Tag: Holistic Health

Categories
Financial Wellness

The Emergency Fund: Help Your Team Build Theirs Even During A Pandemic

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, many employees learned the hard way how important having an emergency fund was. Having money tucked away in case of job loss, reduced income, or other large and unexpected expenses can help ease stress and create a financial buffer to keep one afloat during times of need without having to rely on credit cards or taking out a loan (both of which they might have difficulty paying off in the end).

“An emergency fund is a form of savings account. You keep it in the bank and only spend it on dire situations,” advises financial consultant Nicole Suarez. “Only when you have met your target amount can you explore putting the excess in investments.”

If your team is experiencing financial stress or need help building better budgeting habits, partner with MindNation to avail of 24/7 teletherapy sessions with WellBeing Coaches who can help ease their anxieties. Visit www.mindnation.com or email [email protected] now.

How much is needed?
“The general rule would be to set aside three to six months’ worth of living expenses,” Nicole suggests. But even then, she says that it also depends on one’s personal and financial circumstances. “Is the person a breadwinner? A parent? Or are they single and living with parents who provide for all their needs?” she enumerates. All these factors should be considered when computing how much money to set aside. For example, employees who are breadwinners will need to save even more, while those who are single can put small amounts into the emergency fund and just increase it over time. “The important thing is to build the habit,” she adds. 

How to build the fund during the pandemic

Replenishing an emergency fund on a reduced salary can be hard but it’s not impossible. Here are some suggestions you can offer your team members so that they can find extra money to set aside:

  1. Just start with what they can. Employees who are living paycheck to paycheck should not be expected to set aside an entire month’s salary right off the bat; it’s unrealistic and will set them up to fail. “Suggest that they set aside whatever they are comfortable with,” Nicole stresses. “When it comes to saving money, any amount will help.”
  2. Turn clutter into cash. “Look for things at home that they no longer need but can sell,” Nicole advises. These include pre-loved clothes, toys, and other household items. “Of course, they won’t be able to price them as high as they would want, but assure them that a small amount is better than nothing.”

“When it comes to saving money, any amount will help.”

Nicole Suarez, Financial consultant
  1. Cut down on expenses. “Remind them to be mindful of how much takeout they order in a month and to resist impulse buying during payday sales,” Nicole says. “Ask them to review their monthly subscriptions, like meal services or streaming services — is it possible to downgrade the subscription or cancel it entirely?”
  1. Look for other sources of income. “If your employee is particularly skilled at something, encourage them to turn it into a side business,” she suggests. This article by Forbes lists the reasons you should let your team moonlight: it will boost their financial health, give them an outlet for pursuing their passion, improve their creativity, and make them happier overall — all characteristics of a good employee.
    But to make sure that their side hustle does not interfere with their work in the company, clearly communicate your rules and boundaries during you regular one-on-one sessions; having an honest and open conversation will benefit you both. 
  2. Don’t go into debt. “An emergency fund is something that is built over time; because there is no pressure to come up with the money right away, it does not make sense to borrow money to fill it,” Nicole explains. 

During these uncertain times, an emergency fund can go a long way to boosting your team’s financial and mental health.

Categories
Financial Wellness

The Financial Accountability Partner: Your Buddy For Better Financial Health

Photo by olia danilevich on Pexels.com

An accountability partner is a person who helps another person keep a commitment. You can have an accountability partner for the different areas of your life — someone who will hold you to your work deadlines, another person to remind you to do your exercises for the day, or even a loved one to remind you to set your boundaries or to unplug at the end of the work day. And if you are struggling in some areas of your financial life, having a financial accountability partner can be a big help. Specifically, they can:

  1. Help you set financial goals
  2. Brainstorm the steps you need to take in order to achieve those goals
  3. Make sure you stay on track

How to find the right financial accountability partner

“A financial accountability partner does not have to be a financial adviser or financial planner, it’s just a bonus if they are,” assures Enery Franklin Dy, a licensed financial adviser and founder of Financial Literacy PH, an online community that aims to spread financial literacy and where anyone can talk freely about savings, budgeting, insurance, and investments. “Friends, family members, or even team members can be good accountability partners if they are enthusiastic about money and investments and practice good money habits.” If your organization partners with MindNation, MindNation WellBeing Coaches are also available to help team members build better financial habits or have a better relationship with money.

Friends, family members, or even team members can be good accountability partners if they are enthusiastic about money and investments and practice good money habits

Enery Franklin Dy, Financial Adviser

That being sad, it’s also important that the person you choose to be your financial accountability partner posses the following traits:

  • Trustworthiness. “Money is a sensitive issue, and some matters like salaries should be kept confidential,” Enery reminds.
  • Honesty. “They should be able to give you constructive criticism and push you to achieve your goals,” he adds.
  • Diligent with record-keeping. This is important if you need help budgeting, although Enery admits this is not a deal-breaker since there are already many apps available to help you track your money’s movements. 

At the end of the day, what’s more important is you find someone who has the same financial goals as you, or who has faced similar financial struggles as you but emerged successful. 

  And if you absolutely cannot find anyone who fits the above bill, communities like Financial Literacy PH and other personal finance groups are available to anyone interested. 

