Businessolver Blog

We can’t sugarcoat it: American workplaces severely lack empathy – even though a culture of empathy improves employee retention and productivity. That’s why we couldn’t think of a better place than the famous City of Brotherly Love to add a spark to the empathy revolution with data from the 2017 Businessolver Workplace Empathy Monitor. Released last week at the second stop on our Vision 20/17 Tour in Philadelphia, our second annual empathy study reveals that only 49 percent of U.S. employees rate organizations as empathetic.

Scroll through current news headlines, and it’s clear the U.S. workforce is in turmoil. From an alarming skilled labor shortage to disturbingly low employee engagement, employers have their work cut out for them.

Most people have a bias about different generations of people. Millennials are often seen as tech-savvy, Boomers not so much. Gen Xers are seen as conscientious and hardworking, while Millennials are lazy yet entitled. Although some of these biases have strains of truth, holding too tightly to them could be standing in the way of helping your employees work effectively together.

As managers and HR pros, we’ve all seen the signs: Employees coming into the office sleep deprived, with a stuffy nose or throbbing headache, feeling stressed and acting lethargic. Time to schedule a wellness lunch & learn and a flu-shot clinic? Not necessarily.

I recently read an article in The Wall Street Journal about “hugging CEOs” that noted the handshake has started to give way to less formal greetings, like hugs and pats on the back. The article ran through the pros and cons of a more intimate embrace. The biggest pro is that a warmer approach can foster greater teamwork and trust, which in turn can lead to better business results. A major con? Not everyone wants that level of familiarity, and may feel uncomfortable hugging it out with the person who signs their paychecks.

It’s not easy being green … or is it? Though Kermit the Frog wasn’t singing about being eco-friendly, his famous tune rings true these days. “Going green” seems overwhelming, especially for companies where terms like “sustainability” and “carbon footprint reduction” are thought to be complicated and expensive.

When employees feel their best, they perform their best. Making employees’ health, wellness, and overall well-being a top priority is a huge part of our culture at Businessolver. That’s why we’re so happy to be recognized by the American Heart Association as a 2016 Gold-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite!

You’re spending time and money to plan, provide, and promote your benefits, but guess what? Your employees aren’t paying attention.

No need for a spoiler alert, because apparently you already knew that. The International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans reveals that 80% of plan sponsors admit their employees aren’t reading communications materials. So, you know there’s a problem. What you may not be sure about, though, is what to do.

To celebrate the start of spring this week, I encourage you to “spring” into reading with some of my favorite e-books for HR/benefits pros. If you’re heading off to get some R&R for spring break, there’s no need to weigh down your carry-on – you can enjoy this entire list from your smartphone or tablet.  

Silicon Prairie met Silicon Valley last week, as we hit the road for the first stop in our Vision 20/17 Tour. More than 100 clients and partners joined us in San Francisco for a packed two-day schedule of key product updates and announcements, as well as engaging workshops and networking opportunities.