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WoW: Women-led initiatives at Wrike
Leadership 5 min read

WoW: Women-led initiatives at Wrike

To mark International Women’s Day, we’re shining a light on Wrike’s female-focused initiatives, including our WoW group and mentorship program.

Do More With Less: How To Boost Employee Morale
Project Management 10 min read

Do More With Less: How To Boost Employee Morale

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a million times. It’s the era of efficiency for businesses around the world. We even published a study delving into current efficiency trends, and it confirms that 77% of business leaders are prioritizing efficiency.  Our Do More With Less series delves into the practical ways actually doing more with less affects employers and employees, and the ways they can thrive despite a challenging economic climate. In this installment, we’re looking at how this era of efficiency is impacting employee morale — and what leaders, managers, and employers can do to combat drooping morale in the workplace.  In reality, striving for efficiency can really impact employees’ experience in the workplace. The focus on efficiency means budgets have been cut across the board, discretionary spending has been reined in, and employees are likely feeling the stress of having to produce more with less, every single day. Even if employees are reasonably confident they are safe from layoffs, the office vibe can feel quite different than it did in years past.  Employers and business leaders have a vested interest in ensuring that employee morale is as positive as it can be. Employee engagement is one of the keys to employee productivity, as well as a key indicator that turnover will remain low. Therefore it makes sense for executives to keep a close eye on employee morale and make every effort to improve it, especially in the current economic climate that constantly requires asking more of employees. How can employers keep their employees engaged and positive in the era of efficiency — without breaking the bank? We’ve pulled together a host of ideas and examples that can work for in-person or remote teams, and we’ve even created a handy infographic you can send to your manager or HR team as a little hint at what could improve your company morale.  Try Wrike for free Efficiency data reveals employee burnout Let’s look more closely at the research around the current situation for businesses and the ways employees are being affected. The era of efficiency means companies are being tasked with increasing productivity while lowering costs. In order to achieve those goals, companies are mainly taking three routes: reducing staff numbers, cutting budgets, and raising prices for their goods and services.  Those strategies may alleviate the financial pressure teams are facing, but employees are feeling more pressure than ever. Our Efficiency Report noted that employees are reporting their workloads have increased by 43% in the last year. And business leaders agree, estimating that workloads have increased by 45% in the last year.  Our research also showed that over half (56%) of workers have taken on the work of colleagues who have left their organizations. Of the workers whose companies have reduced staff, budgets, or raised prices, 67% of employees are worried about the number of staff members being reduced and 60% are concerned about budget reductions.  Those worries have begun to take a toll on employees, with 71% of those surveyed admitting feeling burnout in the last six months. When we released our Dark Matter of Work survey last year, we revealed that 85% of employees surveyed had either experienced or witnessed a colleague experience burnout. And that was before the era of efficiency kicked in, arguably adding to those experiencing burnout.  Low-cost ideas to boost morale Boosting employee morale requires more than a quick fix. We’ve probably all heard stories about companies ordering a dozen pizzas for their employees, hoping to stick a band-aid on a larger problem. Imagine an office that’s been hit from all angles through this rocky economic time: a big chunk of employees have been laid off, budgets for team lunches or after-work drinks every quarter have been eliminated, they got rid of the smoothie machine in the break room, and you’re constantly wondering if you’re going to be next in line to clear our your desk. It’s going to take more than a pizza party to get the morale train back on track.  In fact, improving employee morale requires an attitude shift from the top down, shown in repeated small ways. It takes time and concerted effort. But the good news is that a company doesn’t necessarily need a big budget to start to turn the tide.  Here are four low-cost ways for companies to improve employee morale.  Increase leadership engagement: Our 2023 Efficiency Report revealed that not only did many workers feel burnt out, less than a quarter of them felt like they could speak to their line manager and make a plan to address the problem. As a result, 5% quit their jobs instead.  Instead of having workers quit, increasing leadership engagement directly with employees can start to rebuild relationships where employees can communicate more honestly with their managers and employers about their workloads. Including questions about workload overwhelm in a weekly one-to-one meeting, without fear of judgment or retribution, can go a long way toward building trust and improving morale. When employees feel their managers or executives will help them meet their goals with creative solutions, employees won’t feel unseen or unheard. Seeking employee input on projects is another way employers can reinvigorate employee engagement, especially when their suggestions are put into practice and given proper credit.  In times of stress, employees often see less of executives, which can add to the stressful environment. Employees often think executives are too busy putting out fires to engage with employees, and seeing more of those in leadership roles can be reassuring to employees.  Express gratitude:  Gratitude is another top-down element that can drastically improve employee morale. Our Dark Matter of Work survey showed that many employees feel their employers or managers don’t understand how hard they work. Changing that narrative could be the key to improving morale.  Starting a practice of directly thanking employees for their roles in successful projects or ongoing work can begin to shift the perception that employers aren’t aware of the work employees are completing. Similarly, creating a process for employees to recognize each other can help remove tension employees might be feeling amidst a rocky business climate.  Employers should be wary of useless gifts or empty thank yous — these can take your morale in the other direction. Instead, simple and direct thank you notes or an unexpected gift card can make an employee feel recognized for a particular role played.  Create connection amongst staff   Employee morale is often greatly impacted by how employees feel supported by each other. When employees are laid off, support systems break down and take time to rebuild. Encouraging employees to get to know one another, trust each other, and appreciate one another can make for a much more enjoyable workplace — and can lead to better collaboration between and within teams.  Forcing employees to participate in activities they don’t want to do — taking them away from their desks while work stacks up or making them feel more stressed — should be off the table. Unless your company sells adventure gear, stay away from the ropes course during this time of rebuilding relationships.  Instead, keep the activities simple and encourage practices that create a culture of helping each other. At Wrike, we have a kudos form that every employee can fill out each week, recognizing a colleague for a job well done — or simply for being a kind human. Kudos are sent out in a Friday email, creating a culture of recognition and increasing visibility into the great work our teams are doing that might otherwise go unnoticed.  Ease the load The most popular ways for employees to attempt to recover from burnout, as highlighted in our Efficiency Report, were practicing self-care at home, switching off notifications outside of working hours, and taking PTO days. Now, offering more PTO days might not be in your budget at the moment, but allowing and encouraging employees to turn off notifications when they’re at home can help ease their load and rebalance their home life.  However, it’s important that executives and managers are doing the same: arriving back at work in the morning to 57 emails that were sent late into the evening hours can make employees feel as though they should have responded outside of office hours. Respecting office hours is another practice that needs to be recognized at all employee levels.  One of the ways employees cope with ongoing burnout is to seek therapy, which is often offered through company programs. However, it can be hard to schedule appointments with meetings throughout the day. Allowing employees time to meet with a therapist or take care of their mental health helps employees feel that their employers value them beyond just their productivity.  Interested in specific examples for each of these categories? We pulled them into a handy infographic: Giving employees tools that make their work easier Of course, many of these suggestions could make employees feel more pressed for time if their workloads remain the same. But we have a few ideas for reducing that as well: use Wrike. It’s a selfish plug, but we’re serious.  Our work management software will give your teams hours back that they used to spend duplicating work across different platforms, sending updates to multiple stakeholders, and fiddling with annoying admin tasks that both waste time and cause frustration.  Wrike’s work management software will allow your employees to automate repeated tasks like sending approval notices or sending project updates. Our platform allows teams to have greater visibility into projects, reducing stress that they’re missing a critical piece of the process.  Giving employees appropriate tools that help them do their jobs more effectively and efficiently is great for productivity and engagement — and great for creating more time to implement these simple, low-cost ways to boost employee morale.  Looking for more ways to do more with less? Catch up on the previous posts in our Do More With Less blog series here:  Wrike Is Ready to Help You Thrive How To Cope With the Hidden Cost of Layoffs How To Consolidate Your Martech Stack

Desk Organization Ideas and Tips for Your Work-From-Home Setup
Remote Working 10 min read

Desk Organization Ideas and Tips for Your Work-From-Home Setup

These 13 desk organization ideas will help you put together a work-from-home desk setup that supports you in doing (and enjoying) your very best work.