How to work with an accountability partner
Enery says there are no set rules on how often or how long you should meet; it can be daily or weekly, as long as it is done regularly and there is ample time to go over progress and answer any questions that you may have. And even if you don’t have a goal due for completion, it’s still advisable to check-in on your partner so that you monitor your progress and build the habit. 

And speaking of building habits — remember that just like with eating healthy or setting boundaries, doing the work is your responsibility. At the end of the day, your success will depend on the efforts you exerted. The financial accountability partner’s job is to simply listen to your progress and provide helpful suggestions if they can. 


The MindNation CareNow Plan© includes teletherapy sessions with WellBeing Coaches (available 24/7) to help team members build better habits or advance in their careers. Email [email protected] to learn more about what WellBeing Coaches can do for your organization.

Categories
Financial Wellness

Mariel Bitanga Of Simply Finance: 5 Rules For Better Financial Health

Photo by Bich Tran on Pexels.com

Contrary to popular belief, good financial well-being is not achieved by simply having a lot of money in the bank. For Mariel Bitanga of Simply Finance, a boutique financial planning firm committed to empowering Filipino women, having adequate savings is a good start but it’s also important to regard personal finance holistically. This means saving and spending your money properly, borrowing wisely, and setting clear financial goals. “Good financial health is all about balancing each of these pillars,” she advises. 

Mariel provides more specific tips below:

  1. Have a savings plan. Saving your money is good, but don’t fall into the trap of  becoming an over-saver, or someone who constantly puts away money — and just leaves them there. While over-saving is an admirable practice on the surface and is better than over-spending, it’s better to invest your savings in money market accounts or mutual funds so that the money grows in value over time. 

Another way to maximize your savings is to split them up into different accounts, each with its own purpose. “By opening multiple savings accounts, it becomes easier for you to identify financial goals and make sure you are on track to achieving them,” she says. 

  1. Stick to a budget. The basic rule of managing your expenses is to make sure you are not spending more than you earn. This does not mean, however, that  you should forego buying your ‘wants,’ be they make-up, fashion, toys, travel, etc. “Buying these are fine on occasion,” Mariel assures. “Just make sure you spend more on the things that are important to you and less on items that are not as important.”
  1. Borrow wisely. “It’s perfectly okay to have debt, but don’t take out a loan to buy frivolous things or because you are in competition with someone else’s standard of living,” Mariel advises. “If you must borrow money, do it to purchase things that will increase in value over time, like a house loan or to further your education.” 

“It’s perfectly okay to have debt, but don’t take out a loan to buy frivolous things or because you are in competition with someone else’s standard of living.”

Mariel Bitanga of Simply Finance

Furthermore, don’t forget to scrutinize the terms of the loan carefully before finalizing the deal. “Read the fine print, because some companies charge a higher interest rate after a certain number of years,” Mariel says. “Also check if the monthly repayments fit your budget or if they will bleed you dry. Lastly, make sure that the person or institution that you are borrowing from is licensed and legitimate so that you do not get scammed.” 

  1. Plan for the future. “Setting financial goals does not have to be intricate,” Mariel assures. “You can plan for as short as six months to as long as five years, although I recommend that you review your plan every year or even every quarter so that you can adjust accordingly.” For those who are wary of making plans because of the pandemic, Mariel counters that today’s uncertain times make financial planning even more important. “The more you don’t know what’s going to happen, the more you should have a roadmap that shows you where you see your money going, how you can optimize it, or even how you can attack debt, so that in case the situation worsens you at least have something to guide you.”
  2. Talk about personal finance with as many people as possible. Exchange personal best practices with peers and family members, not just with a financial adviser or financial planner. And rest assured that you do not have to be a financial expert to broach the topic with others. “The concepts about personal finance — such as saving and spending — are all very basic, simple, and what many of us already know to a certain extent,” Mariel shares. “Conversations about financial health need to be normalized. The less the topic is taboo, the more people can help each other to make smarter decisions about money.”

MindNation WellBeing Coaches can help you build better money management habits so that you can save, spend, borrow, and plan your money wisely. Message https://bit.ly/mn-chat  so you can book a teletherapy session now.

Categories
Financial Wellness

Money Talks: 5 Ways To Normalize The Conversation About Financial Matters With Your Employees

Photo by August de Richelieu on Pexels.com

In a previous post, we discussed how financial stress can affect an employee’s mental health and productivity at work. As a leader, one of the ways you can help your team members maintain good financial footing and achieve better well-being is to normalize talking about financial health. 

But because financial problems are extremely personal matters, they must be addressed carefully. According to a report by Canadian multinational insurance company and financial services provider Manulife, feelings of shame and embarrassment make it difficult for people to reveal money issues.

To remove the stigma facing financial conversations, Mariel Bitanga of Simply Finance, a boutique financial planning firm committed to empowering Filipino women, shares some ways you can approach the topic with your team members without seeming too intrusive or judgmental.

