Now more than ever, companies are offering mental health and self-help resources to their employees.  However, even with more awareness and resources, mental health is still not a normalized conversation to have in the workplace. Plus, no one could have anticipated how our mental health would be challenged, all within the span of one year, by a pandemic, election year, climate change and racial injustices. Many people are navigating these struggles in isolation while working from home.

A recent survey of 256 companies by the nonprofit employer group, the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, found that 53% of employers are providing special emotional and mental health programs for their workforce.

Though the resources are there, some leaders may not know how to encourage their teams to use them effectively. We all know that in order for people to do their best work, they need to be at their best, so I’ve comprised a list with some immediate ways to support your employees and their well-being.

1 – Create an ethos surrounding wellness, inclusivity, openness, and diversity. 

Begin building a workplace culture that provides a trauma-free space and is inclusive to all generations, cultures and races. Hosting digital roundtables and Slack channels dedicated to this space can help show the care and lines of communication are open. Establishing a genuine connection and finding time to support your workforce outside of happy hour Zoom calls, which people grew tired of pretty quickly, will make this message more impactful.

It’s important not to shy away from these topics. Ideally, you can be a part of those conversations, now more than ever. Don’t wait for something negative to spark up a motion of support — start the conversation to show that you are aware.

Ways to create this ethos:

• Host monthly speakers to discuss their insights on wellness and work balance.
• Be transparent about how the company is diversifying the leadership team and candidate pool.
• Revisit and establish policies that strengthen any anti-harassment policies so all feel welcome in the workforce.

2 – Set policies that promote work-life balance.

Working remotely and not taking time off is setting up employees for burn out. Some employees are trying to balance taking care of their children in this wild juggling act. Many people are putting others and their deliverables first, not themselves. Leaders need to ensure employees are taking care of themselves, not only for employees’ health but for that of their overall workforce. For example, Kickstand Communications is giving its employees three hours each week to disconnect, according to Business Insider.

If you have the luxury to offer a three-day weekend every month, do it. That extra day is for them. Go the extra mile and provide active break sessions in their calendar to support meditation, a quick run, or yoga.

3 – Cover the costs to provide resources.

Starbucks has announced that employees who work 20 hours or more per week are now entitled to  expanded mental health benefits. You can also offer memberships to applications that provide insights and tips on bettering mental health, such as Headspace ($69.99 annually per individual with special pricing for larger teams). Going the extra mile to extend this to family members is a way to show that we are in this together and here to support all.

4 – Be aware of the news.

Setting a calendar reminder to start your day to read the news to know what might be impacting your team is another way to be in the know and ready to support your team. This will go a long way in developing a trusting environment. You should already have a pulse on what is heavy on your employees’ minds to know what you should be ready for with any breaking news. If you see something that you know might affect your team, be ready and willing to have an open conversation. Be sensitive to the idea that breaking news will have different impacts on different people.

These are just some small things to have an impactful and supportive environment for mental health. Here at UnCommons, we are creating the foundation to provide a return to the office that is more mindful and empathetic to our community’s current needs. Here are a few examples of some programs we are developing:

• Positive reinforcement through signs and messages across the campus through our Good Thoughts Everyday effort.
• Promoting health through community collaboration in programs like our Sunrise Series, a regular morning event to help people energize, inspire, and set intentions for the day or week.
• Uncommon Bonds focusing on setting up meaningful peer-to-peer and mentorship relationships focused on personal and professional development.
• Rejuvenation and outdoor spaces where employees are invited to unwind and relax during the workday.

We are all human, and we are all trying to thrive. Let’s do it together.

Amalie Zinsser is the community engagement lead at UnCommons, where she serves to foster a culture of the community.

 

Everyone seems to know the slang term “bullpen” at the office – a buzzing place without walls, only cubicles – more generously known as “workstations.” Many workers in the Baby Boomer or Gen X generations started in the bullpen, just out of college, where hard work was recognized and eventually may have led to a quiet sanctuary: the private office.

Bullpens became popular after World War II when many office workers were employed to type documents prior to any mainframe computers becoming standard equipment in the field. By the 1960s, information management was becoming a big business, keeping right up with manufacturing. This work did not require privacy and, thus, the open floor plan was born.

In 1968, Herman Miller’s Research Director, Robert Probst, unveiled Action Office, the world’s first open-plan modular system of panels and attaching components, later to be known as the cubicle. Unknown to most, Bob’s vision (along with Miller’s design director, George Nelson) was to create a system that promoted collaboration, flexibility and adjustability to allow workers to modify their workstations to best support their tasks. The timing was right, as mainframe computers become personal (desktop) computers, the cubical and bullpen was an effective way to optimize office space.

Fast forward more than 50 years, and not much has had a comparable impact to the way work is done, until now. One silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it has forced corporations and the design community to reimagine what has come of the modern Open Office Bullpen since Probst’s invention. Some believe that the pendulum had swung too far. From Bob’s original vision for Action Office, to seas of sameness with cubicles, and now the most recent trend of “Benching” (think desks in a row with no wall separation), the novel requirement for social distancing will be the biggest impact on space utilization, thereby spurring the most drastic changes in design.

This urgency of redesign was fueled by some staggering research findings. In a case study in South Korea, 43% of workers on a call center floor tested positive from COVID-19 after the Seoul Metropolitan Government was notified of a single positive case there. Research from MIT published in Spring 2020 shows a sneeze can blast potentially infectious droplets as far as 27 feet – well beyond current social distancing guidelines. The priority in a bullpen is no longer efficiently using space, but keeping employees healthy and safe.

