OCTOBER 2020

EWSHRNTHE MAGAZ INE OF THE INTERNAT IONAL PUBL IC MANAGEMENT ASSOCIAT ION FOR HUMAN RESOURCES

Competitive & Affordable Health Care and Employee Benefits

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FROM THE 2021 PRESIDENT-ELECTIt is my honor and privilege to have been elected to serve as IPMA-HR president-elect for 2021. The human resources profession is going through quite the transformation as we continue to do more with less and incorporate more automation and technology into our processes. We continue to need a strong focus on recruitment and retention even as we maintain our care for the people in our organizations. As evidenced by the events that have occurred this year, we must be strategically agile to meet the needs of those we serve as we strive to transform our organizations.

IPMA-HR is in a great position to provide the support we need as we go through these transitions. When you think about the necessity for human resources professionals to fully evolve into strategic change agents, IPMA-HR can provide the tools needed for members to develop key skills by offering professional development opportunities, developing talent management instruments and continuing the work already started in the HR 2020 Report.

IPMA-HR can also advocate for public sector executive leaders to support human resources in serving as a key element in the partnership to facilitate people strategies that align with the vision of the organization. As a professional association, IPMA-HR can and should seek to enhance its relevance both within the public sector and beyond through collaborative activities that maximize the talents of chapters, regions, national members, higher education and other professional associations.

This year, we have all been navigating unexpected challenges and opportunities for growth and change in our organizations and communities. In my own organization, we have transitioned to a four-day business week, a large continuation of teleworking employees, evolving public health and leave policies, and a renewed focus on diversity, equity and inclusivity initiatives. As I look in the rearview mirror, I can clearly see where human resources has made a difference for the people in our organization and where we have been successful transformational change agents through proactive collaboration and executive support.

Perhaps the challenges this year have provided the necessary catalyst for the leaders in some organizations to look to the strategically aligned, people-centered team of human resources that could quickly “make things happen.” And now, how do we

work together to remain in that line of sight? How do we ensure that human resources continues to be a part of ongoing strategic planning efforts? How do we proactively engage in the efforts that many organizations are implementing around diversity, equity and inclusion?

We can certainly continue learning and developing, networking and sharing the ideas and practices that have allowed many human resources teams to make the shift toward serving as transformational change agents. But then it is up to each of us as human resources professionals to take action in these areas. I see IPMA-HR as a critical element in furthering these efforts and supporting our members through these transitions.

I am always open to hearing any ideas or suggestions you have. Please feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter. I am very excited to join the current and past-presidents, as well as the Executive Council, the executive director, the IPMA-HR team, regions, chapters and all our members in continuing to facilitate the initiatives and goals of IPMA-HR. I appreciate all the emails I have received offering congratulations and support.

I hope to see everyone during HR 2020: Building A New Vision Together, a virtual event being held October 21–22, 2020. This event, which you can access by visiting on.ipma-hr.org/ipmahr20 and registering, will provide an opportunity for all of us to learn about new practices for change, participate in opportunities for renewal and have time to network with each other. The chance to engage with fellow HR practitioners during the annual training conference always reminds me why I am so passionate about human resources, public sector service and IPMA-HR. —N

Jennifer Fairweather Jennifer Fairweather, IPMA-SCP

Jfairwea@jeffco.us www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferfairweather/

twitter.com/fairweather5280www.instagram.com/jfairwea/

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Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. ................................................................................25

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Jennifer Fairweather is the CHRO and HR director for Jefferson County, Colo. She is also an affiliate professor with the Anderson College of Business and Computing at Regis University.

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HR News is published monthly by the International Public Management Association for Human Resources, 1617 Duke Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; (703) 549-7100. Copyright ©2020. The October issue is volume eighty-six, number ten of the monthly magazine of IPMA-HR.

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IPMA-HR is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to providing resources and advocacy for public human resource professionals at all levels. Comprised of four U.S. regions and more than 40 chapters, IPMA-HR represents individuals and agencies in local, state and federal government worldwide. IPMA-HR provides a focus and forum for the discussion and exchange of views and best practices among public sector human resource professionals throughout the United States and abroad.

EWSN

Coming up in the November issue of HR NEWS

Labor & Employee Relations

Executive Council Cheryl Cepelak, PresidentDeputy Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Correction

Pamela Dollard. President-ElectDirector of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Division of Extension

Christine Major, Past PresidentRetired Federal Employee

Karen BassHealth Insurance Manager, Montgomery County Government, Rockville, Md.

Lori BriggsHuman Resources Manage, City of Kansas City Communications Center

Cheryl BrownRetired Local Government Employee

Ronnie CharlesNational Managing Director, Public & Higher Education Sectors, HR & Compensation Consulting, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Rolling Meadows, Ill.

Momoh ConteHuman Resources Director, Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Tamara DixonHuman Resources Director, Town of Parker, Colo.

Bruce GardnerAssistant Town Manager, Town of Queen Creek, Ariz.

Holly HobbsAdvanced Human Resources Consultant, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Cheryl Lewis-SmithHuman Resources Director, City of La Vergne, Tenn.

Gail StropeDirector of Human Resources, City of Jefferson City, Mo.

Mark Van BruggenSupervising HR Consultant, State of New Jersey Civil Service Commission, Trenton, N.J.

Ron ZitoHR Manager, City of Portland, Ore.

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TABLE OF CONTENTSOCTOBER 2020 | VOLUME 86 NO 10

COLUMNS18 THE B&G REPORT How Local and State Governments Are Meeting

the Employee Benefits Challenge

20 LEADERSHIP ROADMAP Increase Engagement by Harnessing Emotional

Intelligence to Create Psychological Safety

DEPARTMENTS23 MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

25 CALENDAR

FEATURES

How HR Professionals Can Foster More Inclusive and Innovative Cultures6

3 From the 2021 President-Elect

24 Catch Up on Webinars You Missed While Working Through a Year Like No Other

How Leaders Can Drive Real Change by Embracing Diversity and Inclusion8

How the Pandemic Changed Wellness ProgramsAnd What Lies Ahead for Employers and Employees10

ADVERTISE IN HR NEWSVisit www.ipma-hr.org/media-kit or email

publications@ipma-hr.org to explore print and digital ad opportunities.

Understand the Employers’ Role in Reducing the Prescribing of Opioids for Dental Pain12

The New World of WorkMakes ResilienceTraining Critical forEmployers14

Employers Don’t NeedSlides or Ping PongTables to AttractMillennials16

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The workforce has become more global, diverse, multicultural, multigenerational, virtual and hyperconnected. As a result,

work gets done differently. Also, there is no question that numerous demographic shifts that have occurred over the past decade have disrupted many of our long-standing human resources policies and strategies.

The ability of HR leaders to lead their organizations amid these disruptive forces and across differences while fostering more inclusive and innovative work environments in a wide variety of contexts, cultures and complexities will be a key lever for attracting, engaging and retaining top talent.

Census data and global workforce studies continue to affirm the following realities:

n Women make up 51 percent of the global workforce and 60 percent of all degree earners (from associate’s degrees up to doctorates).

n There are currently five generations in the U.S. workforce. Among the two largest generational cohorts, baby boomers still account for roughly one-third (31 percent) of workers; however, nearly 70 million of the 79 million baby boomers are expected to retire over the next 5-10 years.

n Aging employees are expected to continue working into and through retirement. Between now and 2050, the portion of people in the workforce who are over the age of 65 is expected to grow by 75 percent.

