HR Solutions At Work recently participated in the May 8, 2024, Business Expo run by the Corridor 9/495 Regional Chamber of Commerce. With nearly 100 exhibitors and an attendance of roughly 1,000 business professionals, the event was a flurry of activity and networking.

Representing HR Solutions At Work were (pictured above, left to right) Director of HR Services Natalie Costello and Program and Communications Manager Jennifer London. The big draw at our exhibitor booth was our “FREE CHOCOLATE” sign, which proved impossible to resist. Participants answered HR trivia questions for a shot at winning the prize, which was a full-size chocolate bar. (That’s right, full size: we don’t mess around over here when it comes to chocolate!) Some attendees even came over just to test their HR knowledge, not for the chocolate. It was a lot of fun! We also answered questions about our services, met some amazing people, and learned a lot about our fellow organizations in MetroWest Boston. 

A huge thank you to Director of Programs and Events Carlene Covino, as well as the whole Corridor 9/495 Regional Chamber of Commerce, for putting on such a wonderful event and including us!

Because every situation presents unique facts, the information provided in this article is for general information and is not intended to be legal advice regarding any specific situation. This information may be considered advertising in some states. Any links to third-party sites are for your convenience. HR Solutions At Work does not endorse specific sites or guarantee the accuracy of the information on those sites. Please contact us if you have any questions about this information or our services.

The days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer, and with the promise of summer in the air, many of us are thinking about popsicles, beach vacations, and the smell of sunscreen. But while some are dreaming of a fun holiday, others are too burned out to even think that far ahead. Although we can’t eliminate all of the stressors that can lead to employee burnout (if only we could lower the cost of family care!), we’ve got you covered when it comes to workplace burnout.

Workplace burnout is recognized by the World Health Organization as an occupation-related syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress, characterized by feelings of exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced efficacy. A 2023 study by the American Psychological Association found that 57% of workers exhibited burnout symptoms, and a 2024 SHRM study found that 51% of workers are feeling “used up” or completely burned out at work. 

Burnout can have other negative consequences for the workplace. For example, overworked employees are three times more likely to look for another job and are less motivated at work, more likely to make mistakes, and more prone to anger and lashing out at teammates. What’s more, workers suffering from burnout have an increased risk of developing serious ailments from clinical depression to heart disease.

Sunny summer skies might help take the edge off, but they won’t fix employee burnout. Here are some strategies to avoid and mitigate burnout and maximize employee productivity. 

Assess Employee Engagement 

Workers are engaged at work when they feel a strong sense of belonging at their organization and have employers who listen to their feedback. Most notably, engaged employees are more than twice as likely to be happy and not burned out at work. One of the best tools for assessing engagement is periodic measurement through anonymous surveys, as well as follow-up meetings and focus groups. 

Using a third party helps reassure employees that their input is both confidential and unfiltered, which we highly recommend. (This is actually one of our specialties, and we’d love to help you with your particular organization’s needs!) Note that if you do ask employees for their input, you should be prepared to take action based on the feedback you receive – it can actually have a negative impact if you request feedback but then don’t follow through on what you learn.

Flexible or Seasonal Schedules

In the post-COVID workplace, employer flexibility regarding when, where, and how work is done has become an expectation rather than a perk. One idea appropriate to the season is offering employees “summer hours” options in June, July, and August. For example, organizations can allow employees to work an extra hour Monday through Thursday and end four hours early on Friday. Alternatively, organizations can allow employees to work an extra hour Monday through Friday as well as the following Monday through Thursday, then take the second Friday off entirely. Note that although Friday is the most common day offered, many workplaces allow their employees to choose which day of the week they prefer to take off.

Another option is to allow employees to work some longer days and some shorter days, or to increase their work-from-home days per week. This is a great option to consider year-round that will contribute to work/life balance.