  1. Make sure you are giving your employees the right wages and government benefits. “The first step to ensuring that your employees have good financial health is making sure they receive what is rightfully due to them,” Mariel reminds.
  2. Regularly hold company-wide activities that actively promote or raise awareness about financial well-being. “If you are holding mental health awareness activities, why not have a Financial Awareness Week or even a Financial Health Month?” Mariel asks. “If your Human Resources Department is not equipped to facilitate finance-related activities, you can opt to invite experts to come and give talks about personal finance or smart investments.” Sessions like these usually lead participants to comfortably discuss their learnings with their peers afterwards and break the stigma about financial health. MindNation conducts virtual trainings to help employees take charge of their personal finances and make smart money decisions. Sessions are facilitated by licensed financial planners and financial health advocates. To book this talk for your organization, email [email protected].
     
  3. Include the topic in performance reviews or regular one-on-ones. Just like how you should frequently check-in on your team member’s physical and mental health, it’s important to do a financial health check as well. “Push through the embarrassment and have a frank talk about wages and expected bonuses or salary increases. Knowing this information can even incentivize employees to perform better at work,” Mariel points out.

Just like how you should frequently check-in on your team member’s physical and mental health, it’s important to do a financial health check as well.

Mariel Bitanga of Simply Finance


4. Have an open-door policy. “Make your employees feel that they can come to you anytime if they need advice or discuss anything related to money struggles,” shares Mariel. “This way they feel safe instead of being scared to bring up concerns about their salary or benefits.”

5. And when concerns do arise, be honest and transparent. In case an employee asks for something more than you can give, i.e. a salary increase or a promotion, Mariel advises that you stick to the facts and not let emotions get in the way. Instead of saying something like ‘We’re all affected by this pandemic, don’t ask for a raise,’ present to them the company rules or policies involving raises and promotions. “Has the employee done something to merit a salary increase?” Mariel says. “Make it transparent so that expectations are clear and you do not give false hope.”  

Now, if the said employee comes back to you with a list of all their achievements but the company is really in a tight financial spot, be honest. “Apologize, explain the situation, and graciously tell the employee that you will not take it against them if they decide to look for opportunities elsewhere,” Mariel suggests. This way, there are no hard feelings on both sides.

By normalizing the conversation about financial health, you encourage your employees to talk more openly about their financial needs, share ideas and best practices, and make them more compelled to work on their financial wellbeing. Download our free Achieving Financial Wellbeing toolkit https://bit.ly/MN_financialtoolkit to learn how else you can help your employees increase their financial health, meet their short-term and long-term financial goals, and balance today’s challenges with tomorrow’s needs.

Categories
Financial Wellness

10 Ways Financial Stress Impacts Employee Productivity

Photo by energepic.com on Pexels.com

In a survey of more than 6,000 full-time employees in the Philippines, financial pressure was ranked as the second source of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic (the first one being fears of the COVID-19 virus).
.  
Organizations that fail to address financial stress are more likely to encounter poor work performance. This is because a team member who is overwhelmed by money worries will most likely experience a decline in physical and mental health and productivity, specifically:

  1. Physical ailments such as headaches, gastrointestinal problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. In countries without free healthcare, money worries may also cause a person to delay or skip seeing a doctor for fear of incurring additional expenses.
  2. Insomnia or sleep difficulties due to worrying about unpaid bills or loss of income.
  3. Weight gain or loss. A person may resort to overeating to cope with financial stress, or may even skip meals to save money.
  4. Depression. People who struggle with debt are three times more likely to feel down and hopeless, and struggle to concentrate or make decisions.
  5. Anxiety. Uncertainties about one’s financial situation may leave the person feeling vulnerable and distressed. Also, constantly worrying about unpaid bills or loss of income can trigger anxiety symptoms such as a pounding heartbeat, sweating, shaking, and even panic attacks.
  6. Relationship difficulties.  Money is often cited as the one of most common issues couples argue about. Left unchecked, financial stress can make one angry and irritable, cause a loss of interest in sex, and destroy the relationship if differences cannot be worked out in a constructive way.
  7. Social withdrawal. Financial stress can cause an individual to withdraw from friends, curtail their social life, and retreat into their shell — which will only aggravate stress.
  8. Unhealthy coping methods. Money stress can lead to drinking too much, abusing prescription drugs, taking illegal drugs, gambling, overeating, or suicidal ideations and self-harm. 
  9. Increase in absenteeism. Absenteeism is defined as the practice of regularly staying away from work without good reason. According to the 2020 Financial Stress Survey conducted by John Hancock, a U.S-based insurance company, the average number of work days missed due to financial stress more than doubled from 2019 to 2020. 
  10. Reduced productivity. This is because even if employees are not missing work, they are bringing the worry to work, which has an impact on productivity and related cost to employers. Nearly 6 in 10 workers say they worry about personal finances at least once a week at work, and in terms of lost productivity, the John Hancock survey said that the amount of time spent brooding over personal finances at work equates to over 47 hours per year (equivalent to six working days) .

“The average number of work days missed due to financial stress more than doubled from 2019 to 2020.” 

John Hancock 2020 Financial Stress Survey



Additionally, there is a cyclical link between financial stress and mental health problems:

  • The decline in mental health makes it even harder to manage money because the person may find it harder to concentrate or lack the energy at work to tackle a mounting pile of bills. Or they may lose income by taking time off work due to anxiety or depression.
  • These difficulties managing money lead to more financial problems and worsening mental health problems.