By Shirley Davis, Ph.D., CSP, SHRM-SCP

How HR Professionals Can Foster More Inclusive and Innovative Cultures

n The other largest generational cohort, the millennials, now makes up 50 percent of the workforce. By 2025, millennials’ share of the workforce jumps to 75 percent.

n By 2017, the oldest members of Generation Z (those born 1996-2010) had entered the workforce.

n With 7.5 billion people on Earth, 1 in 7 has a disability.

n In the United States, the minority of today (people of color) will become the majority of tomorrow, making up 54 percent of the workforce by 2030.

Of course, there are many other considerations, such as how to be more accommodating and appealing to the LGBTQ+ community, people with various religious beliefs and faiths, our veterans and active duty workers, and many more.

We have to consider the diverse needs, expectations, thinking styles, work preferences, communication styles and development needs of a new generation of talent. That includes making changes such as revamping our policies to allow for greater flexibility in work arrangements; upgrading our benefit programs from offering only traditional 401(k) and retirement plans to instituting additional perks such as unlimited vacation time, paying off student loans, offering public transportation passes, gamification, health and wellness programs, onsite daycare, dependent care and long-term care benefits; and much more. It also means expanding our recruiting and selection processes to ensure less-biased decisions are made and our nets are cast wider to attract a

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more diverse slate of candidates. Additionally, it means offering individual career ladders and unique development opportunities.

As HR leaders, we need to know how to navigate this complex and rapidly changing landscape. That means having the right skills and competencies to build more equitable, inclusive and high-performing workplace cultures.

Why is this important? Because these kinds of work environments produce higher performance, increase employee engagement, fuel innovation and creativity, increase retention and positively impact the customer service experience. Ultimately, they positively contribute to an organization’s bottom line and result in sustained success. In fact, research cited by Bain & Company revealed that companies that create a winning culture are 3.7 times more likely to be top performers.

I’ve had the opportunity to speak to more than 5,000 HR professionals and business leaders around the world over the past year, and these are the kinds of issues that are keeping them up at night. I am often asked, “What is HR’s role in fostering more inclusive and innovative cultures? And what strategies can we implement?”

Here are the top 10 tips that I’ve implemented as a former chief diversity officer and HR executive, as well as what I’ve seen bring sustained success in fostering inclusive and innovative workplace cultures.

Inclusive cultures afford all talent the opportunity to obtain a seat at the table and to feel a sense of connection and belonging. Make sure that your overperformers are not undervalued—or they will leave. Find the “hidden figures” in your organization who aren’t always the most visible or vocal but who are adding value.

Embed diversity and inclusion into your company’s strategic and operating plans, not just the HR strategy. D&I should not be a stand-alone effort or done in a vacuum. Rather, it should be integrated into your organizational DNA.

HR must upgrade and digitize. If not, HR will lose the ability to compete and add value because, according to Cisco Systems, nearly 37 billion things are connected right now. Digital transformation—cloud-based HRIS, recruitment solutions, internal communication platforms, workforce engagement—is key for HR’s transformation.

Without inclusion, you will not attract top talent. Physical and psychological safety issues will arise, and mental, emotional and physical wellness will suffer, which will lead to complaints, lawsuits, low engagement, high turnover and absenteeism. All of these result in $7 trillion in lost productivity every year, according to Gallup.

Think of diversity like an iceberg. Most often, we make 90 percent of our decisions based on the 10 percent of an issue we see. Look at the iceberg accompanying this article. And, yes, we all act

according to our biases and make snap decisions within the first 5 seconds. There is so much that makes people unique and diverse that we miss out on because of our blind spots.

Learn to take greater risks and get out of your comfort zone. Being risk-averse, rigid and complacent are antithetical to innovating.

It’s HR’s strategic role and responsibility to build bench strength and leadership capability inside the organization. HR must also ensure that leaders develop the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) that will be needed in the future. This can be done via workforce planning, succession planning and generating predictive analytics.

Stop using stock photos to show visible diversity in your company. Do not try to represent something you are not. People will see right through you. If your company lacks diversity, go get it. You can find top talent by casting your net wider than your usual sourcing channels.

If we are doing our jobs effectively, we don’t hire disengaged employees. Poor culture or bad leaders make employees disengaged. Stop selling candidates on experiences, perks and benefits that do not actually exist. Otherwise, employees suffer from buyer’s remorse and become disengaged, disenfranchised and disconnected.

Recruit for traits that can’t be trained. These include honesty, integrity, passion, trust, motivation and attitude. You can train for skills, but not for heart and soul.

If HR professionals are serious about fostering cultures of inclusion and belonging, it really comes down to three focus areas: great leadership, top talent and inclusive and innovative policies.

Shirley Davis, Ph.D., CSP, SHRM-SCP, is president and CEO of

SDS Global Enterprises, Inc. Her email address is

drshirleydavis@gmail.com. —N

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From ensuring access to a range of skills, ideas and personalities to strengthening overall culture, diversity and inclusion play crucial

roles in how organizations operate and grow. Yet, D&I initiatives will only ever be as effective as the leaders driving them. Having a written policy in place will mean nothing if no actions are taken to diversify the workforce and build an inclusive culture.

Especially right now, D&I initiatives are incredibly important for enabling an organization to make necessary changes to meet challenges and seize opportunities. So, how can executive leadership better understand the value of diversity and inclusion, and then drive real organizational change by implementing D&I initiatives?

Understanding Diversity and InclusionWhen discussing diversity and inclusion, it is important to define exactly what those terms mean. Diversity refers to the range of human experiences. It includes dimensions like ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical abilities, political and religious beliefs, socio-economic status and ideologies that come together to create unique individuals. Within an organization, diversity also refers to the different ways in which unique individuals interact and collaborate to achieve common business goals.

Inclusion is about ensuring everyone who interacts with the organization feels that their voices are heard and that they are embraced because of their differences. An inclusive organization celebrates and champions differences. It also involves every employee in the work of the organization.

Why D&I Initiatives Are ValuableParticularly for public sector organizations, D&I initiatives provide great opportunities to communicate the message that one of the

main reasons the organization exists is to reflect and serve the community. Since every community is made up of a diverse mix of individuals whose voices all need to be heard, putting together a diverse workforce demonstrates a commitment to the goal of being responsive to the community’s needs.

From a business perspective, organizations that are beholden to the public interest have a compelling interest in incorporating as many interests—and as many voices—as possible. D&I initiatives encourage the generation of new ideas from people with an array of viewpoints that differ from, and may directly challenge, those held by organizational leaders. This encourages innovation. And when it comes time to implement innovative programs, diverse teams can create more detailed strategic plans that address a broader number of concerns, bring a stronger focus on accomplishing objectives and act with a clearer purpose of delivering benefits for all members of the community.

Such outcomes from D&I initiatives translate into measurable returns on investments. Research shows that organizations with diverse management teams experience higher revenue growth than do organizations that lack diverse leadership. Or, as the World Economic Forum put in the title of a report published on April 29, 2019, “The Business Case for Diversity in the Workplace Is Now Overwhelming.”

Where to Start With D&I EffortsThe end goals for D&I initiatives should be creating an organization that celebrates the uniqueness of each employee and which provides space and opportunities for employees to express their unique viewpoints so everyone can realize common benefits. Moving toward those ultimate goals can be daunting. When deciding how to begin, organizational leaders should do the following things.

By Jeb Banner

How Leaders Can Drive Real Change by Embracing Diversity and Inclusion

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Build Organizational Buy-inBuy-in cannot be limited to members of the executive team. Leadership on D&I initiatives must come from champions throughout the organization. To enlist support from the employees who are carrying out the work, leaders should have ready answers for why the organization needs to diversify and where diversity and inclusion are lacking. If leaders have never been asked such questions before, that indicates where the organization is starting from.

