their horizons. This can be a great distraction from chronic pain at work. 

When we’re in a state of flow, working on something that’s somewhere between our current ability and a challenge, our brains are unable to process pain signals. So, for that little while, we get to experience a life without pain.

Reaching flow is how I managed to publish 19 books despite having chronic pain and fatigue (including particularly bad pain in my hands some days). 

Flow can really be a game changer. It’s a lot easier to experience it when what you’re doing requires much more than auto-pilot.

Trust what they tell you

There can sometimes be a cynicism toward people with chronic health issues. People assume we’re putting it on or playing it up for attention/benefits. 

In my experience, most people who have these types of health concerns are more likely to play it down because they don’t want to be a burden on the people around them. They probably already feel like enough of one. 

There are exceptions to this, of course, but in most cases, when an employee is coming to you for assistance or advice, they’ve spent days, weeks, months, or even years battling it on their own. They’re coming to you because they trust you and need your help. It’s only fair to return the favor and support them in addressing their chronic pain at work.

Be flexible

Flexibility is the key to managing a chronic illness flare up. Symptoms don’t always behave in a logical pattern, which means anyone struggling has to listen to their mind and body. It’s easier to say than do, but it does help.

This may mean:

  • regular movement instead of sitting at a desk all day;
  • working from a different location;
  • attending fewer meetings;
  • wearing noise-cancelling headphones;
  • turning off notifications at some times of the day;
  • or something else.

Find equipment to make their life easier

What sort of adaptable equipment could you use to help someone with their chronic pain at work? 

Could you get a stand for their laptop, so that they can adjust their screen’s height? A donut cushion to take the strain off their back? A more ergonomic chair? 

There are lots of accommodations you can make to employees’ workspaces that make it more comfortable and accessible for them. 

Sometimes all they need is a better mouse, or a desk that’s in a location closer to the bathroom/stairs.

Make meetings more accessible

Most meetings are neither accessible nor inclusive. They’re long, demand a lot of concentration, and require sitting still.

This is similar to classrooms, where teachers instruct us to sit still and listen to someone talk for long periods, then ask for our opinions. 

But if you’re struggling with any symptoms, whether that’s hay fever, pain, restlessness, or pretty much anything else, sitting still for any length of time will be challenging.

To make the discussion topic more accessible, consider sharing an agenda in advance, shortening the meeting, turning it into an email, or recording a short video instead.

If you really need the meeting, can you find ways to make it more accommodating with regular breaks? How about sitting those who need it closer to the door, or allowing attendees to doodle or fidget?

Conclusion 

Dealing with chronic pain at work is stressful, and work is one of the main causes of stress in someone’s life. It’s only fair that employers make accommodations to help with this.

Small adaptations can make a big difference, especially when they come from someone’s employer. The assumption will always be that employers don’t care and are only out for themselves. That assumption will only change by setting an example within your business and providing employees with support when it’s needed. They’ll repay you with their loyalty and hard work.

If you’re looking for other ways to support employees dealing with chronic pain at work, ensuring they have a strong professional support network can make a big difference. From chronic illness/disability employee resource groups to wellness communities that can help them manage their symptoms, Workrowd puts real connection at their fingertips.

Giving employees a voice through a platform like Workrowd can help team members facing chronic pain at work feel heard and supported. Visit us to learn more, or send us a note at hello@workrowd.com.

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Categories
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging

9 ways to create an even more inclusive workplace

Building a truly inclusive workplace isn’t just necessary for recruiting and retaining top talent; it’s also the right thing to do.

Studies show that 4 in 5 workers want an inclusive workplace, and that inclusive cultures lead to higher employee engagement. Plus, anyone who’s ever experienced being excluded knows how important inclusion is to happiness and wellbeing.

In this post we’ll look at ways you can improve inclusivity in your business. These tips are designed to make your workplace more inclusive to all, regardless of their health status, gender, religion, etc.

Check out these ideas for building a more inclusive workplace, and let us know how you’re driving inclusion for your team in the comments!

Respect deep work time

Offering deep work time, where employees can really focus on producing something, instead of discussing ideas in meetings, is important. It means they can drown out external stimuli and concentrate better on their work. It also means they’ll produce something of a higher quality as a result. 

You hired your employees because they’re good at doing the job, not because they’re good at sitting in meetings. 

Giving them more time to actually do the work, to truly concentrate, will leave them more fulfilled in their role and mean you get more for your money.

Enabling people to make the most of their skills, working in the way that works best for them, is a great way to build a more inclusive workplace.

Create quiet spaces

As someone whose chronic pain is triggered by noise, there have been times when someone blasting music from a tinny smartphone speaker at 8am has had me almost scaling the walls, and not in a fun, Spiderman-like way.

Having quiet spaces where employees can go to disconnect in a busy office to meditate, or just grab five minutes alone, can really help anyone suffering from sensory overload to recover.