When employees receive help and support for their financial stress, they become more focused at work and experience improved overall well-being. Download our free Achieving Financial Wellbeing toolkit https://bit.ly/MN_financialtoolkit to learn how you can help your employees increase their financial health, meet their short-term and long-term financial goals, and balance today’s challenges with tomorrow’s needs. 

Categories
Employee Wellness

Eric Santillan: 7 Simple Ways Managers Can Reduce Workplace Stress

Photo by Yan Krukov on Pexels.com

Eric Santillan’s road to psychology, counseling, and organizational development started — of all places — when he was studying to be a Jesuit priest in the early 2000s. “Jesuit formation is very psycho-spiritual,” he explains. So apart from studying theology, he also trained as a career and marriage counselor, moderated student organizations in the university, and even designed curriculums for schools. In 2006, he left theology school to become a full-time psychologist and counselor.

Today, Eric is a member of the MindNation Scientific Board, a relationship counselor, and a productivity and Organizational Development consultant. “As an OD consultant, organizations come to me when they have issues and problems and need clarity,” he explains. “And then I use organizational and management tools to help their people thrive and reach their full potential.”

Stress during the COVID-19 pandemic
One of things Eric realized in his 22-year career as an OD consultant was that big problems stem from minor irritations. “Little stresses build up over time and if they are not addressed, they blow up,” he shares.

An example would be the issue of workplace stress. A MindNation Pulse Survey of more than 6,000 full-time employees in the Philippines taken from September 2020 to April 2021 revealed that 61% of respondents are feeling stressed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eric clarifies, however, that the pandemic did not cause this spike in stress; rather, it simply magnified stressful situations that would — pre-pandemic — have otherwise been just considered to be inconveniences. “People already had mental health challenges before the pandemic; the pandemic just highlighted them and made them very real,” he explains. Some examples of these stressful situations:

  1. Bad management practices. Employees were already dealing with long working hours, heavy workload, job insecurity, and conflicts with co-workers or bosses long before the pandemic, but they have become more overwhelming now due to pandemic-related stressors like work-life imbalance, isolation, managing fears about the COVID-19 virus, and financial insecurity.
  2. Limited physical and psychological space. Prior to the pandemic, parents could take a breather from child-care duties and other household responsibilities by sending their kids to school or just leaving the house for some “me-time” at a nearby coffee shop. But school closures and social distancing policies now meant that people are stuck at home 24/7 with little to no reprieve.
  3. Missing support systems. “Deaths in the family and becoming a new parent are stressful transitions, and the pandemic has erased whatever support we would normally get during these major life changes,” Eric points out. Mourning rituals have been shortened, grandparents can no longer visit to help babysit — the people most affected by these transitions have no choice but to struggle on their own. 


How stress affects work
If left unaddressed, stress can contribute to decreased organizational performance, decreased employee overall performance, high error rate and poor quality of work, high staff turnover, and absenteeism due to physical and mental health problems.

As a manager, it is therefore important to take steps to ensure that employees are not subjected to unnecessary stress. “For a business to thrive, all elements have to be operating at their peak. So in the same way that you conduct preventive maintenance on your machines to make sure they are always running 100%, so should you have a program in place that makes sure your people are always at their best,” Eric says.

How to reduce workplace stress
While managers and leaders cannot address all the stresses that a team member is struggling with in their personal lives, there some things that they can do to make the workplace less stressful:

  1. Ask yourself: ‘Am I the source of stress?’ It’s possible you are inadvertently causing your employees stress, so be open to feedback about your leadership style. Another way to find out is to check the turnover rate in your department. “In teaching, there is a concept called ‘student factor’ or ‘teacher factor,’” Eric relates. “When one or two students fail in a class,that’s probably a student factor; but if 10 or 15 people flunk, then that’s a red flag, it’s a sign that there is probably an issue with the teacher. So it’s the same with workplace turnover– is it an employee factor or a manager factor? In some companies I have worked with, managers get sent for retraining if a certain number of people resign over a certain amount of time.”
  2. Get to know your team. Take into account the personal lives of employees and recognise that the demands of home will sometimes clash with the demands of work. “Letting your team know that they are not just workers, but that they’re recognized as individuals, goes a long way,” Eric says.
  3. Praise in public, correct in private. This simply means that when you have something positive to say about a team member, make sure others are aware of the praise; but if you are issuing a correction or reprimand, handle it one-on-one. Praising in public pumps up the self-esteem of the team member, while handing out negative feedback privately ensures that the employee is not publicly shamed in front of his or her peers. The latter creates stress and resentment, and damages morale.
  1. Mess creates stress. Disorganization contributes to stress, so always be clear when relaying instructions, Make sure that everyone is properly trained for their job, and encourage an environment where employees can openly raise concerns about their duties and workload.
  2. Try to celebrate small wins. Don’t wait for a project to end so you can celebrate; instead, break up the projects into milestones, and give positive feedback when people do a good job. “A company I know gives a small fund to each department, so that team members can treat themselves whenever they feel there is a cause for celebration,” Eric shares.
  3. Practice what you preach. “Don’t say anything that you will not do yourself,” Eric cautions. So model work-life balance and stress management techniques so that employees down the line will follow suit.
  1. Partner with a mental health and well-being company that addresses mental health challenges holistically. This means working with an Employee Assistance Program provider that addresses all dimensions of an employee’s well-being — physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and cultural — because you cannot have one without the other. 