5 Tips to Help You Power Through a Recession
Leadership 5 min read

5 Tips to Help You Power Through a Recession

Whether we are in a recession or not, anxiety can be crippling. Here are five ways to deal with ongoing uncertainty in the workplace.

How to Stop Letting Your Coworkers Undermine You
Collaboration 7 min read

How to Stop Letting Your Coworkers Undermine You

It's probably happened to you more times than you'd care to remember. You're at the top of your game in the office. Your tasks are done, your projects successful. As a result, your quotas and goals have been reached and decimated. But then suddenly, you discover nasty rumors about you brown-nosing a supervisor or supposedly working your way up the ladder using unsavory tactics. Somehow coworkers take any opportunity to undermine your achievements by knocking you down a peg with their comments or actions. And you thought your colleagues were the best mates ever. Australians have an informal phrase to describe this phenomenon —tall poppy syndrome — the disparagement of someone who's risen to a level that's higher than the other poppies in the same field. In other countries, you're more likely to hear expressions such as the familiar, "Stop making the rest of us look bad." Whatever form it takes though, the results are the same: High-performing individuals sometimes have to endure negative backlash — even social undermining — from their peers because of their work ethic. The psychology of social undermining There are many negative social consequences to excellent performance in the workplace. A study in the Journal of Organizational Behaviour defines social undermining as behavior intended to hinder a worker's success, reputation, and positive relationships over time. This behavior might look like: Someone badmouthing your work or reputation Someone competing with you in order to gain status or prominence over you Someone purposely withholding information you need to do work Someone intentionally giving you false information about a task you're doing so you miss a deadline That same study considers social undermining a form of workplace aggression and identifies three main distinguishing factors, namely: This behavior is intentional. It's done on purpose and with a negative goal in mind. This behavior seeks to interfere with work relationships by influencing how coworkers or supervisors view the victim. This behavior assumes that the above negative outcomes will occur. An article in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology studying 1,087 recently unemployed respondents shows that those who experienced social undermining in the workplace reported having poorer mental health that manifested itself in feelings of irritation, anxiety, depression, and more. It impacts the worker and their output in a significant manner. In short, it's an attack meant to slow you down and bring you back down to the attacker's level. And its effects are detrimental to a person's psychological well-being and relationships at work. How to deal with undermining behavior So how does a top performer deal with being the target of resentment in the workplace? Or, what advice can we give to "tall poppies" and overachievers alike? Talk to your colleagues Once this undermining starts impeding your output, you should take concrete steps to alter the situation. First off, confront the people talking about you. If you know who they are, have a simple talk with each person one-on-one, and explain that you want the behavior to stop. This is often the most effective way to solve the problem. Report it But if your plea falls on deaf ears, take it up the chain of command. Talk to your manager, your department head, Human Resources, and so on. File a formal complaint with HR stating just the facts. Make it clear you will not accept this behavior. Pack your bags The simplest option is to weigh your pros and cons and figure out whether it's worth the mental aggravation to come in every day and work in a pit of vipers. If your "cons" column weighs heavier, then begin a new job search and find a friendlier workplace. TIP: Read the reviews of your next company on websites such as Glassdoor. Those anonymous reviews typically spill all the beans. Just remember: no company is perfect. Or... ride it out When confronted with a reader's dilemma that sounds exactly like the opening paragraph of this blog post, HR leader and Forbes columnist Liz Ryan shares this nugget: They say that the emotion most likely to follow intense dislike (even loathing) is boredom. Ryan's point is: If you don't let your sniping colleagues have the satisfaction of seeing you hurt and panicking, they'll eventually move on to another target. This is assuming, of course, you choose to stick it out in a toxic work environment where you have to deal with childish treatment from supposedly adult coworkers. And if you're unsure whether your workplace culture is toxic or safe, then rate your current office with the checklist in this piece: 10 Signs Your Workplace is Toxic. Control what you can: Yourself Finally, the age-old adage is true: you can only control your own reaction to a situation. You can't control what other people say about you or your work. If they're catty or passive-aggressive, you can choose to ignore them and refuse to take the bait. If they're hostile, you can choose to walk away. Meanwhile, you continue to do the work you were hired for to the best of your ability. Because doing it any other way (i.e. slacking off and choosing to produce mediocre work) is an insult both to your capabilities as a performer and to your employer's trust in you. Protect your mental health If you find the stress of dealing with toxic colleagues is bleeding into your personal life, it's time to reach out. Talk to a friend or trusted family member. Research the resources your company offers to support mental health. Remind yourself of the skills and expertise you bring to your organization and why you were hired in the first place.  You can only do so much Excellence is divisive in an organization where mediocrity rules. Realize that you can only do so much to fit in or to try and change the culture before you yourself are tainted. It's better to find a company where your skills and your drive can be appreciated. And where, instead of worrying about colleagues stabbing you in the back, you work with people who have your back.

Tips on How to Overcome Mental Blocks
Productivity 10 min read

Tips on How to Overcome Mental Blocks

What is a mental block, and why does it happen? Here are some helpful tips for overcoming mental blocks at work and improving your productivity.

How to Help Someone With Anxiety at Work
Leadership 7 min read

How to Help Someone With Anxiety at Work

There's no shortage of stress at work. For individuals dealing with anxiety, this daily routine of meeting deadlines, learning new tools, dealing with conflict, and trying to climb the career ladder creates a daily struggle.

Why You're Stressed at Work & How to Fix It
Productivity 10 min read

Why You're Stressed at Work & How to Fix It

Stress seems to be the new standard in today’s workplace. We identify why you are so stressed at work and what to do about it.

30-Day Digital Detox: Curb Your Tech Addiction to Stay Productive
Productivity 10 min read

30-Day Digital Detox: Curb Your Tech Addiction to Stay Productive

We need to look at our routines and audit our habitual usage of our apps and digital products. Do they aid us in living better quality lives? Or do they harm our ability to focus and function? Here's how to accomplish a digital detox so you can reclaim some of that time back from your apps.

