Let’s start off on the right foot

“Culture is the bedrock, the final wall, against which one leans one’s back in a godforsaken chaos.”– J.C. Powys

The skinny

A recent survey reveals that 32% of employees who quit their jobs said the company culture was the reason for leaving.

♥

Re-evaluation station.

Chugga choo. We all know the story, people are soul-searching and asking themselves if they really want to spend time (all we have is time) doing something they hate, with people they hate, at a place they hate.  

Sheesh, miss your morning coffee break?

It’s true tho. We will spend 1/3 of our lives at work. That’s 90,000 hours over the course of a lifetime! Shouldn’t that time be spent in a place you like with people you connect with doing something you care about? 

Well, when you put it like that.

Just being real honey. Company culture is a major factor in workplace satisfaction, and it can make or break your recruiting and retention efforts.  

So, start setting up the ping pong tables?

Wrong. We call that corporate cop-out culture. Company culture goes way beyond ping pong and free food. Especially now when many employees aren’t in the office anymore, organizations can’t fall back on in-office perks masquerading as culture.

Ok, so culture me.

Benefits are a great way to showcase your culture. What benefits you offer matters and can reveal what values you believe in.  

Health, dental, vision…

Sure, sure. Those are important. But another type of cream is rising to the top of this crop. In other words, the workplace flexibility drum is still being pounded. It’s the number one benefit that employees consistently state is the most important to them right now. That, and working from home of course. 43% of job seekers said they’d turn down a job offer if they had to return to the office.  

Flexibility is not a one-hit wonder.

No indeed. Flexibility is more like an earworm. And, not to mention the donkey in the room, but now might be a good time to reevaluate your workplace harassment policies and procedures to make sure they are up to snuff. ICYMI: Toxic workplace culture isn’t going to fly under the radar anymore.  

Date with data: 85% of employees who quit have no regrets about doing so.

Totes quotes: “It's [not] the employer's job to provide happiness, but it's in the employer's best interest to provide an environment where we can all do our best work. It’s of great interest to an employer to do the things that will help employees be their best.” –Scott Shute, head of mindfulness and compassion programs at LinkedIn.

Further reading: 5 leaders share their strategies for retaining millennials.

The skinny

Companies that invested in talent in 2020 saw an increase in revenue vs those that only cut back on costs.

♥

A good investment.

Very good in fact. They saw an increase of 8.2% in revenue in Q4 which translated to more than $500 million.

Wowee.

Yes indeedy. And, get this, in an analysis of earning call transcripts from S&P 500 companies, “employee benefits” were mentioned about 5x more frequently in 2020 than in pre-pandemic earnings calls. And, “employee well-being” was mentioned 6x more frequently.

Ring ring, hello, it’s awesome.

Hi, awesome. Unlike a voicemail message, this is welcome news. As organizations continue to work through the lingering effects of the pandemic, leadership must recognize supporting employees’ well-being is LITerally good for business. $500 million good.  

Also, culture.

You’re catching on to the theme here. Investing in well-being benefits is also a great way to showcase your company culture and will be a key driver of success for the future (mic drop).

Totes quotes: “During times of disruption, organizations must not underestimate the adverse impacts that cost-saving decisions have on employee experience, engagement and overall productivity.” –Matthias Graf, senior director analyst in Garner HR practice.

Further reading: The ROI of investing in creative company culture.

The skinny

Cognitive shuffling can help you fall asleep faster with a simple mental exercise.

♥

Shuffle sheep?

Not quite. Counting sheep is doing to your sleep what delta is doing to your fall plans.  

Ok, so shuffle what?

Let’s back up a bit and get science-y. Sleep researchers have found that as people fall asleep, they often experience visual images and “micro-dreams” – which may help them fall asleep. But, as we all live in a very “left-brain” world, thinking analytically all day and right before bed can hinder sleep in the worst way possible.

So, less thinking and more imagining?

Exactly. Focusing on different images (cognitive shuffling) right before bed can help lure you to sleep land.  

How do you do it?

Ok here’s the breakdown. First, get yourself in bed (duh), then think of a random, emotionally neutral word that has at least 5 letters. Like, bedtime, peach, lightbulb, kitten.  

Ok, got my word.

Now, slowly spell out the base word in your mind and then, starting with the first letter, think of another word that also starts with that letter. So if your base word is kitten, you’d start thinking about words beginning in “k” like “kombucha” or “kitchen” or “ketchup.”

Go on.

One at a time, imagine each item, lingering on it long enough to create a clear picture of it in your mind before releasing it and moving on to the next letter. Repeat as many times as you can for each letter.

What if I get bored?

Simply move on to the next letter. And, if you can’t think of any other word starting with a particular letter, don’t stress out, just move to the next. Sweet dreams!

Further reading: How sleep strengthens your resilience. 

For you: MySleepButton – Shuffle Your Thoughts to Sleep.

Now a break from the news… In it for a peanut.

Compliance Corner Largest U.S. teachers’ union supports vaccination or testing for educators.

Here’s something to…

• Season: What’s in season in your state?
• Shuck: Yummy corn sides.
• Consider: Remote work is now a status symbol.
• Check: How Americans’ time use changed during the pandemic.
• Read: The biggest changes to the post-pandemic workplace will be invisible.
• Stretch: 9 stretches for knee pain.

Benefits Insight Dashboard

Employees earning over $100,000 showed the most gain in their saving habits.