And if you do already have an Employee Assistance Program in place, don’t rely on it to be the cure-all for all your team’s well-being concerns. “Addressing workplace stress is not just the work of the EAP partner,” Eric shares. “It should be part of the organization’s culture.” This means normalizing the conversation about mental health in everyday interactions, granting paid mental health leaves, or even giving special mental health assistance to employees being groomed for leadership roles so they do not feel overwhelmed or stressed. “This way, the mental health program becomes holistic and robust, not just something offered on the side,” he adds.

“Workplace stress is a management issue,”

Eric Santillan

“Workplace stress is a management issue,” Eric concludes. A great manager is aware of their team member’s stress levels and takes proactive steps to reduce stress in the workplace. By reducing workplace stress, you not only improve the lives of your team members, you create an environment where they enjoy coming to work each day and become more productive. 


MindNation is a mental health and well-being company that uses a data-based approach to create proactive, customized, holistic health programs for your employees. Partner with us to build happier, healthier, and more productive teams. Visit www.mindnation.com now!

Categories
Featured

Auie Macapaz Of AVON: Normalizing Mental Health Today For A Better Tomorrow

As Talent and Organizational Development Manager of direct selling beauty company Avon Cosmetics Inc. (ACI) in the Philippines, Laurice “Auie” Macapaz oversees the mental health and welfare of close to 300 employees. Not an easy task during the COVID-19 pandemic as team members are grappling with fatigue, anxieties about job security and income, and other mental health challenges.

But the realization that the company needed the services of a mental health and well-being company started back in 2018, when two ACI associates were diagnosed with clinical depression. “Back then mental health programs were not yet mainstream for organizations, so it was only when we were faced with this particular challenge that we saw how lacking our mental health coverage was,” Auie relates. Because the costs of psychiatric consultations and medicines were not included in their then-healthcare provider’s plan, the two Avon associates had a hard time managing their symptoms. 

“While we tried our very best and worked closely with our company doctor, the fact remained that we didn’t have anything in our program that could specifically address the needs of associates with mental health conditions.”

Laurice “Auie” Macapaz, AVON Talent and Organizational Development Manager

Additionally, even the direct manager of the two employees was at a loss on how to provide care. “None of us knew how to properly give support because we lacked awareness and training about mental health,” she shares. “While we tried our very best and worked closely with our company doctor, the fact remained that we didn’t have anything in our program that could specifically address the needs of associates with mental health conditions.”

In the end, the two associates opted to resign from the company because their psychiatrist told them that it would be better for their health if they just took time off from work. “If we had the services of a professional to help them navigate what they were going through, they would probably have lasted longer in  the organization, or at the very least, would have been able to manage their condition better,” Auie laments.

This where MindNation came in
MindNation fulfilled Auie’s wish for ACI to have a well-being program that is focused on holistic health and customized for each employee’s needs. The partnership recently celebrated its first anniversary, and proved that achieving good workplace mental health is a marathon, not a sprint. 

 “It was a slow start in the beginning, very few of our associates were availing of the 24/7 teletherapy services,” Auie admits. “This is because many of our associates come from a generation where if you tell them you are depressed or anxious, they would respond with ‘Oh, just pray about it,’ or ‘You’ll feel happier if we go out for a meal.’ They believe that you should only talk to a psychologist if things are already dire.”

Auie and the rest of ACI’s Human Resources department worked to change this mindset by exerting efforts to normalize talking about mental health and therapy during monthly check-in sessions. “I would nonchalantly tell the associates ‘Oh, I have had four sessions with a MindNation WellBeing Coach already and this is what I learned,’” she says. “I even shared with them that my teenage son has also been seeing a WellBeing Coach and it’s helped him so much this way and that.” Because of these initiatives by HR, bookings for sessions started to increase.

Another obstacle that Auie and MindNation encountered was ACI’s low open rate for the weekly newsletters (WellBeing Boosts) that MindNation sends to all its client-partners. “In the beginning, only 10% of the recipients were reading those emails,”  Auie reveals. She admits that this is because the associates are so swamped with work and correspondence on a daily basis that if the email does not come directly from their boss, they will not bother to open it. 

To solve this problem, Auie and MindNation decided that instead of sending emails to each and every employee, MindNation would send the materials to Auie, who in turn would upload them on the Facebook group page of Avon Philippines’ associates. “We have about 250 members in that Facebook group, and for the past few months I have been getting 160 views each upload. So from a 10% open rate,it’s now at more than 60%, which is not bad,” she proudly shares. 

But more than these numbers, Auie is happy that there is now a change in attitude of the employees about mental health. “I see it when our associates attend the MindNation Company Culture Drive Talks every month,” she shares. “Before, they would just sit there and listen; now they are interacting with the speaker more. Before, when the speaker would start off by asking them how they are feeling, they would just say ‘I am fine’ or ‘I am okay;’ but now they are more authentic in their feelings, they are divulging more emotions and acknowledging how they are really feeling.” 

