ADL is the oldest anti-hate organization in the world, and it has weathered its fair share of national tragedies and global events.  ADL has published a number of articles and hosted a series of webinars related to the rise of hate incidents and crime since the onset of Coronavirus.  You can access the article, Fighting Hate in the Era of Coronavirus, and refer to other resources available on the ADL site.

This time of change will also bring about positive outcomes.  One of these outcomes will be the emergence of new leaders for your organization.  As you continue to work with leaders to drive high level of employee engagement, look to your ‘high potential’ employees to add value to your efforts.  Often, these up-and-coming leaders are at staff levels immediately below the manager level within nan organization.  These leaders will bring new energy to employee engagement efforts and are usually more willing to all out instances of bias in the workplace, and steps to take to overcome the issues.

During times of flux, most HR leaders have advanced notice to implement a change management strategy.  The Coronavirus pandemic did not provide the luxury for that type of planning.  While some employees may have transitioned to this new work state with relative ease (or are even thriving!), this time of flux has triggered fear for many.  Fear is a powerful emotion often associated with unconscious bias.  

Unconscious bias describes the automatic association people make between groups of people and stereotypes about those groups. Under certain conditions, those automatic associations can influence behavior—making people respond in biased ways even when they are not explicitly prejudiced.

Given the current high stress levels, some of your leaders may not be as adept at mitigating their biases in the same way that they were when working within more normal/optimal conditions. 

Leverage the expertise of EPIC to counter these headwinds; schedule a webinar for your employees on the topic of unconscious bias.  Whether this serves as a refresher course, new content, or advancement of previous training offers, the curriculum EPIC administers will equip your employees with additional tools to evolve their leadership effectiveness and create a culture of trust during this time of uncertainty.

Not everything that is faced can be changed,
but nothing can be changed until it is faced.

-James Baldwin

For many the COVID-19 global pandemic and corresponding work from home mandates has brought about feelings of uncertainty and fear. Your employees are included. Tied closely to the emotion of fear, there have been an unfortunate increase in incidents of bias and hate crimes. This article highlights issues pertaining to xenophobia and micro aggressions that have surfaced during this time. Now is the time to drive even harder on the topic of Inclusive Leadership within your organization to mitigate and combat any negative influences from social media and excessive news coverage that may manifest inappropriate ways in workplace interactions.  EPIC can help!

Mindfulness is considered a state of being aware, clear, and/or fully present. For many of us, mindfulness takes a concerted effort as we work to tune out the daily noise and distractions.  

THE PRACTICE OF MINDFULNESS

We must learn to be intentional in becoming centered and focused, which allows us to better able to prioritize the tasks of the day and become more productive. Learning to flex our mindfulness muscles enables us to set intentions for day and invest energy in the projects that need the most attention.

The practice of mindfulness in not just a personal journey that one takes outside of work. To the contrary, many businesses and organizations are discussing this topic with their employees and equipping them with tools and resources to make mindfulness a daily practice.

EPIC provides online webinars on mindfulness. These sessions can be hosted with senior leaders, managers, employee resource groups, and everyone in between.  And now with so many employees who work from home, hosting a webinar on this topic is also a great way to engage families in exercises on mindfulness.  This can power discussions on how to be more present during family time and when doing homework.

Checkout this podcast on mindfulness, featuring Arquella Hargrove. Contact EPIC to schedule a webinar for your organization below.

Time to (Re)Distribute Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Information!

An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a benefit program that provides employees with resources that can assist with personal, family, and/or work-related problems that may impact their job performance and their overall health, mental, emotional, and financial well-being. If your company offers EAP, now is the time to distribute/redistribute that information to your employees.

As we all establish new norms at work and at home, this time can increase current stress levels, and introduce new stresses. EAPs can provide much needed additional support. Oftentimes, this resource is not top of mind for many employees (and HR departments!). Prior to sharing EAP information, contact your EAP provider to determine if they have any new resources and expanded benefits during this time. They may also have communication templates that you can use with your employees.  Lastly, if your company does not offer EAP, now may be a good time to consider adding this offering to your employee benefits package. Check with your medical benefits provider, as they often provide some form of EAP.

EPIC provides online webinars on mindfulness. These sessions can be hosted with senior leaders, managers, employee resource groups, and everyone in between.  And now with so many employees who work from home, hosting a webinar on this topic is also a great way to engage families in exercises on mindfulness.  This can power discussions on how to be more present during family time and when doing homework. 

Checkout this podcast on mindfulness, featuring Arquella Hargrove. Contact EPIC to schedule a webinar for your organization below.