Lose the Cubicles: 5 Reasons to Embrace an Open Office
Collaboration 5 min read

Lose the Cubicles: 5 Reasons to Embrace an Open Office

Open floor plan offices are taking over traditional workspaces, breaking down flimsy cubicle walls and strengthening the camaraderie of your team. At apartment-finding service ABODO, we know how important your space can be. That’s why we recently upgraded to an open-concept office ourselves, with department “neighborhoods,” a work-free theater room, seating spaces, and plenty of private office spaces for meetings and phone calls. Other than that, everyone — CEO and executive team included— is out in the open and sharing tables.   Although open workspaces have received some pushback as of late, arising largely from noise complaints, there are numerous upsides to permanently folding up cubicles and opening up the office. Here are 5 we can personally attest to: Availability Like I mentioned above, at ABODO HQ, executives and upper-level management are working side-by-side with their departments. That means there’s no working up the nerve to knock on office doors, or wondering when your boss will be around for questions. They are around for questions and conversations, as are the rest of your coworkers. Innovation Sitting around and staring at the same four walls, cubicle or brick-and-mortar, day in and day out doesn’t exactly lend itself to innovation. Having your teammates within speaking distance opens up communication so you can quickly bounce ideas off one another, be they bad or good, and land on new ideas that neither would have stumbled across alone. Collaboration is key to innovation, and if you need collaboration, it’s waiting all around you. Productivity Many worry that the two factors listed above will actually diminish work productivity. But this doesn’t have to be the case. In addition to quick feedback, employees should still be entitled to uninterrupted work time. For this reason, many companies create “quiet zones” with more private workspaces, or enforce a “quiet time,” during which time interrupting others’ work is prohibited. There are also other cues to signal “busy” to chatty coworkers, such as investing in a pair of noise-canceling headphones or a shift to a more distant seat. Flexibility One of the key points of open-office setups is the flexibility — you aren’t stuck at a desk behind fuzzy gray walls that barely have the structural integrity to hold up your wall calendar. Instead, you can move from your desk to a couch or chair for a change of scenery. This flexibility leads to higher productivity and job satisfaction, according to Harvard Business Review. Privacy Likely the largest complaint or concern is the loss of privacy that those cubicle walls provide. And to some extent, it’s unavoidable: When you’re sharing table space, insulating yourself from the noises around you can be tricky. And it’s just as difficult to feel like you have privacy if you’re having a delicate conversation or private phone call (which is what extra meeting rooms are perfect for). But, a different HBR report found that more workers were dissatisfied with sound privacy in cubicles than in open workspaces. Fewer workers overall reported being dissatisfied in this aspect, suggesting that most employees are happy to see and be seen. An open-concept office might not work for every business — especially one that requires constant phone contact — but many are finding that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Before you make any decision, consider how often your team requires meetings (which can be trimmed with the proper work management software), how closely their work is tied, and if your current space could also support alternative seating, which is a key ingredient in open offices. Author Bio: Sam Radbil is a contributing member of the marketing and communications team at ABODO, an online apartment marketplace based in Madison, Wisconsin. In just three years, the company has grown to more than 30 employees, raised over $8M in outside funding, and helps more than half a million renters find a new home every month.  

The Dangers of Overworking: How To Avoid Employee Overload
Collaboration 7 min read

The Dangers of Overworking: How To Avoid Employee Overload

Employee workload can have mental and physical implications. Learn about the dangers of overworking yourself and what to do when you are overworked.

How To Overcome Imposter Syndrome
Collaboration 7 min read

How To Overcome Imposter Syndrome

Discover how imposter syndrome affects well-being and how to address it. Learn how to overcome imposter syndrome in the workplace with these tips and insights.

A Fascinating Snapshot of Work-Life Balance Realities [Infographic]
Productivity 3 min read

A Fascinating Snapshot of Work-Life Balance Realities [Infographic]

How often do you stay late in the office in order to get that last task completed? If you work extra hours once in a while, you’re not alone. Moreover, as our recent survey revealed, the majority is with you! Thanks to your valuable input, we gathered feedback on working habits and productivity from nearly 2,000 respondents. One of the most interesting things that we discovered is that as many as 87% of business owners, executives, managers, team members, and freelancers overwork. Here’s a digest of our survey’s other fascinating findings: Overworked, but not overloaded When we asked our respondents how much they overwork, the most popular answer (chosen by almost 40%) turned out to be 5+ hours weekly. However surprising it may sound, working extra hours seems to be generally taken quite lightly, as almost 38% of those who overwork say they are absolutely satisfied with their work-life balance. If we take a look at all the surveyed people, both those who overwork and those who don’t, a minority 11.5% said they frequently feel overloaded. The rest of our respondents seem to have found a work management secret that keeps them protected from the stress of overload. It's worth mentioning that this “happiness rate” seems to correlate with the respondent’s job position. Among team members, it’s more than half who don’t feel stressed with work at all. For business owners, the share is less than a third.  It looks like with great responsibility comes greater stress. When productivity peaks Despite different responsibilities, our respondents across various organizational levels have some common things in their work styles. For example, 64% feel the most productive in the morning hours. Unexpected, but true — even freelancers, who often have a totally flexible schedule, voted the same as the majority. We also compared groups to find out who feels more overloaded (the “early birds” or the “night owls”) and we discovered that the share of stressed workers is much higher among the latter. Almost 27% of night owls admitted to feeling overworked quite often, while just 10% of early birds share this stress. Productivity catalysts vs. Productivity killers Increasing productivity requires some extra motivation. What are those factors that drive us the most at work? According to our survey results, the three leading efficiency motivators are: A sense of responsibility A good mood A possible reward Being on a deadline is often considered to be a stress factor. However, more than 54.6% of our respondents find deadlines inspiring for their productivity. Perhaps because they help to beat procrastination, which, along with unexpected interruptions, was listed as one of the most dangerous productivity killers. A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when it comes to stats. To review all of these survey results and more at a glance, check out our new infographic with the rest of our fascinating findings. And don’t forget to share it with your colleagues! Last, but not least: Thanks to your very active participation, this survey turned out to be a blast! We really appreciate your input and, as we promised, we did a drawing of 10 stylish Coffee Joulies among everyone who took part in the survey. Congrats to the lucky winners: Jerry Schmidt (CivicPlus), Ayana Hastings (EmbanetCompass), Steve Fishman (Volunteers of America Michigan, Inc.), Wally Arms (Crescent Inc.), Pascal Condouret (Royal Canin), Noah Sodano (Propaganda Labs), Colleen Fyfe (PARMA Recordings), Spenser Baldwin (Snap Agency) and two winners who asked us to keep their names private. Wrike’s Santa is already on the way with the prizes!

Everything You Need to Know on How to Increase Your IQ
Productivity 7 min read

Everything You Need to Know on How to Increase Your IQ

What is cognitive function? Discover how to increase IQ to turn strategies into results and boost individual and team productivity.

