YMCA WorkWell

Did you know that while 87% of employees report they are productive at work, only 12% of leaders report feeling confident that their team is productive (Microsoft, 2022)? Check out this article by Dr. Kate Toth, Director of Learning and Development at YMCA WorkWell, to learn about the link between trust and productivity in the workplace. Dr. Kate Toth also shares strategies for meaningfully engaging employees and enhancing collaboration. ⬇️ https://okt.to/OPNAXU #article #blogs #leadership #charity #nonprofit #philanthropy #charities #nonprofits #notforprofit #blog #blogging #nonprofitwork #nonprofitlife #network #association #nonprofitorganization #community #Canada #productivity #workplace #WorkplaceMentalHealth #employers #employee #managerial #management #disconnection #HR #HumanResources

Did you hear the news? WorkWell is launching a new Leadership Certification starting February 2025! Visit our website for more details and to save your spot! https://lnkd.in/gPRykj5U

𝗡𝗼𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹-𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗔 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 I recently stumbled upon the "Insights to Impact 2024 Workplace Well-being Report" from YMCA WorkWell, and the findings are alarming, but also contain a powerful call to action for those of us working in the nonprofit sector. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹-𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀, 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. These issues aren't just impacting our highly committed workforce; they're directly affecting the quality of services we provide to our communities. Here are some key takeaways that every nonprofit leader, employee, and supporter should consider: 😥 Burnout is rampant in our sector: A staggering 1 in 4 nonprofit employees are experiencing burnout "Often" or "Extremely Often", another third experiences it "often" which translates to approximately 625,000 people nationwide! 💰 The financial and human cost of doing nothing is significant: The report estimates that the current level of burnout is driving 500,000 employees to consider leaving their roles in the next six months, representing a potential loss of $6.7 billion to the sector. ⭐ Employee recognition is crucial for well-being and retention: Employees who feel undervalued and under-appreciated are far more likely to experience burnout and seek new opportunities. The report found that 52% of employees with unhealthy recognition scores reported regular burnout, while those with healthy recognition scores were four times less likely to experience burnout. 🧘♂️ Employee well-being is inextricably linked to community well-being: The report provides compelling evidence that when nonprofit staff members are struggling, the communities we serve also suffer. It is crucial to prioritize well-being and provide employees with tools and support needed to achieve this in our sector. What are some actions non-profit leaders can take to ensure their staff aren't stretched too thin and feel adequately recognized? Let me know in the comments! #NonProfitManagement #EmployeeRecognition #MentallWellBeing #NonProfitLeadership #CanadianNonProfit Photo by Austin Neill on Unsplash

Our newest blog is here! Click the link to read and explore all the details about our exciting new Leadership for Well-Being certificate program, launching February 2025! https://lnkd.in/gPBpGzUv

Collecting employee feedback and insights is a really important tool in building a healthy and innovative culture. I'm grateful to live at a time where more and more organizations are starting to take employee data seriously, but there are still many areas where leaders often fall short throughout the process, and one of the biggest and most underrated ones is the communication back. An employee feedback channel doesn't work without trust in the process and one of the quickest ways to lose that trust is by failing to communicate back what you're hearing. Our YMCA WorkWell team has worked with enough leadership teams to know they really do take employee data to heart, but here's the reality: employees don't know the conversations that happen behind closed doors. Without that feedback loop coming back to them, it can feel like they're just shouting into a void... and guess what will happen the next time they're asked to provide their feedback? Here are some places to start in closing that feedback loop: 1️⃣ Send an immediate response of appreciation after a survey closes. Thank them for their feedback, let them know how many employees responded, and provide clear information on next steps. When will you have the report? When will you meet as a leadership team to discuss it? 2️⃣ Identify some quick wins, execute on them as soon as possible, and be clear that the changes are happening because of the feedback that was provided. I've seen these quick wins be everything from changing a moldy carpet in a break room to overwhelming frustrations about a slight procedural change that was easy to change back. 3️⃣ Once you've digested the data and identified your primary areas of action - that includes both targeting opportunity areas and leveraging your strengths - communicate them back to employees. You don't need a crystal clear plan in place to do this and if you're waiting for that moment, you're probably waiting too long. Identify what you want to do based on their feedback, communicate why you're taking it seriously, and identify some places that you're hoping to start. 4️⃣ When it's time for your next round of data collection, highlight the work that you've done based on the last round of feedback. What progress has been made? What is still to come? What impact did your employees' voices have last round? The employee feedback process only works if employees believe that their feedback matters. And it's up to leaders to convey that clearly and intentionally. What else do you do to communicate employee data back to your teams? What have you seen work and what have you seen fall flat?