Leaders should also set goals and expectations for D&I initiatives. The goals should be more than boxes to check, and tokenism cannot be treated as diversity. D&I goals are being met when all employees see themselves as parts of a healthy, well-functioning organization.

To get buy-in, leaders can sit down with employees and discuss the purpose of D&I initiatives. Making progress requires everyone to grasp why diversity and inclusion are important, and each employee needs to know what roles they play in bringing it into reality.

Increase the Recruitment SphereAn organization that wants to diversify its workforce should look at the community or region in which it operates and at its customers in order to select and hire candidates who reflect those external populations. This seems obvious, but many well-meaning organizations that commit to finding and recruiting diverse candidates begin searching in the wrong places.

Rather than relying on established networks of referrals or traditional recruiting channels—what I call “fishing from the same waters”—organizations must look elsewhere to find top candidates. Keep casting your net in the same places, and you will always land the same kind of fish.

Organizations that want to diversify can partner with religious institutions and faith groups; historically black colleges and universities, as well as schools with large enrollments of minority students; and local nonprofit organizations and community foundations. Doing this alerts a wider audience to job opportunities.

Executives, who typically maintain large personal networks, can exercise significant leadership in this area. Those placed in charge of an initiative to diversify the workforce should ask executives if there are people with whom they could personally share news of job opportunities in order to broaden the pool of candidates.

Create Mentorship and Growth OpportunitiesInclusion must follow from diversification. Achieving this starts with ensuring all employees can make their voices heard and with making it clear to employees that they can make a positive impact on the organization. Each employee must also be guaranteed a role in working together toward accomplishing shared goals.

To show new hires that their contributions will be valued and their ideas will be given due consideration, organizational leaders must invest in opportunities for new employees to connect with executives, talk about new ideas and present opportunities for advancement. It is also important to help peers connect with one another so they can build a sense of community, which is vital for any organization.

Making these efforts shows the seriousness of the endeavor. It also helps grow the recruitment sphere and provides additional opportunities to embrace diversity and inclusion as the workforce grows.

Connect With Community MembersRegular discussions with people in the community about needed changes should be part of each D&I initiative. Beyond widely sharing job postings, organizational leaders should find ways to speak with people and groups across the community the organization serves. This is a good way to stay innovative in D&I efforts because community members often have the best ideas regarding where improvements can be made and how the organization can be a stronger citizen. Local business owners, faith leaders and elected officials, in particular, can bring forth plenty of new ideas and point out where D&I initiatives have and have not effected change.

CommitDespite all other efforts to solicit and act on input, the organizational leaders that launch D&I initiatives will be the primary drivers of change. They are the ones everyone else in the organization will look to for direction and guidance. Because of this, leadership has an obligation to ensure they are representing their communities and their employees as fairly and equitably as possible.

So, to leaders, I say, “Own this.” Embrace the value that diversity and inclusion bring to your organization and do what you can to make sure others embrace it as well. Become champions for change and help your employees and community achieve greater success as a result.

Jeb Banner is the CEO and a founder of Boardable, a board

management software company that serves nonprofits around the

world. He also founded SmallBox, a creative agency for mission-

driven organizations, cofounded The Speak Easy and founded Musical

Family Tree. You can connect with Banner through LinkedIn. —N

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At the beginning of 2020, employers focused on attracting and retaining employees. Competition for talent was fierce, so

organizations invested heavily in new benefits and programs aimed at helping workers achieve work-life balance.

Once the pandemic hit, everything began to change. The arrival of COVID-19 impacted individuals’ daily lives and the economy. It also reshaped the wellness programs that employers currently offer and will offer in the years ahead.

Despite financial uncertainties, employers are maintaining or even increasing their investments in wellness programs. They are also taking new approaches, doing things like organizing private webinars and online fitness classes to both improve workers’ health and build organizational culture remotely.

Creating a great work experience requires offering powerful and adaptable benefits that meet employees’ physical, mental, emotional and even financial needs. The pandemic made it clear that simply making discounted gym memberships available would not suffice to foster wellness and support team members. As a result, wellness programs are evolving to accommodate hybrid work-from-home/in-person staffing plans and the programs are sure to look even more different as they evolve.

What Has Changed Since Cities Shut Down and Social Distancing Began

Home WorkoutsThe big fitness trend right now is working out at home. When people are reluctant or unable to return to worksites, it only makes sense that they will avoid fitness studios and gyms—if those facilities are even open.

By Erika Zauner

How the Pandemic Changed Wellness ProgramsAnd What Lies Ahead for Employers and Employees

Fitness studios such as Barry’s, solidcore and Fhitting Room have adapted by offering live online, members-only classes over apps such as Zoom. Already popular at-home workout companies like Peloton and Aaptiv have developed new products and pricing plans.

The moves allow trainers to serve clients regardless of geographic location or schedule. In the same way, employers should consider how adding these options to gym and fitness studio memberships could serve remote workers who enroll in physical wellness programs.

Meal PlansPrepared meals will make a comeback with remote work. When people work remotely, they approach grabbing lunch and enjoying their coffee breaks differently. Rather than packing up last night’s leftovers or popping into the deli around the corner from the office, workers stuck at home tend to make their own meals and to get more creative in the kitchen as the weeks turn into months.

Employers can ensure their team members have quick, easy and discounted access to nutritious foods by arranging memberships in prepared food or meal kit plans such as those offered by Thrive Market, Daily Harvest, Blue Apron and Purple Carrot.

Mental and Emotional Well-Being AppsThis year, the most popular download from my company’s wellness app store has been Calm. It guides users through meditation exercises and suggests modifications to sleep routines.

Employees are feeling burned-out. They need to reset mentally and emotionally. Consequently, employers need to look beyond encouraging physical fitness and begin to offer their team members apps and programs that address mental health.

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How to Offer High-Value Wellness Options for a Post-Pandemic World Without Breaking the BankEmployers must understand that employers will expect to continue receiving wellness benefits that were added throughout 2020. What executives viewed as value-adds will become baselines.

Deliver What Employees WantTo satisfy employees’ demands, organizational executives and leaders should look at data to identify which new benefits employees value the most. Findings from a quick survey can help guide decisions about where to invest.

Regular follow-up surveys will then identify what is working well and what is not as popular. Since the purpose of a wellness program is to meet employees’ needs, establishing a feedback loop will be incredibly valuable.

OutsourceContracting with vendors enables an employer to offer a wider variety of wellness benefits. Extending this practice to wellness program management enables HR to concentrate on serving employees in other ways.

Wellness is just one of many responsibilities for HR staff, but running a comprehensive program is a full-time job. Outsourcing

the work makes it easier to customize and deliver benefits packages that address the needs of the organization and individual employees. A vendor who focuses only on providing cost-effective wellness benefits should also be able to lower employees’ annual wellness spend.

Incentivize ParticipationIt helps to build challenges into wellness programs and to reward employees for participating. Leaders should also encourage employees to attend classes together (even virtually). Together, all three efforts bolster engagement and persistence while motivating employees to work toward achieving wellness goals.

Thinking about the future, organizations must adapt their wellness offerings to meet employees’ evolving needs. Many wellness companies are already providing virtual options. Finding strong partners and developing an understanding of what employees want, as well as what leaders and HR teams will be able to provide, allow an organization to implement changes quickly and ensure that the wellness program overall will be effective and relevant for the long haul.

Erika Zauner is CEO and founder of HealthKick. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. —N

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Opioid overdoses claim tens of thousands of lives in the United States each year. And illegal use is not the sole problem. Of

the more than 46,800 opioid overdose-related deaths during 2018, the CDC determined that almost 15,000 resulted from taking prescription medications.