How to Promote Positive Mental Health in the Workplace
Leadership 10 min read

How to Promote Positive Mental Health in the Workplace

Here’s the truth: Our careers and mental well-being are closely related, with 58% of employees saying work has at least a moderate impact on their mental health.  Yet, many workers feel like they need to be tight-lipped about this. In fact, that same survey found that nearly 40% of employees said they’re not at all comfortable discussing their mental health at work, and another 26.3% said they’re only slightly comfortable bringing this up.  You wouldn’t expect employees to act like everything is “business as usual” if they recently had surgery or had a horrible case of the flu. Yet, mental health issues in the workplace still carry a stigma, which means they’re often swept under the rug. That’s not the right approach. Mental health in the workplace (and remote work mental health) is important, and it’s up to leaders and managers to promote a culture that prioritizes and supports the mental well-being of its employees. How? Let’s talk about it.  Why is mental health important at work? Why should mental health issues be a core focus for your organization? Well, to put it simply, because you care about your employees and their wellbeing. Their physical, emotional, and mental health needs to be at the top of your priority list if you want to foster a positive culture and a thriving team.  That human-to-human compassion should always rank above financial performance or productivity incentives. However, ensuring the mental health of your employees offers a number of other benefits for your employees and organization as well.  As the World Health Organization explains, workplaces that actively promote mental health of employees and offer adequate support are far more likely to: Reduce absenteeism Increase productivity Experience economic gains Especially given recent pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic when 70% of workers admit they feel more stressed than at any other point in their entire career, employers need to follow managing remote employees best practices. How to spot mental health issues in the workplace The National Alliance on Mental Illness shares that mental health conditions run the gamut from anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and more. That’s why symptoms of mental health problems will vary depending on what an employee is specifically dealing with. However, when it comes to noticing employees who are struggling with their mental health, it can be helpful to look for: Decreased performance and productivity Reduced enthusiasm and engagement Difficulty concentrating on conversations and in meetings Irritability toward you and others Negativity toward their work and responsibilities Consistently low mood — measuring mood changes with an Agile Niko-Niko calendar can indicate this Keep in mind that this isn’t an exhaustive checklist. Indicators can vary from employee to employee, and it’s ultimately not your job to play doctor and diagnose employees.  Rather, it’s smart to keep an eye out for these signs so that you know when you might need to offer more support, provide resources, and further promote mental health within your team and company.  So, let’s talk about how you can go about making mental health a priority within your organization. Here are five tips to prove to your team that you’re invested in their mental well-being.  1. Offer benefits that support mental health You need to start with the basics. All of the candid conversations and team-building exercises won’t mean anything if the right foundation isn’t in place.  But, unfortunately, 18.3% of respondents in one survey conducted by Paychex said their employer doesn’t offer mental health benefits. 28.8% of respondents rated their company’s health benefits and resources as “poor.”  As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states, supporting employees starts with ensuring your company offers things like:  Health insurance with no or low out-of-pocket costs for mental health counseling and medications Free or subsidized clinical screenings, counseling, or coaching programs Employee assistance programs (EAP) Employee support groups Flexible schedules or opportunities to take mental health days Assessment tools, apps, and other mental health resources By making these things available to your employees, you empower them to take control of their mental health — not just in the workplace, but outside of it too.  2. Adequately train supervisors and managers Your company’s supervisors and managers are the ones who are the most in touch with their teams, so they should have their antennae up for any red flags of burnout or other mental health issues so that they can offer support when necessary. Don’t expect them to know exactly what they should be looking for — it’s your organization’s responsibility to provide adequate training. This can include: Pamphlets, books, videos, and other learning materials Seminars or lectures from mental health professionals Roundtables where they can share advice and tips This equips them with the knowledge and information they need to keep their finger on the pulse of their team’s emotional and mental well-being, as well as their own.  3. Make resources available to your entire team Those mental health resources shouldn’t just be offered to your managers — they can be helpful for your entire team.  Store them somewhere that’s organized and accessible to your entire staff, so that people can get those resources when they need them.  Keep in mind that not everybody will be comfortable approaching a manager or HR representative when they want to get their hands on this information, so it’s best if all of your employees can access those resources on their own without help or intervention from someone else. 4. Remember work-life balance More than 40% of employees admit that they’re neglecting other aspects of their life because of work, which can increase their vulnerability to mental health issues. Yet, 55% of employees agreed with the statement, “I am afraid of getting punished for taking a day off to attend to my mental health.” Obviously, there’s a gap that needs to be bridged here, and offering mental health days is a great place to start in terms of ensuring better work-life balance.   One way to do this is to simply offer enough “personal days” for your employees to use. Whether they need to go to the dentist, have a horrible cold, or need a day off to mentally decompress and reset, these days allow them the time they need (without having to give a thorough explanation of why they need time off). If and when an employee explains that they want some time to tend to their mental health, make your best effort to give them the time they need and avoid asking invasive questions or flooding their inbox with requests while they’re out.  5. Have candid conversations As long as people continue to keep their lips zipped about the importance of mental health, there will always be a stigma around it. So, one of the best ways to get your team more comfortable with talking about their mental state is to model that behavior. This will require that you and any other company leaders get vulnerable and open up about some of your own struggles and emotions. However, it’ll send the message that you have an open, honest, and supportive environment where people can bring their whole, imperfect selves to work. Additionally, as a leader, don’t neglect the importance of genuinely checking in with your employees — especially about their obligations and passions outside of the office. 23% of employees say that they think it’s a problem that their managers don’t ask about their lives outside of work. Mental health promotion strategies you can do remotely Maintaining positive mental health on your team is always a challenge, but it becomes extra tough when you’re all working remotely. You lose some connection and a sense of togetherness, which makes this sensitive topic trickier to address. The good news is that all of the strategies we outlined above can be used with a remote team. In addition to those, here are a few other things to keep in mind: Check in with employees frequently: When you aren’t co-located, it’s harder to pick up on emotions and nonverbal cues. Make sure you’re checking in with employees one-on-one more frequently than you would in a traditional office environment.  Practice and model good boundaries: Work-life balance is a key part of positive mental health at work, and managers should lead by example when it comes to setting boundaries. They should honor set “shutdown” times, avoid emailing late at night or on weekends, and generally show employees what it looks like to maintain adequate balance.  Find creative ways to connect: The sense of isolation that comes from working remotely can exacerbate some mental health problems. From virtual happy hours or trivia contests to Slack channels where employees can share tips and resources, find creative ways to keep your work bonds strong. Don’t be afraid to ask your team if they have any ideas for things you should implement! Creating policies for mental health engagement at work Mental health is crucial, but it can also be a somewhat awkward or sensitive topic for your company to address. You don’t want to turn a blind eye or sweep things under the rug, but you also don’t want to make employees feel like they aren’t valued or noticed. A documented mental health policy is helpful for demonstrating your commitment to employee well-being, while also giving everybody a single source of truth for the steps your company takes to address mental health. At the bare minimum, your mental health policy should include:  Your policy’s goals, such as removing the stigma around mental health or fostering a supportive, inclusive culture Your company’s actions, such as what steps you’re taking to prioritize mental health or how you’ll address mental health risks like overwhelming workloads or a toxic work culture Your resources, including links and information about the different programs and options that are available to employees This policy will turn out best if you treat it as a collaborative process and source opinions and feedback from fellow leaders, employees, your HR department, and even mental health professionals you can connect with.  Mental health matters at work and outside of work The conversation about mental health in the workplace has been gaining more attention in recent years. That’s for good reason: mental health has a big impact on our work, and our work has a big impact on our mental health. With that in mind, the mental health of employees isn’t something that employers can write off as a personal problem or not their responsibility. Use this as your guide to promote positive mental health in the workplace so you and your entire team can benefit from a more supportive and honest work environment. 