Employees shouldn’t have to hide under a desk, or in the bathroom, to find somewhere quiet and less overwhelming.

Remember that people experience the world in different ways, and one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to office design. Ensuring there are spaces to meet an array of employee needs is key if you want to build an inclusive workplace.

Provide prayer rooms

Regular prayers are an important part of some religions. Having a place for people to pray, and not organizing meetings during this time, shows you respect different beliefs.

If your team or company is virtual, you can still practice inclusion by allowing people to take breaks when it’s prayer time. Understand that they won’t respond to messages or calls during this time, either.

Offer adaptable equipment for different needs

Some people find virtual planners really helpful. Others prefer physical ones. And then there are those of us who are awkward and like a hybrid approach (yes, I’m that person).

Regardless of which camp an employee falls into, you should find ways to adapt to what they need. You can’t expect everyone to get on well with the same software. Some aren’t as versatile or user-friendly as they claim.

If there’s really no way around using a particular piece of software or hardware, make sure you offer enough training for employees to make the most out of it without it feeling like a daily chore that inhibits their ability to do their job.

Also, make sure that the desks, chairs, monitors, keyboards, and mice you provide work for each employee. Some people may benefit more from a vertical mouse or a trackpad than a traditional mouse, for example. 

A simple change to office equipment can make a huge difference to someone’s ability to do their job and their quality of life. It can also make for a much more inclusive workplace.

Have a screen-reader friendly website

You know those ALT tags on images? They’re not just there for you to stuff keywords into that help you rank higher in search engines. 

Their original purpose was to help screen readers describe images to partially sighted or blind users.

Therefore, when you’re using it for keyword stuffing, you’re actually making your website less accessible to differently abled prospects, customers, and employees. 

Sometimes it can be hard to know how to describe an image, but it’s one of those things that comes with practice. It’s also a good way to develop your description-writing skills. 

One of the best examples I’ve seen came from a friend of mine, when she wrote a guest post for my blog. She described the images in an SEO-friendly way while also injecting humor into them. This fit the tone of her article, helped with search engine rankings, and accurately described the images to anyone visiting using a screen reader.

Use inclusive language

The language you use says a lot about how you think, often without you even realizing it. 

Addressing a room full of people as “guys,” for example, subconsciously assumes the default gender is male. You wouldn’t call a single person who didn’t identify as male a “guy,” right? 

Language progresses, sure, but can’t we use something that has less gendered undertones? Folks, gang, people…there are lots of alternatives.

Disability-friendly language also plays a role here, such as referring to someone as hard of hearing instead of deaf. Be mindful that everyone has different preferences, though. For instance, some disabled people dislike the term differently abled, while others prefer it.

If you’re worried about getting it wrong, consider my next point…

Be open to listening and feedback

Sometimes you might try to be inclusive with your language, but say the wrong thing without realizing it. For example, this could happen if a trans employee or someone going through a transition hasn’t yet shared their pronouns with you. 

What really matters is how you handle getting things wrong. 

If you shut down and don’t listen to your employees’ feedback, you’re less likely to learn and grow. This will hold back your business—and employees—as a result. 

When you’re open to feedback, it helps you stay up to date and adapt to what your workers need from you. 

The more you listen to them, the more likely they are to listen to each other and even your customers and prospects. This creates a more welcoming environment for everyone, on top of fostering a more inclusive workplace.

Offer unisex bathrooms

If someone is transitioning, or considering it, unisex toilets save the awkward question of where they go to the bathroom. For some people, this makes their life a lot easier and less stressful.

These bathrooms should also include sanitary bins, since it’s not just women who menstruate. And sanitary products down a toilet don’t end well. Trust me on that one…

Give mental health first aid

Most offices have a first aider for cuts and bruises, but how many have someone specifically trained to help with mental health problems?

There are lots of training courses offering this now. 

And as awareness increases around mental health, more workplaces should offer this to help their employees feel supported and accepted.

Conclusion 

Well, there you have it! A list of ways you can really show how inclusive your business is, for employees and customers.

Whatever your business goals are, there are no downsides to being inclusive. A more inclusive workplace benefits everyone and leaves the world a better place. And you want to make a difference to the world, right? Who says you can only do that with the product or services you sell? Sometimes the environment you create matters just as much and can leave a lasting legacy, too.

If you’re looking for a surefire way to build a more inclusive workplace, Workrowd’s suite of tools can help. From supporting thriving employee groups, to increasing access and transparency, to amplifying employee voice, you get everything in one place alongside automated analytics.

Send us a note at hello@workrowd.com to learn more. We’d love to discuss opportunities to partner on building a more inclusive workplace for your team.

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Categories
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging

Making your workplace inclusive for employees with disabilities

If you’ve read my previous posts for Workrowd, you’ll know one of my bugbears is when businesses use their inclusivity efforts as a form of tokenism. Given my personal experiences, this is especially true when it comes to supporting employees with disabilities.