Special group session

Auie is also thankful to MindNation for instances when the company went above and beyond what was required of it. “Last month, one our Business Development Managers (BDM) shared during a MindNation Group Session that one of the members of her sales team committed suicide, and that she was feeling guilty and sad about it,” she shares. “The WellBeing Coach facilitating the session picked up on that and a few days later, MindNation reached out to us and offered a free session for that BDM and other associates who knew that person who passed, to help them cope and make sense of their emotions. I think that was a great thing, it was more than what MindNation signed up for, and I really appreciated that.” 

Future plans
There is still a long way to go. “My wish is that those who had teletherapy sessions would share their experience with others, so that those who are shy or hesitant will also get help,” Auie says.

Plans are also underway to train select ACI team members to become wellbeing champions in the organization. “I am so excited for those people to get trained in mental health first-aid and become the go-to people of our associates if they have questions about the different mental health services that MindNation is offering, so that they can get the help they need,” she adds.

Ultimately, Auie’s dream is for Avon representatives to become multipliers of mental health and well-being. “I want to normalize mental health and well-being so that we can become each other’s active supporter in dealing with mental health challenges,” she says. “At ACI, we have almost a million people in our sales force — many of them women — and all our field associates have access to them. Our company mission is to empower women, so if we could teach these women and mothers how they can take care of themselves and others better by normalizing the conversation about mental health, then the world will be a better place.”

Auie highly recommends that other companies partner with a mental health and well-being company as a way of supporting their HR team. “Times are hard now and we cannot do it alone,” she says. “I cannot imagine being in this pandemic, taking care of all my people, and going through this roller coaster of emotions without the assistance of MindNation.”

MindNation can help you build happier, healthier, and more productive teams. Visit www.mindnation.com to know more. 

Categories
Featured

Raymund Sison Of Propel: Nurturing Well-being And Creativity To Make Ideas That Matter

Advertising agencies can be fun and exciting places to work for, but the industry is also known for being highly fast -paced, extremely competitive, and its staff constantly under intense pressure to come up with great ideas on a regular basis. 


But Raymund Sison wanted a different kind of work culture. The Creative Chief of independent digital agency Propel Manila, together with other members of the company’s leadership team, constantly strives to create an organization that puts their people’s well-being over profit. 

And their efforts are paying off. Today, Propel Manila is not only a highly successful creative agency — it counts as its clients fast-food giant Jollibee and luxury brand Kiehl’s — it is locally and internationally recognized for its advocacy works such as Recreate Pride 2020, Complex Emojis (this one in partnership with MindNation; more on that later), Pride @ Tech, and Love Versus Hate.

“I believe creatives and communications professionals have a duty to offer our best and brightest ideas to help solve the world’s most pressing problems,” Raymund says. “We should use our creativity to create ideas that truly matter to the community.”

Keeping creative

“Creativity is not just about doing design or writing; you can be creative in every little thing you do at your office, even if you’re an accounting firm or an engineering company,” Raymund points out. “It’s about finding more innovative ways to do your accounting in the middle of the pandemic, or using digital means to make your engineering even more robust and secure.”

When team members are creative, they solve problems faster and easier than ever before, discover new ideas that will keep clients interested and engaged, and help businesses adapt, innovate, and thrive — — all necessary during these trying times when tried-and-tested business methods are no longer working.

If your team is struggling to be creative because of the pandemic, here are five tips from Raymund on how to get their brains fired up and thriving: 

1. Prioritize the team’s well-being. “When people are well, they do well; and when  they do well, the business does well,” he points out. “At Propel, we believe that the best kind of talent development is human development, so we created programs that will help our team grow professionally, mentally, and emotionally.”

To start, Propel has a Mind Matters Program, a mental health and well-being policy that includes free mental health cards and mental check-ups for staff, weekly talks and forums on mental health, and the designation of the last Wednesday of every month as Mind Day, a no-work day. 

Raymund also encourages his team to take a rest whenever they need it. “I always encourage my people to please tell me how I can help them be better, be creative, or be a better human being,” he says. “If they are stressed, then I will give them the time to breathe.”

2. Promote inclusivity. Safe spaces boost creativity because when a person feels safe, they can be more open about their thoughts and ideas. “Openness is the foundation of creative thinking,” Raymund points out. 

Propel does this by making sure their office is inclusive and respectful of everyone’s rights. “Our bathrooms at the office are gender neutral; we also have a Pride at Propel group in the office for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer employees,” he shares. “Recently, there were talks in our industry about harassment, so right away we made sure to reifnorce our anti-harassment and anti-discrimination polcies to make sure that we have a safe environment for everyone.

 3. Support diversity. Raymund is proud to say that half of Propel’s 70-plus team is female, while 19% are members of the LGBTQ+ community. “We like to keep our talents as diverse as possible because when you put them together and make them work on one goal, that is where brilliance happens,” he says.

4. Practice servant-leadership. “To quote from Simon Sinek, ‘Leadership is not being in charge, it’s taking care of those in our charge,’” Raymond declares. “My leadership style is very much a combination of a kuya (big bother) and barkada (friend); there’s a lot of care but I’ll also be the first one to call you out if needed. I believe that calling out is a way of showing care, because you are telling your team the truth on how they can be better.”

5. Walk the talk. Propel espouses purposiveness — how can the team use their creativity to help the community? “And because mental health is one of our main advocacies, we feel it’s important that we spread the word about the importance of well-being in the workplace and the community,” Raymund says. “This is where our partnership with MindNation comes in.”