Stock Your Break Room for Better Productivity (Infographic)
Productivity 3 min read

Stock Your Break Room for Better Productivity (Infographic)

You probably think that you encourage your employees to take breaks (90% of employers do) — but in reality, more than 25% of your workers don’t take a single break during the day other than to grab lunch.  Breaks are proven to improve happiness, health, focus, productivity, and mental performance. So how can you help your team step away from their work for a breather? Give them a comfortable break room!  Stocking the Perfect Office Break Room To reduce stress, offer chamomile tea, oatmeal, oranges, nuts, and milk. To boost productivity, provide berries, seeds and nuts, avocados, yogurt, dark chocolate, and green tea. Avoid candy, baked goods, processed foods, soda, and energy drinks. Use the right colors: blues and greys are calming, slowing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure. Don't forget the java! Coffee improves alertness, mental performance and concentration, makes us more supportive of one another in social situations, and prevents cognitive decline.  When you don’t provide coffee, 22% of your employees will leave the office to grab a cup, leading to an average $15,000 in lost productivity each year. See the complete infographic below for more details on the health benefits of work breaks, plus ideas to help your team take short breaks throughout the day while still getting things done.  Source: Quill.com Want more team productivity tips?  Check out our collection of resources, strategies, and techniques to fight procrastination, find your motivation, and be more productive. 

6 Ways to Make Sure You Unplug and Recharge During the Holidays
Productivity 3 min read

6 Ways to Make Sure You Unplug and Recharge During the Holidays

Thanksgiving is coming. You'll finally be on vacation. The leftovers from the family feast will be stored in the refrigerator and all your Black Friday presents will be opened, installed, and played with. So what next? I'm betting half of you will check your work email just to see if there are any fires to put out. But hold on; don't give in to the urge right away. The challenge to keep work from interrupting your well-deserved vacation is difficult. According to the Randstad US Employee Engagement Study released just this August 2015, 46% of US employees worry about work while on vacation, and 49% are stressed upon their return. Yikes! You can avoid that extra stress by following these 6 very easy steps to truly enjoy your vacation and recharge: 1. Close Your Open Loops The only real way to enjoy your vacation guilt-free is to tie up loose ends before you get to your holiday destination. This involves informing your team about your travel schedule and ensuring there is a point person who can be contacted while you're away. Traditionally, vacationeers set up out-of-office messages for email and phone so everyone knows you're away. While some entrepreneurs consider this kind of disconnecting losing out on opportunities for future business, going offline is really the only way to vacation stress-free. Just ensure all tasks with deadlines that fall within your time off are delegated to someone else, or else postponed for your return. 2. Do Last Minute Work at the Airport In case you need some last minute work done before you begin relaxing, then make use of your airport time and the downtime you have on the flight. Just make sure you pack all the needed gear. 3. Put the Work Apps Away In general, your vacation will be more enjoyable if you can close down your work apps  and resist checking your work email. Also, turn off your notifications! We won't suggest you lock your phone away in the hotel safe or in the hallway closet — because we know you can't do it (and neither can we). 4. No Devices at Mealtime Designate all mealtimes as periods where devices are put away and face-to-face conversation can be had. That's how our grandparents used to do it! 5. Jot Down Ideas, Old School If an idea comes to you related to work, don't open your computer and get sucked into doing work. Instead, jot down notes using a pen and a small (analog) notebook. Then put them away for later reference. 6. Set a Timer If Needed If work is truly inescapable during your vacation, then set a Pomodoro timer for yourself and stick to a strict 25 minutes of work per day. A lot can be done in 25 minutes if you know that's your only window. If you need more than that, then prepare for some backlash from family and/or friends. How Do You Recharge? Just remember that vacation is your chance to get away from the stress of work and the politics of the workplace. If you invite the stress back in by engaging in work-related tasks, you're wasting a perfect opportunity to recharge the spirit and return to work ready to face all its various challenges. Have a tip for maximizing your vacation? Share it in the comments.

10 Ways to Beat Deadline Stress (Infographic)
Productivity 3 min read

10 Ways to Beat Deadline Stress (Infographic)

However much deadline stress affects you, it's good to know that there are ways to deal with it. Below is an infographic listing 10 ways to make deadlines less stressful.

7 Time-Savers for the Overworked [Infographic]
Productivity 3 min read

7 Time-Savers for the Overworked [Infographic]

Despite the global quest for work-life balance, many people still regularly work over the weekend and don't use all of their vacation days. This in turn causes them to be overwhelmed, overworked and laboring in overtime... If you dream about a 25th hour in the day to be fully productive and dedicate some time for yourself, we've got something for you. Since having an extra hour in the day is still impossible, we decided to give you some tips on how to work smarter. Here's an infographic with tips for saving heaps of time so you can spend more time in leisure! 1. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. In other words, immediately deal with tasks that take less than 2 minutes to complete. Are you sure all such tasks from your backlog in Wrike are done? 2. Business before pleasure. At work, try to fight off tempting distractions like Facebook. Spend working time productively and use your weekend for the fun, not work! To boost your productivity, choose a professional system. And with Wrike, professional doesn't mean boring! Wrike is as easy and attractive as using your familiar social networks. 3. It's not the hours you put in, but rather what you put into these hours. So tackle the most important and urgent tasks first. Timely prioritization of your tasks in Wrike will let you and your team always keep the focus on the highest-priority tasks. Use project time tracking in Excel or directly in Wrike to see where your time could be better spent. 4. When scheduling a project, remember to leave contingency time to deal with the unexpected. This way you can ensure you'll be on time and fulfill your commitments. If you need to reschedule a task or the entire project, it's as easy as a mouse motion in Wrike. 5. Is multitasking productive? The latest research shows that doing several things at once lowers your IQ score by 10 points! So actually devoting all of your attention and effort to one concrete task is much more cost-efficient, as it saves you time otherwise wasted on switching between different activities. 6. Single-handed success doesn't exist. Divide your tasks into small, actionable items and then delegate them to achieve more together with your team. In Wrike, it's a snap to assign multiple tasks, if needed. You can even do it right from your e-mail inbox. 7. Spare your mind for creative work, letting a reliable and easily accessible system remember all the tasks for you. Wrike helps to handle thousands of tasks and dozens of routine jobs, like sending reminders about due dates and notifications about the plan changes to your team.

