Companywide vacations encourage workers to disconnect | Understaffed Army to rely on Reserves, step up recruiting | Don't forget about DEI initiatives during layoffs
Some employers are offering a new perk to make sure their workers get the full revitalizing effect of a break from work: a companywide vacation in which everyone at the business has time off. With the entire company on holiday, employees may feel less pressure to check in while they are supposed to be relaxing.
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The Army plans to shift funding to its Reserve units "to meet operational demands," according to Army Secretary Christine Wormuth and Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville, as it faces a serious manpower shortage, as well as moving up to $1.2 billion to increase recruitment efforts and retention bonuses. The Army's strength will stand at about 466,000 at the end of fiscal 2022, about 10,000 short of goals, and could drop to 445,000 by the end of 2023.
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Culture, communication, compliance and connection should form the basis of employee orientation programs, writes Donna Cutting, founder and CEO of Red-Carpet Learning Worldwide. Cutting explains how to give recruits a better experience while focusing on these four key elements.
The National Council of Insurance Legislators is proposing legislation known as the Paid Family Leave Insurance Model Act that would allow employers to voluntarily buy medical leave plans for staff members in an effort to support their financial health. Benefits would be paid in cases of childbirth, adoption, foster parenting, serious health conditions and family member military deployment.
When leaders give themselves permission to listen, relax, be imperfect and gain clarity before making decisions, their teams will follow and become more engaged, writes Alaina Love, the CEO of Purpose Linked Consulting. "As your people seek to bring the whole of who they are to their work, they are also counting on support from you, the kind that you can only deliver when you are being truly authentic," Love writes.
Future PLC, our parent company, closes its offices for one week during the Christmas holiday. In February, our CEO, Zillah Byng-Thorne, made the decision to do something similar during the summer. Next month, employees will be offered two long weekends off -- a Friday through Monday -- with pay. I am looking forward to the reprieve.
Other organizations are picking up the idea, as we see in today’s top story. Companywide breaks are giving employees the opportunity to get away from email and Slack notifications and truly recharge.
But will they? That’s where it can get sticky. Fifty-eight percent of professionals say they feel stress when they are away from the office, according to a survey by Korn Ferry. Reasons cited include too much work to do and fewer staff resources.
I get it. When we have three-day weekends, I’ll usually spend part of it writing or clearing out emails. I’m trying to wean myself off this, but for now, it helps alleviate the stress and worry in my head.
What about you? Is your organization considering an all-company break? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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