In an effort to protect patients and save lives, the American Dental Association (ADA) in 2018 released guidelines that called for prescribing fewer opioids. Of note, dentists wrote 18.1 million prescriptions for opioids in 2017. Some 130 Americans were dying from opioid overdoses each day that year.

Adults between the ages of 25 and 34 suffer the majority of opioid overdose-related deaths. Among the many reasons this is troubling is that millennials now constitute the largest generational group in the U.S. workforce. The opioid epidemic also imposes crippling costs on employers. Between 2015 and 2018, opioid misuse and abuse took a $96 billion hit in lost productivity due to absen-teeism, decreased labor force participation, incarceration and costs for disability and workers’ compensation.

It is clear that creating and enforcing guidelines aimed at prescribing fewer opioids will not suffice. Employers have a pressing responsibility to protect themselves and their employees from the devastation of misusing and overdosing on opioids. One of the most effective things employers can do is partner with a health plan that understands the role the health care system has played in perpetuating this epidemic and which has taken steps to curb opioid prescribing by implementing an integrated care approach.

Factors Contributing to the Opioid CrisisThe health care system typically operates with practitioners in different specialties having minimal interactions. Each provider focuses on one part of a patient’s body while possessing limited insight into other types of health issues the patient may be expe-riencing. Additionally, providers rely almost solely on the patient to relay any information about current prescriptions or conditions that could interfere with the care being provided by the provider with whom the patient is presently speaking.

This method is outdated, unreliable and unsafe. First, patients commonly forget the names of their medications and when they started or stopped taking each prescription. Patients also fail to share pertinent details about a prescription or health issue because they believe it does not relate to the condition for which they are seeing a particular doctor, dentist or pharmacist.

This lack of communication between health care providers across practice areas can further hinder a patient’s journey toward health because it puts patients at risk for receiving duplicative predictions. This is especially problematic when it comes to opioid addiction. For instance, a dentist who does not know that their patient’s doctor has already written opioid prescriptions may not hesitate to write one for the same addictive medication.

By Scott Towers

Understand the Employers’ Role in Reducing the Prescribing of Opioids for Dental Pain

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health care enables health care providers to recognize and manage underlying and developing conditions, which, ultimately, improves health outcomes and reduces the likelihood that patients will need opioids.

Medical and dental plans that provide physicians, pharmacists and dentists with patients’ health and clinical data in real time enable health care providers to make better-informed decisions about diagnoses, care plans and prescriptions. Those better decisions translate into reduced opioid prescriptions, major reductions in opioid epidemic-related health care spending and fewer economic losses due to reduced productivity. Most importantly, better deci-sions by providers mean employees who are alive and healthy.

Scott Towers is president of dental and vision for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. You can connect with Towers on LinkedIn. —N

Providing dentists with patients’ integrated health histories and lists

of current prescriptions is particularly important for preventing patients from possessing more than one

prescribed opioid at a time.

How Integrated Health Care Reduces Opioid PrescriptionsMany people, including adolescents and teens, are first exposed to opioids following dental procedures. It is critical, therefore, that employer-sponsored health plans develop and implement steps to reduce the prescribing of opioids for dental pain.

Taking a whole person health approach does this. It connects medical, dental, vision and pharmacy care providers while also delivering real-time disability and other medical claims data to the physicians, dentists and pharmacists.

Ensuring that a patient’s health history is shared with each in-net-work care providers who treats the person is essential. Connecting all of a patients’ potential prescribers give each provider access to a 360-degree view of the patient’s overall health and current treatments. This facilitates the coordination and personalization of care, which increases the likelihood that the patient will be prescribed new medications safely and appropriately.

Providing dentists with patients’ integrated health histories and lists of current prescriptions is particularly important for preventing patients from possessing more than one prescribed opioid at a time. The practice also combats overprescribing, doctor-shopping and opioid abuse.

More broadly, dentists who have a holistic view of their patients’ health are better able to identify and manage systemic or chronic conditions that produce oral symptoms, both on their own and in coordination with patients’ other care providers. The result should be improved outcomes for patients, fewer treatment complications and reductions in surgeries and hospitalizations.

When prescribing an opioid is absolutely necessary to manage acute pain, supplies can be limited to three or five days. This ensures the patient’s needs are met without significantly raising the risk for addiction. A short-term prescription also keeps medi-cation costs low.

It’s Time for All Employers to Shift to Integrated Health PlansEmployees are an employer’s most important asset. This makes it true that an employer acts in its best interest when it provides employees with a health plan that helps them maintain and improve their overall well-being. Giving employees access to integrated

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The COVID-19 pandemic created new challenges for employees. Many people who were suddenly forced to work

from home became concerned about job security. Unaccustomed stressors also arrived in the form of balancing the pressures of remote work with caring for children whose schools and daycares were closed, as well as for elderly relatives who were at highest risk for serious complications from a coronavirus infection.

Essential employees continue struggling to find reliable and affordable childcare and worrying about their health and safety while interacting with members of the public face to face. In light of such uncertainty, anxiety and depression have become more prevalent, producing negative impacts on workers’ health, produc-tivity and engagement.

What Is Resilience?Employers can take steps to address employees’ stress and anxiety. Engaging employees and presenting change as an opportunity can help employees manage the challenges. One effective intervention for developing a workforce that can thrive during difficult times is providing resilience coaching and training. Building resilience at the management level is particularly essential because employees will look to organizational leaders and learn from them.

The American Psychological Association defines resilience as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress—such as family and rela-tionship problems, serious health problems or workplace and financial stressors.” Cultivating a workforce that is adaptable and optimistic in times of uncertainty will result in an organization that can thrive during times of challenge and disruption.

How Can Workforce Resilience Be Developed?A key part of building resilience is first understanding what stress looks like. It affects people in different ways, manifesting as irritability, sadness, distractibility, decreased motivation and/or burnout. Managers should be trained to identify these signs of stress and to check in with their team members often.

The symptoms of stress make it is important to focus on physical and mental health when attempting to foster resilience; however, being resilient requires more than a strong mind and body. Employers that have wellness programs in place should assess their

By Debra Wein, M.S., RDN, CWPD

The New World of Work Makes Resilience Training Critical for Employers

Americans Reporting Mental Health Symptoms Within the Past Week

Note: The second quarter (Q2) of each year is April through June.Source: National Center for Health Statistics Mental Health Pulse Survey, on.ipma-hr.org/5cn

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current offerings and determine if there is a greater need for resil-ience and mental health support.

Resilience is a trait that can be developed across a workforce by creating and maintaining an organizational culture that supports change and views it as an opportunity rather than an obstacle to overcome. Facilitating transparency at work and establishing clear lines of communication are also ways to ensure employees feel supported.

A wellness partner can help an organization construct a well-de-signed work environment that supports change while providing resilience coaching to teach employees how to manage stress, adversity and challenges more effectively. When developing a program, it is important to address employees’ concerns and provide individuals with opportunities to strengthen the skills they need to face and overcome hardships.

To get started with resilience coaching, ask employees to complete an online assessment to identify what they are struggling with. Coaches can then help employees manage stress effectively by steering them to appropriate resources and tools. Providing indi-vidual resilience coaching allows sessions to be tailored to the indi-vidual and lets coaches provide customized approaches for each situation. Seeking to eliminate stress altogether will not work and may only trigger more stress.

Follow-up visits should be encouraged, and coaches can make referrals to appropriate professionals if more support is warranted.

On top of resilience coaching, employers should continue to promote healthy lifestyles for employees. Reinforcing the truth that self-care is just as important—if not more important—during

times of uncertainty and stress sends a powerful message to employees.

