FACT: Mothers’ Day was not conceived to encourage people to be nice to their mothers. It was part of women’s effort to gain power to change modern society in the 1870s as a result of the carnage of the Civil War and Franco-Prussian War.
And doesn’t this relate to keeping people healthy? — And a supporting a healthy society, by keeping the peace and avoiding sending our troops into harm’s way?
Read Heather Cox Richardson’s article that revisits the origins of the Mothers’ Day anti-war movement (with the apostrophe not in the singular spot, but in the plural). Her moving tribute is included in “Letters from an American” – a newsletter about the history behind today’s politics. Link here.
MENTAL HEALTH
Don’t Demand Workers Be Resilient
Nudge them with a supportive environment
MIT Sloan Management Review
There’s a difference between demanding that everyone be mentally tough and actually helping them take care of their mental health. Being able to bounce back from stressful situations requires resilience, a great skill when it comes to work. However, too frequently, employers demand their workers grin and bear whatever tough stuff comes their way—and to do so on their own, without disturbing their colleagues. The truth is, it’s much, much easier to be resilient in an environment that makes it easy.
The new book co-authored by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy, “Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay” cites five actions leaders can take to create a workplace that supports resilience: make well-being a collective practice; look back at how far you’ve come as a team; use one-on-one meetings wisely; understand and adjust for different emotional expression tendencies; and create shared language. Read more here.
Virtual care programs for addiction are here to stay
It makes sense that people indulged more during the pandemic, using drugs and alcohol to deal with all the drama of lockdown, and the world in turmoil.
According to Employee Benefit News, “patients now have a plethora of options, ranging from DIY help apps to peer-reviewed programs endorsed and offered by health plans and employers. Patients appreciate that they can participate from the privacy of their homes, and health plans and employers value the high effectiveness rates — higher than traditional treatments, in many cases.”
Along with that, reaching out for help via digital platforms became popular by default. But now that folks are comfortable, telehealth solutions are here to stay. And that’s a good thing! Read more here.
LEADERSHIP
Netflix CEO Reveals 7 Unexpected Lessons Learned
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings expose’ on Netflix’s company culture reveals that working there is anything but laid-back. When the company hit rough times, the CEO expected morale to plummet. When the opposite happened, and the staff seemed more enthusiastic and got more done, he began to understand how talent density — keeping the high performers and booting everyone else — can transform organizations.
“This was my road to Damascus experience,” Hastings wrote in his 2020 book, No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention. “The lessons we learned became the foundation of much that has led to Netflix’s success.”
- Offer Feedback Anytime, Anywhere
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Pay People More Than They Expect
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Trusting People Is Worth the Risk
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Champion the Brilliant Idea Your Boss Hates
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Own Your Mistakes
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Practice the ‘Keeper Test’
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Give Context, Not Directions
Netflix Success Script: “Netflix has been able to hire and retain top talent and remain innovative largely because of the company’s commitment to hiring high performers, giving them lots of transparency and freedom, and avoiding imposing rules that might get in their way.”
Hastings admits that, to promote an environment with this much candor, “you have to get rid of the jerks.” Read more here.
CANNABIS INDUSTRY
Weed & Work: Dealing with legal marijuana on the job
With 31 states legalizing marijuana, it’s become a challenge for employers to penalize workers for using the substance.
“You have employees who were probably already consuming marijuana who now have legal access to it. “And you have employees who may have refrained from engaging but are now going to the fancy dispensary in their neighborhood and buying legal cannabis products.” Brett Gelbord, senior counsel with Dykema, focusing on labor and employment issues.
Rather than implementing more policies that promote testing, companies are being encouraged to instead foster a culture where it’s not taboo to speak about cannabis use, and one where it won’t impact employees’ relationships with work. It’s high time! Read more here.
FINANCE
Finding meaning in investing appeals to female clients
Women advisors are uniquely prepared to help female clients manifest their values into plans and actions, said speakers at the Women Adviser Summit. Listening is now advisors’ essential role, which plays to feminine strengths. So it makes sense that women advisers intuitively understand a perspective often held by women clients, that building wealth is not an end in itself, but must be meaningful along the way. Read more here.
“Women, especially, don’t just want that money in the bank. They want it to do something for them,” said Kristine McManus, chief advisor growth officer with Commonwealth.
CANCER CARE
Cigna’s Cancer Consult Service Shows 40% Benefitted
This month Cigna launched a much needed provider consulting service to connect patients with cancer subspecialty experts at the National Cancer Institute. Cigna is seeing that patients are benefiting from the latest innovations and research. Read more.
Eric Gratias, M.D., an oncologist and chief medical officer for eviCore, an Evernorth company that manages medical benefits explained, “By using our powerful analytics to identify patients with complex cancer cases, we can bring the right experts together at a critical time in an individual’s cancer journey to drive better health outcomes.”
EVENTS
- 18TH Annual Benefits-Pro Broker Expo. May 23 – 25, in person, Austin, Texas. Info here.
- InsurTech Insights USA 2022 Conference. May 25-26, In person, Javits Center, NYC. Info here.
- Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) Inclusion in Insurance Forum “Advancing Ideas into Action.” In person: New York, June 9 • Los Angeles, June 16 Chicago, June 20 • Dallas, June 22. Registration info here.
- National Association for Fixed Annuities (NAFA) 2022 Annuity Leadership Forum, in person, June 13-14, Washington, DC. Info here.
- OnRamp Insurance Conference: the leading conference for insurance innovation, June 15, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. Info here.
- National African-American Insurance Association (NAAIA) Juneteenth Event, June 16. Info here.
- NAHU 2022 Annual Convention: The Power of Story, in person: June 25 to 28, 2022 in Austin, Texas. Info here.
- IEAHU, OCAHU & SDAHU Senior Summit, Aug 23-25, in person, Pechanga resort, Temecula. Register here.