What are Super Cognitive Foods? And Other Reads To Help You Work Better (Work Management Roundup)
Productivity 3 min read

What are Super Cognitive Foods? And Other Reads To Help You Work Better (Work Management Roundup)

Today is Friday the 13th, the subject of many an old school superstition and many a horror movie. If you're stuck in the office today feeling terribly unproductive and a tad superstitious as to why, then we're here with the Work Management roundup to turn your horrible day into a day for productivity education. Read on for more inspiration! The Superfoods That Are Actually Superfoods (Medium): Are there foods that can really help you focus on your work right now? Yes! Dave Asprey lays out some “super cognitive foods,” which include butter, coffee, vanilla, and chocolate and explains how non-inflammatory foods help you. (This is not an excuse to stock up on peanut butter M&Ms!) Things You Can Do to Grow More Brain Cells (Lifehacker): On the subject of brain enhancement: a recent TED video by neuroscientist Sandrine Thuret explains how our brains can grow new cells through activities such as learning and running. Spend More Time Managing Your Time (Study Hacks): Cal Newton schools us on the need for deep thinking about your commitments. You need to block off some time in order to plan out how you will tackle your tasks this week. 10 Free (and Nearly Free) Ways to Spur Business Growth (Social Media Today): Andre Bourque lists 10 strategies that startups need to use to grow quickly and corresponding tools, most of them free. The Buddhist Priest Who Became a Billionaire Snubbing Investors (Bloomberg): This 83-year-old billionaire Buddhist priest Kazuo Inamori built up Japanese electronics giant Kyocera, and his attitude toward investors is decidedly "un-Western". His advice: Forget investors. Instead, spend time making staff happy. In his own words: "If you want eggs, take care of the hen." What Not to Do at a Business Lunch (Fast Company YouTube): And before you go out to eat, watch this humorous take on the business lunch and how to avoid spiraling into cringeworthy terrain.. More Work Management Reads Think About This: Doing Good Tech Versus Doing Good with Tech by Bryan Johnson (Medium) The Power of Routines in Sustaining Creativity (Fast Company) The Purpose-Driven Workforce Is 42 Million Strong (Fast Company) 8 Genius Ways To Make Your Small Business More Money This Holiday Shopping Season (When I Work) Go Try This: If You Want to Become a Leader, Start Acting Like One (Inc) The Positive Impact of Creating Limits (The Next Web) 62 Tips From Y Combinator’s Startup Instruction Manual (TechCrunch) The Complete Guide To Skyrocketing Your Customer Service Skills (When I Work) Browse Marketing Speak on Flipboard If you use Flipboard on your mobile device, then you might enjoy our links to all things digital marketing via our Marketing Speak magazine. View my Flipboard Magazine.

How to Create the Ultimate Wellness Program for Your Company
Leadership 10 min read