Last July 2020, the two companies worked together to create the world’s first ever Complex Emojis, free social media stickers and gifs which users can post to communicate their hard-to-understand and complicated emotions. The ad for this was named a finalist in the 2021 Ad Stars, the world’s only international advertising festival which combines creativity with cutting-edge technology, and also in the  Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards, the creative show that celebrates creativity with positive world impact. 


In August of that same year, Propel Manila Culture Head Mau Valenzuela joined MindNation CEO Kana Takahasi and Head of Communications and Content Cat Trivino for a Mental Health Matters Livestream via Facebook, where they discussed mental health in the advertising industry, and how leaders can have better mental health care practices in the workplace. 


Lastly, to mark Pride Month last June 2021, Propel partnered with MindNation for the latter’s toolkit on supporting LGBTQ well-being at work, which is a guide for business leaders on how they can make their workplaces safe and inclusive for their queer employees.

“I want my team to continue to create more ideas that matter to the world,” Raymond says. “Creativity is such a superpower and I want to use it as a force for good, to make people better, to change behaviors, and make the world a little better than it was before. Right now is a pivotal time in our society. More than ever, we need to come up with insightful, innovative, and empathetic solutions that can help address humanity’s needs. For me, the pandemic is not an excuse to not have great ideas; there’s no better time to be creative than today.”

Are you passionate about workplace well-being? Partner with us to build a world where mental health is valued, accepted, and supported. Visit www.mindnation.com or email [email protected] to know more! 

Categories
Featured

5 Etiquette Rules For Interacting With Persons With Disabilities

One billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability, according to the World Health Organization. Despite this large number, there are still many able-bodied people who do not know how to properly act towards persons with disabilities (PWDs). They stare, use the wrong words to refer to the disabled person, or even make insensitive jokes. “Most of the time, these are not done intentionally,” says Ed Geronia, a writer, technology entrepreneur, and who has a mobility impairment due to polio. “People just don’t know any better because there is still a lack of awareness about the situation of PWDs, they only know about disabilities from what they see in the media.”

““When in doubt, it’s always okay to ask a PWD ‘What should I call you?’ or ‘What’s the proper way to refer to you?’”

Ed Geronia, Writer, Technology Entrepreneur

It’s important that able-bodied people learn how to interact with PWDs properly so that they will not inadvertently hurt or offend them. Treating someone differently based on their appearance or a certain characteristic is a form of discrimination, and targets of discrimination often suffer effects ranging from low self-esteem to a higher risk of developing stress-related disorders such as anxiety and depression. “At my age, I can brush off jokes and not be as easily offended, but it can be harder for younger PWDs,” points out Ed. “They internalize these hurtful words and actions and those make it harder for them to adapt to society.” 

If a loved one with a disability is struggling with mental health challenges because of the way they are treated by others, our psychologists are available 24/7 for teletherapy sessions. Book a session now through https://bit.ly/mn-chat.

Ed shares some tips below for properly interacting with people with disabilities.

  1. Never assume what a PWD can or cannot do. “Don’t think that someone who cannot go up or down a flight of stairs,” says Ed. “I can be just as adept as an able-bodied person as long as I have my cane and there are handrails. Similarly, don’t assume that all deaf people cannot communicate properly; they can, it’s just their mode of communication is different from ours.”

    So if a loved one or colleague is a PWD, learn as much as you can about their disability by joining online resource groups or communities. “When you understand their situation more, you will realize that many of your assumptions are unfounded,” he adds.
  2. Be patient. It takes persons with disabilities a longer time to complete tasks compared to able-bodied people. “The world in general is not very PWD-friendly,” Ed shares. For example, not all countries have audible signal lights to aid the sight-impaired, or wide sidewalks for those who need to use wheelchairs. So if, for example, you are accompanying a person with a  mobility impairment up a flight of stairs, or standing in line at the automated teller machine behind a person with a sight impairment, don’t rush them. Instead, ask what you can do to assist.
  3. Always ask before you help. On more than one occasion, Ed has experienced helpful strangers snatching his cane away from him in their eagerness to assist when they encounter him going up or down the stairs. “I know they’re just trying to help, but when they take my cane away out of the blue, it throws me off-balance and I either trip or fall,” he shares. “I usually have to tell them ‘It’s okay, I can manage.’” 

Another example — when you see someone in a wheelchair going up a ramp and they are steadily ascending, just let them be; don’t suddenly grab the handlebars and start pushing, you will just jolt the person and impact their balance. 

So before you help someone, ask first if they would require assistance, and don’t be offended if your offer is declined.“Many of us are just doing things at our own pace and even though it may seem to you that we are struggling, we are fine and would rather complete the task on our own,” Ed adds.  

  1. Avoid inappropriate language. Commonly accepted terminology includes “people/persons with disabilities” and “a person with a visual/hearing/physical/speech/cognitive impairment.” On the other hand, offensive terms include: wheelchair-bound (use wheelchair-user), victim of, suffers from, retarded, deformed, or crippled. “When in doubt, it’s always okay to ask a PWD ‘What should I call you?’ or ‘What’s the proper way to refer to you?’” Ed assures.