How Resilience Coaching Can Help EmployersImplementing resilience coaching will better equip members of the workforce to handle the difficulties and stressors brought on by COVID-19. Employees will also discover tools and gain access to resources for overcoming future challenges. And once connections and a support network are established in the workplace, managers will be quicker to recognize when team members are struggling so they can step up before burnout and lack of engagement become major issues.

Individuals who are resilient thrive in the face of challenges, are able to learn and flourish in difficult situations and bounce back quickly when faced with setbacks. Such employees know how to maintain stability when faced with change, and they are able to move forward in a positive manner. The pandemic makes now the time for employers to enhance their wellness programs by adding resilience coaching and training.

Debra Wein, M.S., RDN, CWPD, is CEO and founder of Wellness Workdays, where she serves as the program director for a large nationally accredited dietetic internship for registered dietitians interested in worksite wellness, health promotion, sports nutrition and entrepreneurship, and nutrition communications and marketing. Wein is on LinkedIn. —N

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Based on U.S. Census Bureau data, the Pew Research Center determined that 56 million millennials worked or were looking

for work in the United States during 2017. This made individuals who were then between 21 and 36 years old the largest group in the U.S. workforce.

Years earlier, employers began competing for available millennial talent by shifting their cultures to appeal to younger workers’ desire for socialization and fun activities. This often started subtly, with a transition to an open workspace or by providing free snacks. A few big-name firms went so far as to install slides, nap pods, ping pong and foosball tables, and in-office bars.

While fun, games and a positive organizational culture are certainly important factors for millennials deciding where to work, they do not top the list—especially since the arrival of COVID-19. To cite just one concern, many millennials left college with crippling student loan debt, which is nearing a national total of $1.64 trillion dollars. This puts millennials financially behind where members of older generations were when they entered the workforce. A higher cost of living widens the gap.

The lesson for employers is that while offering more-traditional benefits and perks does not bring the same excitement as setting up an office pool table, offering benefits and perks that employees truly value can be enough. Making simple enhancements to traditional offerings and adding new benefits tailored to today’s employee will be impactful in attracting millennials.

The Basic (Traditional) Benefits Millennials ExpectAccording to Pentegra’s 2018 Millennial Benefit Trends Report, millennials expect traditional benefits such as health insurance, vacation and retirement plans.

Robust health care coverage will be especially important for employees who have come through the coronavirus pandemic. But while millennials expect health insurance coverage, the Pentegra report notes that many younger workers are not savvy when it comes to signing up for health plans. Explaining the differences among available plans and the value of health care coverage in general are good ways for employers to show a deeper level of commitment to millennial employees, which can help improve retention amongst that demographic.

For millennials battling debt in the forms of student loans, personal loans and credit cards, an employer’s investments in financial well-ness will be appreciated. Though it seems too standard to bear mentioning, offering a 401(k) plan with matching contributions may be a key factor for millennials who are looking for an organiza-tion that commits to helping them build for their future.

Here, though, Pentegra found that millennials are savvy when it comes to knowing the worth of a 401(k) and other retirement vehicles. Employers may be able to provide additional value by talking more openly about investing options.

The Not-So-Basic (Stellar) Benefits That Millennials AppreciateAdd-on benefits can make employers stand out. One such offering is identity theft protection. As everyone relies heavily on tech-nology to stay connected during the COVID-19 crisis, cybercrim-inals attack, continuously developing more-sophisticated hacking techniques and phishing scams to steal both personal and propri-etary data.

Making identity theft protection available to employees minimizes their risk while also protecting the employer’s data and main-taining productivity. Resolution services provided by the identity theft protection vendor should rectify issues swiftly, saving an

By Paige Schaffer

Employers Don’t Need Slides or Ping Pong Tables to Attract Millennials

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employee who had their identity stolen hours or days of trying to solve the problem on their own.

Depending on the incident’s complexity, resolving an iden-tity theft case can take up to 150 hours. At a time when most employers are competing to offer unique and personalized benefits packages, paying for identity theft protection is a sound invest-ment that can attract top talent and provide peace of mind for the employer.

Another benefit that can help differentiate an organization is a student loan repayment program. Paying off large, long-term debts is a major stressor for millennials, who often find it neces-sary to put off major life events such as moving out of their parents’ house, getting married and having children.

Similar to a 401(k) match, student loan repayment assistance allows an employer to match all or a portion of the amount an employee pays each month. Such a programs has the potential to significantly improve millennials’ overall financial wellness and satisfaction with their work situation. Research has also shown that such programs can reduce the time an employee needs to pay off a student loan by four years.

One more benefit that can be greatly appreciated but which is not yet typically offered is pet insurance. An employer that offer pet insurance as an elective benefit demonstrates that it cares about every member of their employees’ families. Carrying pet insur-ance that their employer pays for or offers at a discount reduces employees’ stress over the cost of keeping pets. It can also enhance the firm’s reputation among potential job applicants.

Wellness BenefitsOver the past few years, millennials have increasingly focused on wellness and self-care. This trend is anticipated to continue in the wake of the pandemic. So, employers that offer comprehensive wellness benefits will certainly stand above the rest.

There are many ways to approach wellness in the workplace. Some employers offer standing desks, onsite gyms and healthy snacks. Others offer education on nutrition and support partic-ipation in weight loss support groups and prepared meal plans. Many employers also reimburse employees for maintaining gym memberships, participating in virtual fitness classes and consulting with nutritionists.

Mental health wellness benefits and programs will continue to gain traction, as well. And organizing a weekly “health hour” during which employees spend 60 minutes at the start of the workday, during lunch or at quitting time taking part in a fitness class or a mental health session is becoming more common.

With more people doing their jobs remotely, additional coun-seling, either virtual or in-person, may be required to address

issues such as isolation. Regardless of the specifics, offering well-ness programs to millennials communicates the message that the organization cares about the entire person rather than seeing them merely as a worker.

Work-Life BalanceRyan Jenkins wrote in a Jan. 8. 2018, Inc. article that some millen-nials care more about achieving work-life balance than performing meaningful work or progressing in their careers. Despite this, Jenkins cited results from a 2016 American Psychological Association survey that showed just 53 percent of workers felt their employer valued work-life balance. Even fewer respondents (43 percent) indicated that their employer offered flexible work programs and policies.

Even after worksites fully reopen following the pandemic, millennials will view telecommuting as a valuable option. Compared to members of older generations, millennials are the biggest supporters of working from home. According to Global Workplace Analytics, more than 90 percent of millennials want to work from home, even if they are permitted to do so just one or two days a week.

In addition, younger employees desire flexibility within scheduled work hours. An employer can accommodate this in many ways, including day-shifting, instituting summer hours and establishing health hours.

Millennials have changed the workforce, and they expect orga-nizations to care about workers. In addition to health insurance coverage and retirement plans, employees younger than 40 value nontraditional benefits that provide flexibility and peace of mind such as identity protection, telework and flextime. To remain competitive in recruiting top millennial talent in the post-pan-demic environment, employers should forgo exotic perks and concentrate on providing flexibility and value.

Paige Schaffer is CEO of global identity and cyber protection services for Generali Global Assistance. She has been with the company since 2007, and she currently sits on three boards. You can learn more about Schaffer by connecting with her and her company on LinkedIn. —N

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THE B&G HR REPORT

For public sector employers, employee benefits provide a significant

competitive tool that counteracts the lure of higher salaries in the private sector. Proof of this comes from a summary of data compiled over the last five years by the National Research Center (NRC) at Polco, which provides survey research services for public sector organizations and offers an online engagement platform. Seventy-three percent of local government employees rate their benefits as good to excellent, but just 45 percent give equally high ratings to their salaries.

