| Queen Elizabeth famously described the year 1992 as an “annus horribilis.” This has certainly been a horrible year for many citizens, a year defined by pandemic, strife, economic turmoil, and massive disruption in the workplace, all capped off with a stressful election. In this week's issue of Ragan’s Workplace Wellness Insider, we offer a contextual framework and exactly the kinds of insights that wellness teams need to keep their people safe, healthy and focused.—The Ragan Team TOP READS Study: An epidemic of stress roils America, including the workplace. The American Psychological Association sounds the alarm about the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated crises this year. How to engage employees after a tense election and a long, challenging year. Wellness and internal comms teams must reinforce expectations around civility and respect while exhibiting empathy during an unusually emotionally charged election cycle.  Curating the week in wellness: Shepherding staffers through election chaos, prioritizing financial well-being, and more. The week’s essential content and fresh industry pickings for well-being pros. Two companies share how recognition of health issues steered their D&I efforts. Novartis International and Ansira have diversity policies and a variety of initiatives designed to achieve better employee health. RESEARCH How isolation could be affecting your employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts from Virgin Pulse explored how social distancing and WFH could be affecting well-being—and what you can do to help.
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A survey from Mercer indicates that for next year, wellness professionals are focused mainly on all things virtual: Health and well-being, people management, and virtual learning. 9 steps to a sustainable workplace wellness program. Give employees a voice and a say, use gamification, consistently secure buy-in from top brass, and tie your initiative to intrinsic motivators.
RESOURCES OF WEEK Want to know what really enhances job satisfaction—with data that executives can’t ignore? Check out Ragan's Salary & Workplace Culture Survey, 2020 Edition, and learn whether your salary structure is within the norm and whether you're doing all you can to foster workplace happiness and optimize the employee experience.
Are you ready for your workforce to come back to the office? Communications will be at the heart of any successful effort to reboard your employees in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s how to plan for a changed business world. | 
