Inspirus Blog

The pandemic has changed us in immeasurable ways with the workplace arguably seeing the most significant impacts in terms of changing needs, expectations — and demands — from employees.... Empathy matters, even in the workplace. In fact, Forbes reported that 96% of employees believe showing empathy is important. Unfortunately, 92% believe that empathy is undervalued in the workplace. And, while 92% of CEOs indicate that their organizations are empathetic, only 50% of employees believe their CEOs are empathetic. Which is why humanizing the workplace is so important.

By Kelley Briggs
In 2020, Gallup conducted the world’s largest study on employee engagement — taking a deep dive into the experiences of 100,000 teams to identify the ties between engagement and 11 specific performance outcomes. The study was done, in part, to validate Gallup’s widely known Gallup Q12 which offers a framework for evaluating and improving employee engagement.

By Terri Moore
April is Stress Awareness Month. According to a recent survey by digital wellness company meQuilibrium, between December 2020 and July 2021, employees reported a 21% increase in burnout and a 17% increase in physical symptoms of stress, including muscle tension and fatigue. Participants also expressed anxiety over work-life balance and higher levels of job stress in general.

By Paula Ambrozic
Subscribe now and receive new articles sent directly to your Inbox.... In Part 1 of this series, we defined the difference between gratitude and thankfulness. We identified gratitude as a basic human requirement — something that, when present, makes us feel good and spurs us to be our best. Since we spend eight hours or more a day in our workplaces, giving and receiving thanks at work, can foster a culture of gratitude that lifts everyone, every day.

By Paula Ambrozic
While the sentiment behind the date and the recognition is well intended, employers should be showing appreciation for their employees every day — not just one day of the year. The annual event offers a good opportunity to make an important distinction between gratitude and thankfulness — one being an event (thankfulness) and the other an ongoing process (gratitude).

The pandemic has forever changed how we do business. Once people realized they could work from home and perform their job just as efficiently, or in some cases, more efficiently, many saw no need to return to the “old” days of time-consuming, expensive, and stressful commutes. On the other hand, are those workers that feel increasingly isolated at home and can’t wait to get back to the office. This leaves organizations struggling to figure out how to balance some employees’ desire to return to the office with other’s preference to stay remote.

By Theresa Harkins-Schulz
Shaping company culture is like developing any relationship; it requires commitment, trust, communication, and a common goal. A positive team culture has been proven to increase employee engagement and generate more positive business outcomes.

Shaping company culture is like developing any relationship; it requires commitment, trust, communication, and a common goal. A positive team culture has been proven to increase employee engagement and generate more positive business outcomes. Gallup cites organizations with high engagement levels.

By Kelley Briggs
In 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that overall turnover rates peaked at 57.3%, with 4 million Americans quitting their jobs in July alone — leaving 10.9 million available jobs! “The Great Resignation” has changed the employment landscape and many experts predict those repercussions to bleed far into 2022.

By Lesa Blakey
Finding a sense of purpose is inherent to personal well-being, whether from a personal or professional standpoint. Millennials, in particular, have been pointed to as a generational cohort that craves the ability to create purpose — they want to do work that is meaningful to them and that provides benefits in meaningful ways to others.

By Catherine Turner
You’ve no doubt heard the talk about the “turnover tsunami” that is resulting in a mass exodus of employees — not only from their specific jobs, but from the workforce in general! The pandemic has provided employees both with a taste of freedom and flexibility that many didn’t previously have and with plenty of time to contemplate and consider what they want from their lives and their careers.

By Kelley Briggs
Mandates can be daunting. When a mandate centers around something that is seemingly subjective or intangible — like “culture” — the challenge seems especially complex. After all, history shows us great cultures don’t just happen overnight, they evolve over time (often long, long periods of time).

Employee Appreciation Day is the first Friday in March! Did you know that 85% of employees are satisfied with a simple ‘thank you’ for their efforts? This simple acknowledgment proves that expressing gratitude strengthens employee engagement and retention. Here are a few ways to say ‘thank you’ and then some — both remote and in-person — to show your appreciation and help spread cheer and gratitude.

By Terri Moore
Media reports and social media channels these days are full of data and stats related to the “great resignation” of employees of all ages, and across all types of jobs. Much of this exodus has been reported to be related to employees’ experiences during the pandemic. Working from home has provided many employees with more control over their work/life balance, as well as the opportunity to re-examine their work/life values.

By Kelley Briggs
During ‘normal’ times, employees leave their jobs for many reasons, chief among them: they’re burned out, they feel undervalued/underappreciated, they are under-challenged, or feel they are poorly compensated for the work they’re doing. Now layer in the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, where morale is low and there are significant pauses in new hiring; employees are burning the candle at both ends to fill in and burn out.