Consider, though, the situation in Florida. The Fort Lauderdale Police Department competes with approximately 100 municipalities spread across three counties. The City of Gainesville, on the other hand, primarily competes for law enforcement personnel with the sheriff’s office for surrounding Alachua County.

Lee Feldman, who was city manager for Fort Lauderdale before taking the same position in Gainesville, observed, “You have to look at where you are in the market,” as well as the specific needs of your organization, when it comes time to set up benefits packages.

This all raises the obvious question of how to deliver the benefits that public sector employees will most appreciate. The Colorado Department of Personnel & Administration (DPA) determined in 2019 that it would find out. Between October of last year and March 2020, the department collected 16,000 responses to engagement surveys that included questions about benefits, held 45 listening sessions and had 1,200 state employee complete follow-up surveys online.

What employees valued most in terms of benefits became clear. According to DPA Director Kara Veitch, “We asked what benefits they’d like to see, and

overwhelmingly, answers included flextime and flex space.”

Specifically, employees yearned for greater flexibility in scheduling and the ability to work outside of central offices in Denver. The employees were split on their preference to work from home or at other agencies or satellite locations. The big ask was to be spared long commutes or the expense of living in Denver.

Colorado state employees also expressed strong interests in cheaper health insurance options, more choices among health plans and paid family medical leave.

“With all of that feedback and our own research on best practices,” Veitch said, “we came up with a strategic plan,”

Negotiations with health plan providers resulted in six options for employees and better coverage for vision care. This is two more plans than were offered in 2019.

Offering paid family leave was also under consideration in early 2020. This remains on the wish list, but state leaders are unsure if funding can be found given the pandemic-driven economic downturn.

Serving a Variety of NeedsMany HR directors have learned the same things Veitch did. “Flexibility and time off are the items that come up a lot in discussions,” said Michelle Kobayashi when describing what she hears while facilitating workshops with workers at government organizations for NRC at Polco.

“People want flexibility,” concluded the senior vice president for innovation.

Once survey data and other types of feedback reveal the types of benefits employees want, employers must still meet the challenge of pleasing workers in a variety of age groups and career stages. Certainly, dozens

How Local and State Governments Are Meeting the Employee Benefits ChallengeBy Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene

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THE B&G HR REPORTof HR managers over the years have told us about the dilemma they faced in selecting affordable benefits that appeal to a multigenerational workforce. And more than that, benefits offering must serve to attract new employees, help build workplace culture and be fundable now and in the future.

Still, Joshua Franzel, president and CEO of the Center for State and Local Government Excellence (SLGE), cautions that it is “also quite essential that state and local leaders continue to focus on the meat and potato benefits—retirement and health insurance.”

Offering these bigger, more-expensive benefits presents special kinds of challenges that can be outside the remit of human resources offices. For instance, how a government funds pensions is usually spelled out in statutes, and the administration of retirement benefits is generally handled by an independent agency. HR leaders are better positioned to design and implement innovative and nontraditional benefits.

Beyond Insurance, Retirement and FlexibilityFostering Financial WellnessMuch in the way that surveys and listening sessions led the State of Colorado to update its approach to employee benefits, listening to workers prompted many public sector employers to make significant adjustments to their mix of benefits. Some changes have been relatively modest.

In Fort Collins, Colo., employee opinion convinced the city to develop a smartphone app that allows workers to quickly access retirement information. For younger employees, the city is providing more education on investing and financial wellness services.

Other public sector organizations should consider following Fort Collins on this last item. An SLGE survey of local and state government employees across the United States that was reported in April 2020 revealed that 68

percent of respondents said they would likely participate in a financial wellness program “in the near future or if offered one.”

Helping With Student Loan RepaymentsSince 2017, City of Memphis Chief Human Resource Officer Alex Smith has introduced several benefits with the intent of attracting and retaining younger workers. One of the more-innovative programs has the city pay $50 toward employees’ student loans each month. The city’s contribution goes directly to the holder of each loan, and the money is earmarked for paying down principal. Participating employees continue making their normal loan repayments.

“We wanted to establish a new brand for the organization that could attract young people,” Smith said. “We really focused in on benefits and talking about the total rewards and the beauty of working for government and the City of Memphis.”

Data show the rebranding may have worked. The retention rate for the 500 employees participating in the student loan repayment program is higher than for employees who do not participate.

Benefits That Support Employees and Build CultureMemphis has also responded to younger workers’ desire to serve their community and make a positive difference in the world. Employees who are in good standing and who have been with the city a year are allowed to

take five hours of paid time each pay period to volunteer.

Jason Jackson, the executive director of the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services, has taken a different approach to creating a distinct employer brand for the state. “We’re attempting to make Nebraska the best employer for new moms in the state,” he said.

To this end, a new wellness benefit that limits pregnancy and delivery costs to a $500 copay is currently being piloted within Jackson’s department. Prior to the pandemic, Jackson was also piloting a bring-babies-to-work program, similar to those that already exist in Arizona and Washington.

Back in Fort Collins Chief Human Resources Officer Teresa Roche, pointed to multiple wellness program offerings that have strengthened workplace culture. These include an onsite health clinic, the ability to earn extra vacation days by completing tasks such as performing a healthy home assessment, nutrition classes and classes “for finding your purpose.” Even more significantly, the city has started to work with a new employee assistance program partner that provides access to therapists who are trained to help people with stress and other emotional and mental health issues.

“We’re looking for the total well-being of our workforce—physical, financial and emotional,” said Fort Collins City Manager Darin Atteberry. “I think we’ve really been evolving from traditional benefit offerings. We have to be more nimble and responsive to the needs of employees.”

Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene have analyzed and written about state and local manage-

ment and policy for nearly 30 years. You can find more of their reporting and commentary online at www.greenebarrett.com and follow them @greenebarrett. Their email address is greenebarrett@gmail.com. —N

“Flexibility and time

off are the items

that come up a lot

in discussions.”

— Michelle KobayashiNRC at Polco

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LEADERSHIP ROADMAP

Have you ever witnessed a colleague fail to speak up when they should

have? Did they hesitate to offer comments or suggest a new idea because they feared how their manager or others would react? Did they expect to face reprisals for raising concerns?

Do you recognize yourself as the colleague who remained silent?

You are not alone. The reality is that it’s not always safe to speak up at work.

In its 2017 State of the American Workplace, Gallup reported that just three in 10 employees agreed with the statement that their “opinions seem to count” at work. The polling firm went on to note that if the response rate rose to six in 10 employees, organizations could realize a 27 percent reduction in turnover, a 40 percent reduction in safety incidents and a 12 percent increase in productivity.

Clearly, how safe people feel at work determines many organizational outcomes. When employees feel psychologically safe, they take risks without fearing adverse consequences when an experiment does not pan out. Psychologically safe employees are also more likely to express themselves without worrying about retribution. On the opposite end of the spectrum, employees feel too intimidated to share insights and ideas when they do not feel safe. Hence, engagement goes down.

A considerable body of research shows that the degree of psychological safety employees feel is related to the amount of emotional intelligence (EI) their managers and team members display. Coworkers’ EI also influences an employee’s ability to handle stress.

When EI is high across a workforce, team members find it easier to navigate work processes and the workplace.

Employees will enjoy their work more, be better able to form close relation-ships and do better when faced with challenges—even serious one like the coronavirus pandemic. Organizations where EI is low are likely to have employees who are struggling to cope with longer hours or with being at home with little variation in routines while taking care of themselves and their families.