Entire Organization Shutdown

Another way to give employees a break is to offer a “shutdown” once or twice a year. The most common week employers shut down is the week between Christmas and New Years, and many also select the week prior to Labor Day or the week of July Fourth. If your organization finds that most of your offices and cubicles are empty during a certain time of year, it might be more cost effective to have all employees take the time off, from the most senior member of the company to the most recent new hire. It can be a huge de-stresser and benefit to employees to have time off without having to worry about returning to a full inbox. 

We hope these ideas are helpful for employers looking for ways to prevent employee burnout! There are myriad small ways an organization can show its appreciation for workers – and a surprise ice cream party on a hot summer day is always a hit – but it’s the big gestures that really make an impact and help with more serious issues like burnout. If you’re interested in implementing one of these policies at your workplace but aren’t sure where to start, we can help!

What does your organization do to help with burnout? We’re always on the lookout for new ideas!

Because every situation presents unique facts, the information provided in this article is for general information and is not intended to be legal advice regarding any specific situation. This information may be considered advertising in some states. Any links to third-party sites are for your convenience. HR Solutions At Work does not endorse specific sites or guarantee the accuracy of the information on those sites. Please contact us if you have any questions about this information or our services.

That’s a wrap! The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) Trainings for EEO Professionals, both Train-the-Trainer and Investigation Skills training, have wrapped up for 2024. HR Solutions At Work founder Judy Kalisker has served on the faculty for the annual program as a volunteer since its inception in 2000.

This series of training programs helps EEO professionals identify and develop the skills needed to conduct effective internal discrimination complaint investigations and provide critical discrimination and harassment prevention training. There is one more session for 2024: “Responding to Accommodation Requests.” More information on this course, and the link to sign up when new courses are added to the schedule, can be found here on the MCAD website.

HR Solutions At Work can also offer customized training for internal HR and management teams. If you’d like to learn more about this or any of our outsourced HR services, please contact us here.

Because every situation presents unique facts, the information provided in this article is for general information and is not intended to be legal advice regarding any specific situation. This information may be considered advertising in some states. Any links to third-party sites are for your convenience. HR Solutions At Work does not endorse specific sites or guarantee the accuracy of the information on those sites. Please contact us if you have any questions about this information or our services.

Did you know that HR Solutions At Work does custom webinars for small business owners? We can tailor HR and legal content to fit any industry, from tech and health care to construction and farms. Best of all, we do this for free for networking groups and associations!

We recently hosted a webinar, highlighting our custom HR services, for a group of community farm executives. These attendees represented a variety of independent farms united by the shared goal of equitable access to healthy, sustainably grown produce for all, and we were thrilled to be able to support this mission. Judy Kalisker and Natalie Costello led the lively and interactive webinar, which covered a range of topics including compensation packages, equitable benefits, feedback, and performance reviews.

The webinar focused not only on the macro level of these topics, which are applicable to any industry, but also on the micro level of what is unique to farms and to nonprofit organizations. The participants appreciated the guidance tailored to unique challenges in their industry.

Webinar participants commented that they had never heard of this kind of program before at other HR companies. One participant said that having all of the farm’s HR needs serviced by one organization was a “game-changer.” Another nonprofit operations leader wrote to us afterward (they agreed to be quoted here), saying:

Finally! This is the HR resource that I've been looking for for so long. You have no idea how much weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

For our part, we left the webinar feeling energized and excited to plan more webinars for a variety of industries in 2024. We’d love to hear from you: Do you think your industry’s small business owners would benefit from a tailored webinar? Is there anything in particular you’d like some guidance on?

Please contact us if you’re interested in having HR Solutions At Work create a free custom webinar, lunch & learn, or coffee chat for a networking group in your industry. If you would prefer to set up a one-on-one meeting with our Director of HR Services to learn more about our outsourced HR solutions for small employers, please contact us here.