Most of the time, businesses that claim to be inclusive are doing it as nothing more than a box-ticking exercise. 

Their senior leaders have never experienced discrimination in the workplace, so they don’t believe it’s a problem that needs addressing. They’ve never had a disability or mental health issue, nor has anyone they know. Therefore, they assume their business does a great job of handling it.

I didn’t know that much about ADHD until I realized I had it just over a year ago. That sent me down a research rabbit hole where I discovered a whole new worldview. You don’t know what you don’t know, right?

Truth is, until you’ve experienced something, or at least done your research in an empathetic way, you probably don’t know as much as you think you do.

So, take this post as a guide. We’re going to look at ways you can really be inclusive to employees with disabilities, not through tokenism, but through action.

Maybe you do some of these things already, or maybe you’ve never thought of them before. Either way, I hope this helps you think through some ways to better support employees with disabilities.

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower was invented in the UK. Just a few years on, it is now a global initiative. 

Using a simple green lanyard with a sunflower pattern—and an optional card on the end of it—people with invisible disabilities can signal to businesses that they may need additional help. 

Accredited airport staff, railway staff, and more, receive training on how to help people with these invisible and challenging conditions. This way, they can assist those customers who need it.

And let’s not forget that if they have the training for customers, they can help their fellow employees with disabilities, too. 

Pretty much all of us have something that makes our lives more challenging. It could be allergies, chronic pain, depression, or something else. 

When the people around us know how to offer help, it makes daily life much less stressful. We know that the people around us really do get it and are there to support us.

Spaced out meetings

Back-to-back meetings can be horrible for anyone, but they can be even worse for introverted or neurodiverse employees. 

Some employees with disabilities feel drained from being around people for too long. That means they’re less able to concentrate on their actual work because they need time to recover.

For instance, I recently went to a conference. After a day and a half of being around people, I was ready for two days in bed. Even though I enjoyed the conference and got a lot out of it, I’m very much used to being at home in my bubble. Overstimulation triggers my chronic pain and fatigue, so spending so long talking and listening proved draining and required recovery time.

Day-long meetings are much the same. They’re inaccessible and disruptive. The longer a meeting gets, the harder it becomes for someone to concentrate. There are some meetings that even a bucket-sized coffee can’t get us through.

Most meetings really don’t need to be as long as they’re scheduled in for. The next time you schedule a meeting, consider whether you could break it up. Or even better—just say it in an email!

Embrace fidgeting

Some people feel really offended when you’re in a meeting and start fidgeting or doodling. But actually, it can improve concentration levels. 

A study found that when participants listened to a boring two-and-a-half minute recording, those who doodled recalled 29% more information than those who didn’t.

26 out of 44 presidents doodled during meetings, too.

I saw a story recently where a teacher gave her class permission to do things that would help them concentrate. One child brought in some knitting. That child went from being quiet and not speaking in class to being engaged, vocal, and confident. This was all because of the knitting! It didn’t disrupt her classmates, either.

So, while you may find it disrespectful for someone to doodle, fidget, or knit during a meeting, it may well have just the impact you need. It could mean your meetings are more productive and result in more creative solutions. A small adjustment like this can make a world of difference for employees with disabilities.

Regular breaks instead of one long one

Never, in my working life, have I ever been able to sit at a desk for more than an hour. After about an hour, I get fidgety, almost taken over by the urge to move. This is true of many employees with disabilities.

My bosses didn’t like this. At the time though, I had no idea I had ADHD and that’s why I need regular breaks.

One long break in an eight-hour day makes no sense. It goes against the laws of how long we can concentrate for, and it makes for a really boring day. 

Allowing your employees to take breaks when they need them, instead of when you dictate, can be a big help. Employees with disabilities will wind up happier and more productive in their roles.

Respecting lunchtime

Too often, I’ve seen people book in meetings with a colleague during lunch. This means their colleague has to sacrifice their lunchtime as a result. If they have other meetings that day, or lots of work to do, they may not get a well-needed break from their desk as a result. 

Don’t do that. Don’t be that person. 

Respect someone’s lunchtime!

Lunches are important for food, exercise, socializing, and taking a break from staring at a screen all day.

They can also be a vital time for employees with disabilities to recharge when we spend all day in a busy office.

Conclusion

That’s not all! There are plenty of other ways you can show real inclusivity and embrace diversity. Stay tuned for part two next week.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for more ways to be inclusive of every team member, Workrowd’s tools can help. From supporting employees with disabilities by making your programs and events more accessible, to offering disability-focused employee resource groups, we have you covered.

Our platform organizes all your employee groups, programs, and events in one place and gives you real-time analytics. That way, you always know how to improve your people experience for employees with disabilities, and everyone else. Send us a note at hello@workrowd.com to learn more.

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