Wellness and Well-Being Are Not the Same One more time for the people at the back… Over the past few weeks, two articles have come out from highly respected sources (Gallup and HBR). At the heart of their messages is that employee well-being is not improving despite significant investment. As someone who's passionate about supporting healthy, thriving workplaces, I have to get something off my chest: wellness and well-being are not the same thing. And it's high time organizations recognize the difference if they want to truly support their employees. The HBR article put it perfectly - so many "workplace well-being programs" these days focus narrowly on individual behaviours like exercise and nutrition, rather than addressing the systemic factors that really impact whether people can thrive.[1] And the numbers back this up - despite 87% of organizations prioritizing employee well-being, only 24% of workers actually feel their well-being is being supported, according to Gallup.[2] The reason for this disconnect? Well-being isn't just about individual wellness, it's about the holistic mental, physical, social, career, and financial health of employees. And that's shaped by the policies, culture, and working conditions of the organization, not just personal health habits. As I've written about before, wellness and well-being are complementary but distinct concepts.[3] Wellness focuses on individual behaviors and outcomes, while well-being encompasses a much broader set of factors that influence how people feel, function, and thrive day-to-day. So, if organizations really want to support their people, they need to shift their focus from surface-level wellness programs to designing systems, structures, and cultures that nurture holistic well-being. This means examining things like: - Work-life balance and flexibility - Manageable workloads and reasonable expectations - Psychological safety and inclusive practices - Financial wellness support and living wages - Mental health resources and stigma reduction Only by taking this systemic view can organizations create the conditions for their people to truly flourish. Anything less is a half-measure that fails to address the root causes undermining employee well-being. It's time to move beyond simplistic wellness initiatives and start prioritizing the holistic well-being of the whole person. Your people deserve nothing less. At YMCA WorkWell, our passion is employee well-being. We can help you understand your organization’s current state and the best steps to take to make a positive impact on critical things like burnout, retention and feeling valued. Reach out to us. We are here to help! #WellBeingIsEverything [1]: https://lnkd.in/eup6qYHC [2]: https://lnkd.in/ek8HRxRA [3]: https://lnkd.in/gW6jeraD

