The workplace offers not only an opportunity, but a responsibility, to address mental health for the well-being of employees. This effort will build a healthier internal culture in our companies and foster a much-needed mental health movement in our communities.
The Benefits of Peer Learning and Virtual Networking
Those who are able to work remotely during COVID-19’s period of physical distancing may already be realizing the value of social and professional interactions with coworkers--even if only on computer screens. Beyond the connection these meetups provide, there is more business value to be had.
While, ordinarily, we network in a variety of contexts—at events, conferences, community meetings, courses—given the complexities of our present environment, many of us are looking for new, meaningful methods to stay connected. The Center’s BCCCC Online Member Community offers Center members a chance to participate in cross-company peer sharing and learning. Because the BCCCC Online Member Community is comprised solely of BCCCC members, conversations are candid and specific—including the sharing of strategic plans and partnership information.
To augment the dynamic discussions going on within our Online Member Community, the Center will host live BCCCC Member Meetups during the weeks of April 13 and April 20. Open only to Center members, these meetups—hosted on Zoom—will explore topics that are top-of-mind for members right now.
Sign up for any one of our BCCCC Member Meetups to hear from your peers and ask questions on the following topics: Disaster relief/employee crises funds, Virtual Volunteering & Employee Support, and Changing your grant making focus and easing grant restrictions. In the future, we plan to hold Meetups on additional topics, exploring issues such as future of CSR, sustainability reporting, environmental performance, and more. Leading up to these video-hosted forums, we encourage you to also join our Online Member Community, where you can contribute to existing threads, pose your own questions, and position yourself at the center of our vibrant virtual network. Think of this as a way to solve your problems and feed your creativity. Research suggests that, though creativity is often discussed as an inherent personal trait, there are organizational practices that can promote creativity among team members.
As corporate citizenship professionals know well, having many relationships with a variety of types of people, and being positioned at the center of a network (as opposed to on its periphery) has a significant effect on individual creativity.[1] Being a connector in our now virtual networks is a valuable skill in our new normal, both in facilitating connections between members of a team, and in connecting teams with those they are working to serve and support.
[1] Perry-Smith, J. (2006). Social Yet Creative: The Role of Social Relationships in Facilitating Individual Creativity. Academy of Management Journal 49(1) 85-101.
Related Content
REGULATORY RADAR - The U.S. Department of Labor issued guidance at the end of August on employer’s obligations to track work hours for employees working remotely due to COVID-19 or other telework arrangements.
REGULATORY RADAR - The California legislature has passed legislation requiring corporate board to include representation from minority groups starting next year.
REGULATORY RADAR - On August 27, 2020, the New Jersey legislature passed a new law requiring the state’s Department of Environmental Protection to identify environmentally “overburdened communities” and grant environmental permits only after a determination that the permitted activity will have no disproportionate, cumulative environmental impact on the community.
REGULATORY RADAR - The U.K. government has published plans to prohibit large business operating in the country from using products that were grown in areas that had been deforested illegally.
REGULATORY RADAR - New compensation data requirements have passed both houses of the California legislature and are expected to be signed by California Gov.
WEBINAR: How are companies meeting the unique needs of military members and their families?
Employee resource groups (ERGs)—sometimes known as business network groups, affinity groups, or diversity groups—help to build a sense of community within a company and can serve as a resource for employees who share similar backgrounds or experiences.