What Is Emotional Intelligence?The concept of EI grew out of the under-standing that how people behave and express themselves matters for how others respond to them. In operational terms, EI is the ability to identify and understand one’s own emotions, as well as the ability to regulate one’s emotions in positive ways to relieve stress and to communicate and empa-thize with others in ways that build productive relationships.

Another way to think about EI is as a set of personal competencies for recog-nizing what triggers specific emotions and for acknowledging how others perceive and react to your emotional states. Developing a high EI requires cultivating tools for regulating your emotional responses and outward expressions of internal reactions. Low EI makes it difficult to build and sustain relationships.

EI is generally described as having four components.

Self-AwarenessBeing self-aware involves being confi-dent in your ability to read your own emotions, to understand what drives your moods and to recognize the impact your emotions and moods have on other people. Being self-aware also involves knowing your strengths and limitations when it comes to monitoring your emotions and moods. When you are self-aware, how you go through the

Increase Engagement by Harnessing Emotional Intelligence to Create Psychological SafetyBy Andrew Rahaman, Ed.D.

The Components of Emotional Intelligence

Source: Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence (1995).

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LEADERSHIP ROADMAP

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

world becomes less about what others are doing to you and more about what you think and feel as things happen.

As you develop your self-awareness, you become cognizant of the words you use to describe your feelings, as well as how other people interpret the meanings of those words. Once you have strong self-awareness, you will also be able to articulate what triggers negative emotions and bad moods. Identifying your hot buttons allows you to work on not responding automatically or impulsively, which means you can work on not increasing tensions.

Self-ManagementPracticing self-management involves framing your reactions to emotional triggers in ways that allow you to create solutions. Self-management competen-cies include having a sense of achieve-ment, being able to keep disruptive emotions under control and displaying honesty, integrity and trustworthiness.

Social AwarenessShowing social awareness involves being able to sense other people’s emotions, understanding others’ unique perspectives and learning to take an active interest in things others are concerned about. It also involves having organizational awareness.

Relationship ManagementIn our social world, we are constantly making connections—or not—with those around us. Managing relation-ships well allows you to motivate, lead and guide others by tuning in when they speak, coaching them, offering feedback and deescalating conflicts. This relates to self-awareness because managing relationships becomes possible when you are conscious of how you are showing up and what impact you are having on others.

Why Emotional Intelligence Is so Important in the WorkplaceStated plainly, EI is a business imper-ative. It is a basic tool that, deployed with finesse, is the key that unlocks professional success.

To see why EI is not a mere luxury that you can dispense with when times

get tough, think about the best and worst bosses you ever had. Write down three attributes or characteristics that describe each person’s behavior.

What made the two bosses different? What impacts did their actions and words have on you, the team and the organization’s performance? Now, ask yourself who you would prefer to work with or for again. Who do you want to emulate?

Researchers who study EI and organiza-tional performance would tell you that one reason you appreciated your good boss was because that person made you feel psychologically safe. When indi-viduals feel threatened and at risk, they turn away. Conversely, individuals who feel safe reach out to others.

We know that, on average, the best organizations do not succeed because they employ a few standouts. The best organizations become the best because their employees form great teams, work together and feel engaged.

To perform at a high level, however, employees must first feel psycho-logically safe and trust each other. A commonly accepted definition of psychological safety is

An individual’s perception of the consequences of taking an inter-personal risk or a belief that a team is safe for risk taking in the face of being seen as ignorant, incompetent, negative or disruptive. In a team with high psychological safety, teammates feel safe to take risks around their team members. They feel confident that no one on the team will embarrass or punish anyone else for admitting a mistake, asking a question or offering a new idea.

And this is where EI proves its worth. Emotions are a primal force. They are the first response people have when they interact with others. On teams, how emotions are displayed and expressed make members feel either safe to take risks or fearful of attempting to contribute. Hence, leaders and members of great teams need to be able to identify, understand and manage emotions.

Team members who are self-aware and who can manage their emotions develop the skills they need to handle other members’ behaviors effec-tively and to respond in supportive or constructive ways when they hear ideas different from their own. Team members will then increase their ability to become socially aware of each other by picking up visual and verbal cues. This increases their ability to feel and show empathy for each other, which builds relationships and increases commitment to achieving shared outcomes. Establishing good working relationships also makes it easier to resolve conflicts.

If you are a team leader, a substan-tial part of your job is to listen more, talk less, praise generously, reframe negative feedback and pay attention to the impact of your behavior. Honing your EI allows you to set the tone. As Daniel Goleman wrote in Emotional Intelligence. “The rules for work are changing. We’re being judged by a new yardstick: not just by how smart we are, or by our training and exper-tise, but also by how well we handle ourselves and each other.”

Can I Develop My Emotional Intelligence?Yes, absolutely. And managers and team members who do so create psychological safety within their workgroups. This, in turn, creates an environment in which employees stay engaged and productivity remains high.

Start increasing your EI by thinking about your thinking. You will always experience positive and negative emotions. Reflecting on those imme-diate responses points the way toward building resiliency, improving your ability to see challenges and expe-riences from different perspectives, helping you bank psychological capital and keeping you grounded.

For the purposes of increasing your EI, negative emotions can serve you better than positive ones. Processed correctly, negative emotions help you identify legitimate threats to your well-

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being (as opposed to mild annoyances or inconveniences). They also highlight the issues that you need to address in order to improve circumstances and outcomes for yourself and the people around you.

A reality that holds many of us back from adequately assessing and managing our emotions is that we use a limited emotional vocabulary. We tend to stick to basic descrip-tions such as sad, angry, anxious, depressed and stressed. But research shows that people who can differ-entiate and name a wider range of emotions do better at managing (i.e., self-regulating) their expressions and behaviors. This makes these individ-uals more able to lower their stress and adapt to change.

The Mood Meter displays a host of words that matter.

Here is an exercise you can try. The next time you are troubled or upset about something, describe those feel-ings to yourself and take note of how much energy the emotion inspires. Rate the degree to which the feeling was pleasant or unpleasant. Now, consult the Mood Meter. Find the word that best matches what you just went through.

Gaining clarity about your emotional responses enables self-management. When you ascribe the proper meaning to your reactions, you should find it easier to develop resilient practices.

Andrew Rahaman, Ed.D., has worked nation-ally and internationally with leaders and organizations of all sizes in the public and private sectors, including 26 years in federal government. He is an executive in residence at American University, where he teaches graduate courses on organizational learning, leadership, change management and teams for the university’s Key Executive Education Programs. Rahaman is also on the staff of the Center for Creative Leadership and past-chair of the U.S. affiliate of the World Institute for Action Learning. He currently runs his own consulting firm, specializing in executive coaching, onboarding, organi-zational culture assessment and delivering leadership development programs. He can be reached at rahamanaa@gmail.com or rahaman@american.edu. Follow him on Twitter @ProfA_Rahaman. —N

LEADERSHIP ROADMAP

Source: Matt Brackett, Permission to Feel (2019).

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

Pleasantness (Low/High)

Ener

gy (

Low

/Hig

h)

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MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

Certification Corner Congratulations to these newly certified individuals!

Meena Bapu, IPMA-SCPSenior HR GeneralistCity of Johns CreekJohns Creek, Ga.

Braxton Casey, IPMA-CPProgram ManagerU.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesBowie, Md.

Valeria Cazares, IPMA-CPHuman Resources TechnicianCity of HaywardHayward, Calif.

Mai Cha, IPMA-CPHuman Resources TechnicianCity of HaywardHayward, Calif.

Jennica Chaparro, IPMA-CPHuman Resources TechnicianCity of Torrance Human ResourcesTorrance, Calif.