Today is Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day! I'll be honest, this day is a bittersweet one for me. Our daughter Joey has been in child care for seven months now and I am so grateful for everything the ECEs in our life have done for her and my family. My wife and I literally teared up when she moved up to the toddler room a few weeks ago because the educators in her infant room treated her with so much care, so much love, and they gave Joey her first "home away from home". Truly, what more could you ask for as a parent? Our ECEs have played such a pivotal role in the development of our daughter and there's no better testament to the work they do than the ear-to-ear smile on my daughter's face and the big hug she gets every time she struts in that door in the morning. I'm also lucky enough to work with hundreds of incredible ECEs and child care professionals at YMCA of Three Rivers. I get to see the work they do firsthand, I get to regularly learn from them, and I get to collect data and stories from families on the undeniable impact they have in our Three Rivers communities. They inspire me every day. This day is also bittersweet because I know firsthand the challenges of working in this sector. Being responsible for the well-being, development, and emotional support of a child is unbelievably emotionally draining, let alone an entire classroom. Staff shortages are a common occurrence in the field, so employees regularly need to take on additional responsibilities, and they also need to deal with children's behavioural issues, high demands from parents, and far too often, abuse from parents as well. These challenges are having a real impact on employee well-being in the child care sector and the data backs it up. In the past 12 months, our team at YMCA WorkWell has collected data from over 3,000 child care employees across Canada. We've learned that: ▪ Despite high levels of engagement, 1 in 3 child care employees and 2 in 5 child care leaders are experiencing regular burnout. ▪ 1 in 5 child care employees are considering leaving their role in the next six months. And here's the kicker on ECE appreciation day: ▪ 55% of child care employees across Canada do not feel appropriately recognized in their role - that includes by their communities. So today, wherever you can, please send some notes of appreciation to the ECEs in your life. If you have a child in care, please express some appreciation and remember that they are people too, doing their absolute best to provide exceptional care for the most important person in your life. They deserve that care and support not just today, but always. Our communities would look markedly different without them. And whether you're an interested parent or a child care leader, here's a link to a report of the trends that our team is seeing in employee well-being in the sector, with some ideas on where we can start to support our ECEs today: https://lnkd.in/gUKGSm7n

Happy national Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day! ⭐  Thank you to all the incredible Early Childhood Educators and Child Care Workers! Your dedication, patience, and love shape the minds and hearts of our little ones every day. We are so grateful for all you do!

Belonging. Connection. Community. We talk about these things a lot... but how important are they in the workplace, really? Let's start with some of the high-level research... The Harvard Study of Adult Development is one of the longest running studies of what predicts long, happy lives. It started during The Great Depression and has tracked the lives of hundreds of people and thousands of their children ever since to look for clues about what leads to lasting health and happiness in people. After 80 years of data, the best and most consistent predictor of long and happy lives wasn't IQ, genes, or personality - it was social connection. This study has shown that healthy relationships help us through hardships, strengthen our immune system, and delay mental and physical declines - whereas prolonged loneliness can affect our health more than obesity and high blood pressure, and can have the same effect on our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. 15 cigarettes! But where do our relationships at work fit into all of this? We spend 50% of our waking hours at work - what are the implications of feeling like you don't belong for all of those hours? I was looking through a sample of 15,000 employee responses from our YMCA WorkWell data today and wanted to see just how significant the trends really were. Well... The answer is extremely. When I split the 15,000 responses into four equal-sized groups based on their Belonging scores, from the highest Belonging scores to the lowest, and compare those groups' average scores on Overall Well-Being, it paints a very clear picture. Well-being of the group with the lowest Belonging scores is more than 3x lower than the group with the highest Belonging scores, and you can see a significant drop-off even once you move past the top 25%. And it's worth noting - this well-being question isn't only measuring well-being at work, this is overall well-being. How healthy do they feel at work with their colleagues, at home with their family, in their community, and with their friends. The story here is pretty clear: People who feel like they belong at work are healthier people - at work and at home. And it's why we can't understand well-being at work or support well-being at work without carefully considering belonging at work too. Is your team taking it seriously enough? Do you feel like you belong at work? And are you doing enough to help those around you feel it too? How can we all do better at this?

ICYMI Wellbeing at Work World Toronto Summit Recap: Last week we had the opportunity to host a panel discussion with influential leaders, to discuss the future of human-centred workplaces. Moderated by our very own Dr. Kate Toth, featured prominent figures in the people & culture space who shared invaluable insights into how employers can build workplaces that prioritize employee well-being through a human-centric approach. Special thanks to Surma Guha Bowden, Manuelita Cherizard, MBA, Niki da Silva, Carolyn Meacher, Liza Vityuk for their thought leadership and insights. https://lnkd.in/grxiaUdQ Chris Cummings Dan Gedal Mark Rix Joe O'Connor Grace Tallon Peloton for Business Frayme Opening Minds | Changer les mentalités