Some companies are adapting to this not by changing their layout, but by staggering their work force. For instance, some employees might come in Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and others on Tuesdays and Thursdays. With this model, the bullpen is only at 50% occupancy at any given time, providing the recommended physical distancing. Of course, this is in tandem with increased cleaning protocol, better air filtration, touch-free technology, one-way traffic in hallways and the ubiquitous face mask when not at a desk.

In addition to these fixes and short-term modifications, we are seeing the emergence of other trends, including:

• Accommodating teams has become a challenge, leading to the evolution of “Zoom rooms” where a portion of the team is included virtually, and some physically in the space.
• As companies have a knee-jerk reaction to raise workstation panel heights to protect from coughs and sneezes, collaboration and human interaction decreases.
• Forward-thinking companies are starting to see the office as more of a destination for collaboration and less of a “heads down” privacy space with seas of workstations.
• The “me” space is getting more private with less density, and fewer neighboring colleagues. The “we” space is moving to be virtual, outside, or in physically distanced conference rooms with augmented air filtration.
• Zones within the office floor plate are starting to develop – what in the past might have been a “quiet zone” versus a “chat zone,” there are now additional areas such as a “safe zone” and “social zone” to accommodate different levels of comfort.

50 years after the bullpen was invented, we find ourselves again searching for inspiration from Bob Probst. In a COVID-19 world, workers are craving human-centered design, flexibility and choice. Matter, together with leaders in the space like Herman Miller and Henriksen Butler, will continue to anticipate the needs of our communities and build our projects to suit.

Tom van Betten is vice president of strategic relationships at Matter Real Estate Group, the developer behind UnCommons. Heather Bressler is the principal and market president for Las Vegas at Henriksen Butler.

 

Though much of our lives the past several months have been socially distanced, the return of sports is bringing us some much-needed connection. Sports have a way of uniting people and can be a distraction or provide an escape from the stresses of the world, whether it be for three periods, nine innings or 18 holes.

In the absence of being able to cheer on our favorite teams in person, we asked Chris Conlon, the culinary mastermind behind Platform One, to share a few recipes for our at-home tailgating. Just in time for the Raiders first game, Chris is sharing recipes for Korean pork belly tacos and pimento grilled cheese cheeseburgers. Enjoy!

Korean Pork Belly Tacos “al pastor” with Sriracha Crema and Cilantro

You’ll love this Asian twist on al pastor tacos!

Makes 8 Tacos

Ingredients:

For the pork:

3 c. of your favorite Korean BBQ sauce

1 c. Gochujang

¼ c. Kochukaru (or Korean chili powder)

1 Jalapeño (stem and seeds removed)

¼ c. Whole garlic cloves, peeled

¼ c. Cane sugar

1 ½ lbs. Pork butt (or shoulder), cut into ¼-inch cubes

1 lb. Pork belly, cut into ¼-inch cubes

For the tacos:

2 tbsp. lard or canola oil

2 c. White onions, diced

8 6-inch corn tortillas (try to get fresh tortillas, if available)

1 c. Cilantro, roughly chopped

½ c. Crema

¼ c. Sriracha

2 tbsp. Toasted sesame seeds

8 Lime wedges

Steps:

Combine the Korean BBQ sauce, gochujang, kochukaru, jalapeño, garlic and sugar in a blender and puree until smooth.

Place diced pork and pork belly in a large bowl and massage with pureed marinade. Let the pork marinate for at least 4 hours; overnight would be best.

Heat the lard or oil in a cast iron skillet. Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Cook pork and white onions until the pork is cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.

Warm each tortilla in the skillet.

Divide the pork amongst the tortillas.

In a small bowl, combine the crema and Sriracha and mix to combine.

Garnish each taco with cilantro, crema, sesame seeds and serve with lime wedge on the side.

Hatch Chile Pimento Cheese Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger

Your favorite burger gets a decadent and cheesy upgrade with Hatch green chile pimento grilled cheese sandwiches replacing the buns!

Makes 4 Burgers

Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground beef (90/10 will work best)

2 tbsp. Canola oil

16 slices of Texas toast

32 oz. Pimento cheese

4 Lettuce leaves

4 Slides of tomato

4 tbsp. Creole mustard

1 tbsp. Kosher salt

2 tbsp. Cajun seasoning

8 tbsp. Butter, softened

4 slices American cheese

Steps

Divide the ground beef into four equal 4 oz. patties. Season with kosher salt and Cajun seasoning.

Heat the canola oil on a griddle or skillet over high heat. Sear the burgers on both sides. When the second side is almost finished being seared, add a slice of cheese to each patty. Set aside in a warm place, like a low temperature oven.

While the patties are cooking, build the grilled cheeses. Divide the pimento cheese between 8 slices of Texas toast; top with remaining slices of toast. Butter each side of the sandwiches. Griddle each sandwich and cook as you would a grilled cheese, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Spread 1 tbsp. of mustard on 4 of the sandwiches. Place the burger patty on top. Finish with lettuce and tomato. Finally, top with a second grilled cheese and cut in half on a bias.

Suggested additions: bacon, pickled, roasted or fresh jalapeño, grilled onions, pickles or any of your favorite burger toppings.

Pimento Cheese

You can always purchase a great pimento cheese, but making your own is easy to do and allows you to adjust the flavor and spice level to your liking.

Makes about 1.5 cups

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

4 oz. Pimentos, drained and diced

1 Small serrano pepper, seeds and stem removed, diced

½ c. Mayonnaise (I prefer Dukes for a true taste of the South)

1 tbsp. Black pepper

1 tsp. Kosher salt

Steps:

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combine until a smooth spreadable paste is formed.

Place in fridge to cool for at least 2 hours.