Nutrition plays key role in employee mental health | How supporting neurodiverse workers supports business | 11 actions leaders can take to heal company rifts
Employers can support staff members' mental wellness by creating a workplace culture around healthful dietary choices. Benefits of such a strategy can include stress and anxiety reduction, better mood and energy levels, enhanced cognitive function, greater productivity and engagement, and lower absenteeism. Full Story: BenefitsPRO (free registration) (4/26)
Recruiting & Retention
How supporting neurodiverse workers supports business Companies can attract and hire more neurodivergent employees by revamping traditional hiring practices and offering more support and flexibility that can allow those team members to put their unique skills to work, writes Anthony Pacilio, the vice president of Neurodiverse Solutions at CAI Neurodiverse Solutions. "When employees feel supported in their work environment, they are more engaged, loyal and motivated to contribute, demonstrating that inclusivity is a smart business strategy," Pacilio notes. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (4/24)
One approach to addressing attitude problems Every manager encounters employees with an attitude, and Paul Falcone, author of "The First-Time Manager: Leading Through Crisis," recommends meeting privately with the employee and using neutral language to discuss how you perceive the situation and how to correct the perception. Full Story: Training magazine (4/26)
Benefits & Compensation
Room & Board adopts employee stock ownership plan Furniture retailer Room & Board has introduced an employee stock ownership plan that will give its 1,100 full- and part-time employees an annual allocation of shares based on salary and tenure. The ownership plan bought out existing investors, including founder John Gabbert, and its structure lets employees defer taxes on the value of the shares they own until retirement. Full Story: The Wall Street Journal (4/25)
The HR Leader
CEO steers Lyft to smoother road by leading with purpose Data points have been heading in a positive direction since Lyft CEO David Risher took the helm a year ago during a low point where it let go 25%-plus of its workforce and made the rest come to the office three days a week. Lyft now is clawing back market share as Risher leads with purpose, engages workers and provides a sense of belonging -- all "part of what forms a connection to a company, if the company has a sense of purpose beyond just maximizing value for shareholders," Risher says. Full Story: TIME (tiered subscription model) (4/28)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
"Guiding Light" might be the champ of American TV soap operas, at a record 72 seasons, but 15 of those were as a radio show. Counting TV seasons only, which of these soaps has been on the longest?
Let’s hear it for Mom! Next Sunday, May 12, is Mother’s Day. :Let’s celebrate the women who influenced our lives. This can be your mother or your grandmother or your aunt or another female who played significant role in your life. What did you learn from her? What about her do you now see in yourself? What made her unique? How did she affect the way you parent, work and live your life? Let me know! You can share the good, the bad, the ugly, the whatever you want that made a diffrence to you. I’ll spotlight your memories (discretely – initials only) in next week’s briefs. So talk to me! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
Sharing SmartBrief on Workforce with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free.