For this same reason, do not describe a person as disabled or handicapped unless it is clearly pertinent to the conversation. Do not say “Do you remember my friend Robert, the deaf lawyer?” Instead, just say “Do you remember my friend Robert, the lawyer?” 

  1. Educate yourself. By learning about the different forms of disabilities, you also learn how you can bring about the necessary changes needed to improve how you interact with them. For those who want to get started, Ed recommends the following books and movies:
  • The Theory of Everything (film). Tells the struggle that world-renowned genius Stephen Hawking went through while dealing with his motor-neurone disease.
  • Crip Camp (film). A critically-acclaimed documentary film about a camp designed for teens with disabilities and how these campers became disability rights activists. 
  • Sound of Metal (film). About a heavy metal drummer who loses his hearing.
  • Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law (book). A memoir by Haben Girma, a disability rights advocate and the first deaf-blind graduate of Harvard Law School.
  • Criptionary (book). A humorous collection that brings attention to the everyday struggles and obstacles faced by persons with disabilities 
  • I See Things Differently: A First Look At Autism (book). Written for kids, it will help them understand what autism is and how it affects someone who has it.

Persons with disabilities are human too. By acknowledging their differences as you would acknowledge anyone else’s uniqueness, you show them the respect and empathy that they deserve and avoid unconsciously offending or hurting them.

Categories
Employee Wellness Work in the New Normal

3 Tips To Boost Trust Between Remote Team Members

In the book “New Insights On Trust In Business-To-Business Relationships,” authors Sandra Simas Garca and James Barry state that when buyers and suppliers enjoy high levels of cognitive trust among themselves — that is, they are confident in the other person’s ability to do the job — it leads to better communication, easier conflict resolution, and more collaboration. 

The same benefits can extend to members of your remote team so as a leader, it’s important you ensure that everyone is working hand in hand to achieve company goals. “Trust is the only way teamwork can happen because if teammates don’t trust one another, there will be conflict and resentment,” advises Darlyn Ty-Nilo, President and Managing Director of Viviamo, Inc., a custom publishing and marketing company that creates various paper products for specific target markets. “Conflict will lead to lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and, finally, inattention to results.” 

“If someone in your junior’s family got hospitalized, for example, or if a peer’s home got flooded after heavy rains — these will affect their mental health and productivity. By knowing where they are coming from, you can make the necessary adjustments and support.”

Darlyn Ty-Nilo, Viviamo Inc. President

Darlyn shares three tips for building trust and boosting teamwork among team members:

  1. Create avenues for deliberate communication and work visibility.
    These are the first two principles of the “Visible Teamwork” framework created by podcast host, author, and career coach Pilar Orti. “It means creating structures where team members are continuously talking to and aligning with each other,” says Darlyn.  “When people are constantly updating each other about their work, it’s easier to find out who needs help or how ideas can be further refined.” 

In this time of remote working, this means making attendance to virtual check-ins and alignments mandatory. At Viviamo, Inc., for example, Monday mornings are sacred because this is when they hold their town hall meeting  — all of their 17 employees gather virtually and spend up to two hours aligning on priorities of the week and other matters. On top of these, departments are expected to hold their own regular meetings every week. 

It also means utilizing dashboards, collaboration tools, and chat groups to keep track of deliverables and project status in real time. “So if you see, for example, that the target was not met today, you can act on it right away and do better tomorrow, instead of waiting to act on it at the end of the month. By then, everyone is already stressed and anxious,” she points out.


2. Know your team member’s context and mood. Part of creating deliberate communication is making an effort to get to know your team members on a personal level. This is because an employee’s mood, emotion, and overall disposition can impact their job performance, decision making, creativity, turnover, teamwork, negotiations, and leadership. “If someone in your junior’s family got hospitalized, for example, or if a peer’s home got flooded after heavy rains — these will affect their mental health and productivity. By knowing where they are coming from, you can make the necessary adjustments and support,” Darlyn explains.

To encourage team members to open up, Darlyn has instituted a buddy system among Viviamo’s employees. Each group is composed of three to four members and they must follow one rule — no shop talk allowed. “They are just supposed to check-in on each other’s mental and emotional state,” she relates. Groupings are changed every quarter so that there is enough time for members to build relationships but also have opportunities to get to know others in the organization. 

3. Make time for planned spontaneity. This is the third and final piece of the Visible Teamwork framework. “Building trust cannot be all related to work,” suggests Darlyn. Virtual coffee hangouts, drinking sessions, and other virtual teambuilding activities increase trust  in the workplace because they allow  team members to relate better to their colleagues. Encourage everyone to participate in these bonding sessions, but don’t force attendance on those who beg off; instead, explore other options for establishing interpersonal relationships such as casual one-on-ones or more frequent chats with their buddies. 

Teamwork brings numerous benefits to companies. It fosters cooperation, broadens different perspectives and ideas which might end up bringing much better results, and increases productivity. 

MindNation conducts bi-annual Pulse Surveys so that managers can understand employee struggles, how they feel about the company, and flag possible sources of stress. Those who are struggling can avail of 24/7 teletherapy session with psychologists and WellBeing Coaches or participate in Group Sessions. For more information about our services, visit www.mindnation.com or email [email protected].