How to Create the Ultimate Wellness Program for Your Company

We spend a significant part of our lives at work, which means our jobs play a significant role in our overall health and wellness journeys. And it’s not surprising that sitting at our desks and staring at computer screens all day isn’t necessarily the best for our health.  That’s why many organizations – even big players like Google and Microsoft – are implementing wellness programs to better support the health and wellness of their employees. Companies with wellness programs are going the extra mile to promote employee well-being in fun and engaging ways. And even better? They’re reaping the benefits that come from taking top-notch care of their employees.  If your company doesn’t have a wellness program yet, don’t panic. It’s not too late to get started. In this guide, we explore the ins and outs of employee wellness programs, share different types of wellness activities, and outline our best tips to help you get started.  Keep reading for the ultimate guide to creating an employee wellness program your workers and your overall organization will love. What is employee wellness?  It’s no secret that employees are every organization’s greatest asset. But for employees to perform at their best, they need to take care of their overall health and well-being. That’s where employee wellness, which you’ll also hear referred to as workplace wellness, comes into play.  You can think of employee wellness as the overall well-being of your employees. Are they working in safe conditions? Are they maintaining and prioritizing their physical health and fitness? Are they looking after their mental health and emotional state? But when we talk about employee wellness in a more specific sense, it refers to an organization’s method and policies that promote and support healthy behaviors and outcomes for its staff. Put simply, what are organizations doing to ensure that employees can experience and maintain a high level of wellness?  To ensure that wellness is a core focus (and not just lip service), many organizations create and execute a formal employee wellness program. What is an employee wellness program? Generally speaking, an employee wellness program refers to a variety of initiatives that an employer sponsors or leads to promote healthy lifestyles amongst employees.  This isn’t just about handing out step trackers or putting healthy snacks in the break room. Initiatives might include physical, mental, emotional, financial, or environmental aspects, to name a few. In some cases, an employee wellness program might even extend to an employee’s spouse or dependents, depending on the company’s size.  Employee wellness programs aren’t one-size-fits-all and can be customized to the needs of your employees and organization. Many of the best employee wellness programs incorporate a variety of activities and efforts that span all sorts of different dimensions of health. Rather than focusing strictly on exercise, for example, a more holistic employee wellness program might include initiatives around movement, healthy eating, managing stress, and financial planning.  You might be thinking, “An employee wellness program sounds like a lot of work! What do organizations get out of programs like these?” Let’s take a look at the benefits of an employee wellness program and why your organization should consider implementing one. What are the benefits of a workplace wellness program? Here’s an even more impactful question to ask: What pitfalls do organizations experience when employees have poor health? According to Kaiser Permanente, poor health increases the risk of chronic conditions. And chronic conditions can increase your health insurance premiums and the cost of workers’ compensation, make it difficult to maintain productivity, and lead to more sick days. Not to mention that you could see increased employee turnover if employees need to leave their jobs and focus on their health. That’s a lot of extra money your organization has to spend.  When you have a workplace wellness program in place, you’re working against the long-term impacts of poor health (and saving money simultaneously). In a report published by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, studies revealed that well-designed workplace wellness programs have an ROI ranging from $1.50 to $3 per dollar spent, in addition to other benefits like increased job performance, improved overall well-being, and happier employees. Employees acknowledge and appreciate the benefits of workplace wellness programs too. In a survey conducted by United Healthcare, more than half of people with access to wellness programs claimed that those programs improved their health. Additionally, three out of four employees who did not have access to wellness programs wanted access to them, which means these initiatives may help boost retention. What types of corporate wellness programs are there? Remember that the most effective wellness programs cover multiple dimensions of health, which means there are many types of programs to choose from. Let’s dig in and take a look at corporate wellness programs through the lens of different health dimensions.  Physical Physical corporate wellness programs include initiatives and activities related to movement, exercise, and physical well-being. Any activity that requires some level of movement or deals with the physical body (e.g., biometric screenings) is part of a physical wellness program.  Emotional and mental Emotional and mental wellness refers to managing emotions and promoting positive mental health. These programs might emphasize healthy relationships in the workplace, stress management techniques, and overall emotional well-being at work and home. Financial Financial wellness programs are tailored toward activities that promote financial stability and smart money moves. Programs in this area are likely to be more educational, helping employees learn and understand financial literacy and behaviors around money.  Social Social corporate wellness programs can help your employees improve their social interactions at work and home. For example, team-building activities are a great way to improve social wellness. Environmental Organizations have a unique opportunity to create environmental wellness programs to help promote sustainable living. In some cases, these programs might start with the immediate environment through sustainable changes in the office space before expanding more broadly. Volunteering  Volunteer activities help support other elements of a holistic wellness program, including emotional, mental, and physical wellness. Sponsoring volunteer opportunities as part of your corporate wellness program is a great way to hit several wellness dimensions simultaneously.  Your employee wellness program can include as many or as few of these types of focus areas as you’d like. It’s also worth connecting with your employees to find out which ones carry the most weight with them.  Employee wellness activities: inspiration to get you started Incorporating employee wellness activities into your wellness program doesn’t have to be daunting, complicated, or expensive. Many activities require little effort and coordination, yet they remain effective and practical for meeting wellness goals. Here are a few employee wellness activity ideas to help you get started: Create a walking challenge. Walking challenges are a simple and accessible way for organizations to encourage more physical activity. The benefits of walking are endless, and this type of activity is perfect for in-office and remote employees. Offer free fitness classes or gym memberships to your employees. On-site fitness classes and covered costs for gym memberships can help your employees incorporate more physical activity into their routines. Additionally, on-site fitness classes give employees a chance to mingle outside of work conversations. Host a heart-healthy lunch for your staff. Hone in on healthy eating by providing a healthy lunch for your employees. Add educational components to teach them about nutritional habits and changes they can make to their diets. Conduct meditation sessions for stress relief. Stress management is an essential part of wellness in the workplace. Encourage and help employees manage their stress by offering coordinated meditation sessions and breaks. Bring in financial experts to discuss planning for retirement. Educate your employees on how to prepare financially for a stress-free retirement. Promote smoke-free lifestyles and smoking cessation programs. Through expert seminars, incentives, and more, you can help employees leave their smoking habits behind and implement more positive habits and routines.  When it comes to employee wellness activities, the possibilities are endless. And thanks to the internet, remote workers can participate in employee wellness activities, too.  Employee wellness activities for remote workers While many wellness activities can easily be adapted and modified for the remote workforce, here are some specific wellness activities to consider for your distributed workers:  Offer subscriptions to on-demand fitness platforms. Remote workers might not be able to attend on-site fitness classes. So instead, consider offering on-demand fitness accessibility so they can exercise at their leisure. Send healthy snacks to your employees to enjoy at home. In place of a healthy in-person lunch, try using a subscription service or curating your own healthy snack box to send to employees. Empower your employees to adopt meditation habits with an app. Apps like Headspace and Calm can help teach your employees wellness skills while being part of a dispersed workforce. Consider offering subscriptions to employees for self-learning. Tips for implementing a workplace wellness program Are you ready to start implementing a workplace wellness program? These tips will help ensure your corporate wellness program is set up for success.  1. Conduct assessments to understand what your employees want Rather than put together an entire program based on what you think your employees want, conduct assessments to figure out how you can best support their wellness needs. Employee surveys and health assessments can help you evaluate and understand your organization's wellness interests and needs so you can tailor your program accordingly. You can also conduct an environmental assessment of your workplace if it feels applicable. 2. Establish a strong wellness committee to support your program Wellness programs shouldn’t fall solely on one person to manage and coordinate. While it may be the responsibility of an individual within your organization to lead an employee wellness program, you should establish a committee to support them.  This committee should help to plan and implement all wellness programs, monitor and evaluate wellness activities, empower team members to participate in wellness efforts, and coordinate any post-program incentives. Aim for cross-departmental participation for this committee so you get a well-rounded view of how your program is doing. 3. Determine how to make the most of your budget An effective wellness program should be planned and well-managed, which means you should have a dedicated budget to consider how you’re going to spend that money ahead of time.  While some wellness activities have little to no cost, others may require more of your budget. Budgets may need to be used to cover vendor fees, program incentives, wellness subscriptions, snacks, or other essential program items. 4. Divide and conquer different components of your wellness program Consider mapping out your program activities for the entire year. Determine which activities you want to include as part of your program and divide up the planning and scheduling efforts for those unique activities. Then, come back together and create your wellness calendar for the year ahead to share with employees, so they know what will be available to them.  5. Don’t forget to add rewards and incentives   Helping your employees change their unhealthy behaviors can be tough, but rewards and incentives can help them see success. In addition to incentivizing employees to participate in a wellness activity or stay involved in your wellness program from start to finish, rewards can boost participation rates.  Be mindful of the types of rewards you select for given activities. If an employee completes a healthy-eating challenge, a gift basket full of sweets may not be the best prize to help them stay committed to their changed behavior.  6. Test different activities and adjust your program along the way After implementing your wellness program, continue surveying your employees to understand which wellness activities they like and dislike. Your program should be flexible to reflect the wants and needs of your organization over time. Don’t be afraid to test different ideas and activities to find what sticks. How to organize wellness program for your company using Wrike From understanding the different types of wellness programs to coordinating and scheduling wellness activities, there’s a lot of information you need to organize to best support the health and well-being of your employees.  A project management tool like Wrike can help you stay organized and execute your program vision. With Wrike, you can: Lean into cross-team collaboration with your wellness committee Use team calendars to coordinate wellness activities  Access our Communication Plan Template for rolling out your wellness program to your company Integrate with other tools you may need to make your wellness program a success Making steps toward improved employee wellness starts today. Sign up for your free trial of Wrike and get working on your wellness program right away.

How to Manage and Support Colleagues Through Bereavement at Work
Leadership 10 min read