Because every situation presents unique facts, the information provided in this article is for general information and is not intended to be legal advice regarding any specific situation. This information may be considered advertising in some states. Any links to third-party sites are for your convenience. HR Solutions At Work does not endorse specific sites or guarantee the accuracy of the information on those sites. Please contact us if you have any questions about this information or our services.

February is American Heart Month, a time when the US Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention encourages people—especially women—to focus on their cardiovascular health. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women across nearly all racial and ethnic groups in the US, and improving cardiovascular health is just one facet of wellness employers can help employees achieve.

With that in mind, we asked our staff members what they regularly do to keep their hearts healthy, and we got a variety of answers, such as: taking long walks, attending fitness classes, relaxing through painting or knitting, and hiking with their dogs. We’ve included some photos here of our employees’ adorable pups getting their hearts healthy (along with their owners), as well as a painting by one of our talented employees.

Of course, we can and should focus on our health and wellness all year long! Not sure where to start? We've come up with some ideas to help employers get started. 

How Employers Can Encourage Wellness 

• Include heart-healthy food in your cafeteria or vending machines so employees are able to make healthier choices.
• Install bicycle racks to encourage employees to bike to work.
• Put signs by the elevators encouraging people to take the stairs.
• Hold healthy recipe contests – for example, you could host a potluck and let employees vote on their favorite recipe – and reward the winner with a small prize, such as a gift card for fitness equipment. It’s a win-win!
• Reimburse your employees for a fitness membership and/or fitness tracker to help them stay on target with their health goals.
• Encourage employees to challenge each other with fitness challenges – they can meet the challenges individually, or you can have department or company goals, with proceeds going toward a charity of your choice, such as the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society.
• Rent a blood pressure monitor for employees to have easy access to health metrics.
• Give employees a discount code to use on their first order of a healthy meal subscription service.

When designing a wellness program, it is important to be inclusive. Inclusive programs provide incentives for participating rather than penalties for not participating, and they incorporate activities and goals everyone can achieve (i.e., not just fitness-focused people). Also, think about including programs for emotional wellness as well as nutritional and physical wellness.

We would love to hear what your organization does to motivate employees’ heart health and overall wellness. Do you have a brilliant idea we haven’t thought of? If you have questions about how to begin a wellness program, or what legal issues to consider, please contact us!

Because every situation presents unique facts, the information provided in this article is for general information and is not intended to be legal advice regarding any specific situation. This information may be considered advertising in some states. Any links to third-party sites are for your convenience. HR Solutions At Work does not endorse specific sites or guarantee the accuracy of the information on those sites. Please contact us if you have any questions about this information or our services.

In October 2020, Judy Kalisker was featured on the Channel Maven Consulting podcast focusing on diversity and inclusion in the workplace -- issues that are just as relevant today as they were then. In the interview, Judy talks about how some conversations about social or political issues can create tension in the workplace. Among other things, she also discusses the distinction between diversity and inclusion on the one hand and discrimination and harassment on the other.

One point to remember when it comes to DEI training, Judy points out, is that "no one should be made to feel uncomfortable because of who they are." And, importantly: your diversity and inclusion training should tie to your business goals, company culture, and policies.

Many employers and managers think they should know how to address potentially divisive issues in the workplace and handle important conversations, but these issues are complicated and involve not only the business decisions your organization’s leaders are trained and experienced in, but also legal and HR issues. That's where we come in. We provide advice and HR solutions for employers, such as workplace training and investigations, that help employers navigate these tricky issues.  

If you have questions about this, or if you'd like to hear more about our advice, outsourced HR solutions, workplace trainings, or investigations, please send us a note and we'll get in touch to discuss your needs.

Because every situation presents unique facts, the information provided in this article is for general information and is not intended to be legal advice regarding any specific situation. This information may be considered advertising in some states. Any links to third-party sites are for your convenience. HR Solutions At Work does not endorse specific sites or guarantee the accuracy of the information on those sites. Please contact us if you have any questions about this information or our services.