Lisa Christensen, IPMA-CPHuman Resources ManagerCity of Arroyo GrandeArroyo Grande, Calif.

Matthew Crawford, IPMA-SCPDirector of Financial Analysis and ReportingCity of Los AngelesSanta Monica, Calif.

Theresa Daniels, IPMA-CPAssistant Finance DirectorCity of PampaPampa, Texas

Jonnabelle Domingo, IPMA-SCPSenior Human Resources OfficerCity of San Diego Human Resources DepartmentSan Diego, Calif.

David Garcia, IPMA-CPHuman Resources AnalystCity of El PasoEl Paso, Texas

Jessica Higgins, IPMA-CPHuman Resources GeneralistCity of HewittHewitt, Texas

Khalilah Holland, IPMA-CPHuman Resources AdministratorCity of Grain ValleyGrain Valley, Mo.

Valerie Hunter, IPMA-SCPChief Management AnalystCity of Los AngelesFontana, Calif.

Matthew Keeney, IPMA-CPSenior Administrative AssistantCity of Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, Mo.

Elizabeth Kennington, IPMA-CPPersonnel AnalystSan Diego Unified School DistrictLa Mesa, Calif.

Suzanne Kmet, IPMA-SCPPresidentKmet HR ConsultingGravois Mills, Mo.

Natalie Lazenby, IPMA-SCPHuman Resources ManagerSpring Hill, Kans.

Therese Madden, IPMA-SCPProfessorNotre Dame de Namur UniversityBelmont, Calif.

Amy McDonald, IPMA-SCPHR Program ManagerCatawba County GovernmentNewton, N.C.

Michelle McQuiston, IPMA-CPHuman Resources TechnicianCity of AlbanyAlbany, Calif.

Wendy Mendenhall, IPMA-CPDirector of Human ResourcesSpringfield Housing AuthoritySpringfield, Ill.

Krishna Millea, IPMA-CPHR AnalystAlexa HeimannFlorence, Ariz.

Brandi Molina, IPMA-CPHuman Resources CoordinatorCity of WebsterWebster, Texas

Dale Nguyen, IPMA-SCPChief Benefits AnalystCity of Los AngelesLos Angeles, Calif.

Akeem Obasesan, IPMA-CPDepartmental Human Resources OfficerCounty of San Diego Planning and Development ServicesSan Diego, Calif.

Jaime Okewole, IPMA-CPHuman Resources AnalystHelix Water DistrictLa Mesa, Calif.

Andrea Pascoa, IPMA-CPHuman Resources Analyst IICity of East ProvidenceEast Providence, R.I.

Doreka Prevo, IPMA-CPHuman Resources TechnicianCity of Torrance Human ResourcesTorrance, Calif.

Kevin Quinlan, IPMA-CPPayroll & Benefits ManagerLisle School District 202Franklin Park, Ill.

Leo Reyes, IPMA-SCPSenior Personnel AnalystCity of Los AngelesLos Angeles, Calif.

Regina Sickels, IPMA-SCPHuman Resources AnalystCity of VacavilleVacaville, Calif.

Jen Sinatra, IPMA-SCPHuman Resources DirectorRocky River, Ohio

Lissette Smith, IPMA-CPChiefMaryland Park and Planning CommissionBeltsville, Md.

Laura Triner, IPMA-SCPSenior Personnel Analyst IICity of Los AngelesLos Angeles, Calif.

Cheryl Vance, IPMA-CPHuman Resources TechnicianCity of HaywardHayward, Calif.

Meredith Ward, IPMA-SCPAdministrative Officer IIICity of Charlotte – Charlotte WaterCharlotte, N.C.

LABOR RELATIONS

HR NEWS MAGAZINE| 24 | OCTOBER 2020

New Agency MembersSouth Coast Air Quality Management DistrictDiamond Bar, Calif.

City of New Smyrna BeachNew Smyrna Beach, Fla.

New Individual Members Haley BizzellHillsborough, N.C.

Leon F. CarrWoodbridge, Va.

Helen FosterHutchinson, Kans.

Renee HarrisHutchinson, Kans.

Thomas Edward PoulinChesapeake, Va.

Nancie J. ShawPerris, Calif.

Jen SinatraRocky River, Ohio

Lucy ZamarripaKersey, Co.

The Association looks forward to serving and connecting these organizations and individuals who joined during August 2020.

IPMA-HR Welcomes Its New MembersMEMBERSHIP MATTERS

IPMA-HR wraps up its slate of 2020 webinars in November. This makes now a great time to revisit or discover all the

valuable information experts and fellow Association members shared in the nearly 20 session streamed over the past 10 months.

Visit our Webinar Library at learning.ipma-hr.org/webinars, log in and watch

n Work and Occupational Stress in the Midst of COVID-19

n 9 Steps to Remove Bias and Promote Diversity at Every Stage of the Hiring Process

n Navigating Difficult Conversations in the New Normal

n 7 Ways to Maximize Employee Potential Through Coaching and Feedback (Sponsored by NEOGOV)

n How Cooperative Purchasing Can Help You Get Better Employee Benefits, Cheaper and Faster

n Virtual Roundtable: Public Safety Hiring During a Pandemic

n Building World-Class Employee Engagement

n May 5, 2020 IPMA-HR Virtual Roundtable: Plans to Reopen

n The Brain Science of Shared Adversity and Resilience: Exploring the New Opportunity for Connection and Leadership

n April 16, 2020 IPMA-HR Virtual Roundtable: Handling Coronavirus in the Workplace

n The Brain Science of Shared Adversity and Resilience: Exploring the New Opportunity for Connection and Leadership

Catch Up on Webinars You Missed While Working Through a Year Like No Other

n How to Thrive and Flourish When Working in Isolation (From Home)

n April 2, 2020 IPMA-HE Virtual Roundtable: Handling Coronavirus in the Workplace

n In Harm’s Way: Suicide Prevention in Law Enforcement

n March 25, 2020: Coronavirus in the Workplace

n Walk a Mile in Your Candidate’s Shoes: 6 Tips for Improving the Candidate Experience (Sponsored by NEOGOV)

n HR20/20 Report: The IPMA-HR Guide to Transformative HR

n Government Affairs Update for January 2020

n Best Practices in Police Recruitment: How the Metropolitan Police Department Continues to Thrive in a Challenging Environment

Completing webinars earns you points toward recertifying as an IPMA-CP or IPMA-SCP. —N

WWW.IPMA-HR.ORG OCTOBER 2020 | 25 |

CALENDAR

Oct. 21-22 HR 2020: Building a New Vision Together Online Event To register, on.ipma-hr.org/ipmahr20

Watch the IPMA-HR Events page at www.ipma-hr.org/events for the announce-ment of a November 2020 webinar. Online courses and meetings for 2021 will be posted as soon as they are scheduled.

EWSOCTOBER 2019

THE MAGAZ INE OF THE INTERNAT IONAL PUBL IC MANAGEMENT ASSOCIAT ION FOR HUMAN RESOURCES

HRNEWS

AUGUST 2019

THE MAGAZ INE OF THE INTERNAT IONAL PUBL IC MANAGEMENT ASSOCIAT ION FOR HUMAN RESOURCES

HRN

A County HR Department

Focuses on Its First Customers

Welcome New Employees in

Innovative Ways

Address Stress and Reduce

Burnout

Encourage Humor at Work

Improving the

Employee Experience

HR News AnywhereMembers can access the full text of every issue of the magazine back to 2005 at on.ipma-hr.org/hrnew3e91e.

Solutions for People Who Pay People.

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Download our 30-minute video roundtable and written summary at GallagherHRCC.com/BuildingBetter/IPMA.

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