How to Manage and Support Colleagues Through Bereavement at Work

It’s the situation that nobody ever wants to be in, but take a minute and imagine yourself there: You’ve just lost a loved one. You’re suddenly burdened with shock and grief. You’re overwhelmed by the logistics of honoring final wishes, filling out paperwork, and planning arrangements. In between it all, you manage to find a minute to let your employer know that you’ll be out of office for a bit. Like anyone would, you hope that the message is met with nothing but unwavering support and encouragement. Don’t worry about anything work-related – we have it all covered. After all, the last thing you want is for your phone to keep buzzing, your inbox to fill up with requests and meeting invites, and to feel anxious about the security of your position and your income. Here’s the truth: As a manager or an employer, you’re likely to encounter a grieving employee at some point. It’s a sad reality, but it is crucial to be prepared to support them through the loss of a loved one and guide them through bereavement at work (without adding any stress to their already-full plates).  What is bereavement leave? Bereavement leave is a specific type of leave that employees can take following the death of a loved one. Employees might use bereavement leave for various reasons, including making funeral arrangements, attending a funeral, taking care of family members, and working through the grieving process.  Many large companies and organizations document official bereavement leave policies outlining the support available to a bereaved employee. A bereavement leave policy outlines and establishes guidelines for providing paid time off to employees for absences related to the death of a loved one. Policies and procedures vary across organizations, but many employers generally offer this benefit to their employees to some degree. Some smaller companies may choose to work with employees on a case-by-case basis and address these situations as they arise in place of a more formal policy.  No matter your organization’s size or what your bereavement leave looks like, grief can be challenging to navigate. Conversations around death and loss can be tough to have with your employees, but supporting your employees through these situations is non-negotiable.  In this guide, we’ve rounded up some helpful ways to discuss bereavement leave, how to support a grieving employee, and why communication should always remain front and center when times get tough. What should you do when an employee tells you about a death? An employee’s manager and the HR team are key resources when an employee experiences the loss of a loved one. After an employee loses someone close to them, they are likely to reach out to their manager, the HR team, or both to make them aware of what they’re dealing with.  Whether you’re the employee’s manager or a member of HR, the first thing you should do when an employee notifies you of the death of a loved one is offer your genuine support and sympathy.  Don’t jump straight into the details of how that employee’s workload will get covered or time off logistics. Instead, focus on letting the employee know that you’re thinking about them and that work should be the last thing on their minds right now (much like what happened in this viral LinkedIn post).  Once you’ve responded with sympathy, you should then share what bereavement leave options are available. Managers should loop in the appropriate HR team members to explain and discuss the bereavement leave policy and other need-to-know information for taking that important time off. How do you support a colleague dealing with grief at work? Supporting a grieving employee can be difficult. Many of us do our best to leave personal matters at the door at work, but grief is different and usually strikes beyond our control.  Acknowledge that grief is a powerful emotion and equip yourself with the skills and actions necessary to support a grieving colleague as best you can. Here are a few ways you can show your support.  Understand your company bereavement leave entitlement You need to understand your company’s bereavement leave entitlement to communicate it to your colleagues. Many companies offer bereavement leave as a benefit to employees, but the conditions and guidelines around the leave may vary. As with other company policies, your bereavement leave entitlement should be stated clearly in your employee handbook for you and your employees to reference. Your company bereavement leave entitlement should cover the following:  Who qualifies for bereavement leave? Is this benefit offered to all employees?  What qualifies for bereavement leave? What types of family members are covered under the policy? For example, do you only provide bereavement leave for the loss of an immediate family member? How many days off are granted under the bereavement leave policy? Is the bereavement time off paid or unpaid?  How do employees request bereavement leave? Is there any documentation needed for recordkeeping? Know what to say to a coworker when someone dies If you’ve ever struggled to come up with the right words to say to someone who is grieving, you aren’t alone. Knowing what to say to a coworker when someone they love passes can be challenging for you and your grieving colleague.  Keep it simple and show your support. If you’re unsure how to get the wording just right, try one of these simple but sympathetic phrases:  “I’m sorry for your loss.”  “I’m thinking of you.”  “How can I support you through this?” Prioritize sympathy (and avoid relating to emotions) The death of a loved one is one of the top five most stressful life events, and your employee will need your support throughout the grieving process. It’s essential to show up with a level of sympathy for your coworker and be empathetic, especially when they talk to you about how they are feeling after the loss. Express your condolences when the time is right, and try to avoid offering advice unless asked for it. When expressing your condolences, don’t compare your colleague’s loss to one of your own. While statements like “I know how you feel” might seem supportive, a grieving person may not find it helpful or supportive. Instead, when in doubt, be a solid active listener and offer support through empathy.  Openly discuss time off work for a death  One of the best ways to show your support for a bereaved colleague is to communicate openly with them about taking time off for the death of a loved one. Through these conversations, you can identify how much time an employee might need off and if your company’s bereavement leave entitlement will cover that. Some employees may choose to disclose the soon-to-be passing of a loved one before it happens if it’s expected. In any case, having open, continued conversations around taking time off – whether under a bereavement leave policy or through unpaid leave – can help your employees feel supported and take a weight off their shoulders as they handle personal matters in the aftermath of the loss. Provide ongoing bereavement support  Grief and bereavement are heavy, and for an employee working through a recent loss, grief is an ongoing process. No two people grieve the same way or at the same rate, so it’s essential to provide ongoing bereavement support to your employees to help them navigate the days ahead.  Some larger organizations offer an employee assistance program (EAP) as part of their benefits plan. EAPs generally offer confidential services and assessments, short-term counseling, and other mental health services to employees. These types of programs are provided by employers at no cost to employees and can be a great resource for delivering ongoing bereavement support. Know if your organization offers an EAP as part of its benefits so you can speak to this as a potential option of continuing grief support. If your company doesn’t offer an EAP, you can talk to your employee about what they need from you as part of the bereavement process. Offer resources where possible to help take the burden of research off them.  Work together to have a flexible working environment  Sometimes, an employee may need more time off than what’s covered by your bereavement leave policy. You can talk through various other time off options, including unpaid leave and the use of PTO in some cases. However, what happens once an employee is ready to return to work and may need some accommodations to ease the transition? You can work with your employees and put their stress at ease by offering a flexible working environment. Consider allowing your employee to work part-time, adjust their hours, or work remotely for an extended period if they usually work in the office.  In many cases, most office jobs don’t require work to be done within a specific time frame except for scheduled meetings, which means you might have some wiggle room to offer to your employee. You can provide flexibility in various ways, so it’s important to talk to your employee about their specific needs. With a flexible schedule, your employee can continue to manage personal responsibilities while transitioning back to work without added stress.  Why is it beneficial to work with a colleague through their bereavement? No matter how long an employee has been with your company, you’ve likely invested a significant amount of time and money recruiting, hiring, training, and onboarding them. A grieving colleague may even be one of the best performers within your organization.  There’s a large cost involved when it comes to losing your best talent, or any talent within your company for that matter. Not to mention that it wouldn’t make you or your company feel good to lose an employee during their loss and time of grief. It’s beneficial to work with a colleague through their bereavement so you can take turnover costs out of the picture and not cause any more stress for the bereaved. Beyond having to pay to replace a grieving employee, creating a supportive environment will increase feelings of trust and can reinforce and improve your company culture. You can build trust with your bereaved employee by hearing their concerns, working with their schedule, and being there for them as they navigate life after loss.  At the same time, when other employees see how you take care of those walking through personal loss, you’re revealing a deep layer of your company culture and boosting morale. When you display a level of compassion for a grieving colleague, you send the message that you care about the well-being and mental health of your employees.  How to organize bereavement leave policies with Wrike Wrike is a project management and communications tool that you can use to organize your bereavement leave policies. Using Wrike to help manage bereavement leave, you can:  Keep communication at the forefront by centralizing all conversations, files, approvals, and more Use templates, like the Actionable Meeting Notes Template, to help your employees smoothly transition back to work when they’re ready Quickly and easily redistribute tasks to help coordinate coverage while an employee is out on bereavement leave  Are you ready to simplify your bereavement leave practices and support your employees in the best way possible? Get started with a free trial of Wrike today.

5 Project Management Warnings from The Shining
Project Management 5 min read

5 Project Management Warnings from The Shining

The Shining can present us with five very distinct warnings about how we should properly manage our teams and our projects — unless you want people to start angrily chasing one another while brandishing kitchen knives.

4 Ways Leading Teams Avoid Employee Burnout With Wrike Resource
Wrike Tips 10 min read

4 Ways Leading Teams Avoid Employee Burnout With Wrike Resource

Solving employee burnout starts with equipping leaders with the right tools to help their employees manage their workloads with ease. You need tools to provide visibility into team workload, optimize team performance, and increase resource utilization. Here’s how Wrike Resource can help.