The February Wrap Up

Between natural disasters, a volatile political climate, and DEI efforts being slashed left and right, it’s been a heavy start to the year. Add to that the internal burdens your employees may be facing—as members of the sandwich generation, they’re likely being pulled in many directions at home—and it’s no surprise they may be feeling a bit like this:?

When the outside world feels particularly oppressive, employers have a huge opportunity to step up and support their employees with a safe, stable, and rewarding work environment.

Why you should care

If you’re reading this, we know we don’t have to tell you twice that it benefits your bottom line when your employees feel engaged and cared for at work. And if you’re trying to convince someone else on your team:?

• When comparing employee engagement levels, a Gallup poll found that the difference in absenteeism between the top- and bottom-quartile business units and teams was 81 percent. The difference in profitability was 23 percent. [Source]
• Research by Oxford University reported that happy workers are 13 percent more productive. [Source]

Linking benefits and employee satisfaction

From the workplace culture you cultivate to the benefits you offer, much of the employee experience is, in fact, something business leaders and People teams can action on.?

Start with paid leave

There are many ways to take action, but we’ll focus on what Cocoon is excellent at: advocating for paid leave. In a recent survey conducted by Cocoon, 60 percent of respondents said lack of a competitive paid leave package would be a deal breaker when considering a new job.?

If you're more of a qualitative person, consider the experiences of two survey respondents:

“I would like to have a third baby, but will have to look for another job with better leave before we do.”?

“My husband has 18 weeks of paid leave through his employer and will literally never leave.”

Paid leave impacts people’s lives in a very real way. It is a crucial factor in retention and fostering employee engagement and satisfaction.?

Consider the impacts of paid leave on your company culture

Going back to the…state of the world…

It’s more critical than ever for employers to show compassion when governmental policies are, for many people, doing the opposite. At Cocoon, our vision for paid leave has always gone well beyond the bare minimum. The People teams we work with care deeply about the employees they serve and understand that doing right by them is truly win-win.?

Here are two ways you can challenge the status quo with progressive policies and benefits.?

1. Promote a culture of compassion: Compassionate leave gives employees the flexibility and privacy to determine their own priorities, rather than a rigid policy dictating which periods of life are “important enough” to warrant time away from work. Compassionate leave can be used for bereavement, pregnancy loss, legal proceedings, caring for a relation not covered by FMLA. Learn more about how Cocoon implemented this and download our free policy text
2. Promote a culture of caregiving: We are still feeling the impact of the two million women who left the workforce during the pandemic to care for children suddenly without in-person schooling or daycare. Three out of four employees have some kind of caregiving responsibility, so figuring this out is critical across the board. Whether it’s rethinking that “video always on” policy, offering flexible working hours, or supporting caregivers with other benefits, there are so many ways to increase employee satisfaction while creating a culture of caregiving.

Even in today’s always-on work culture, we believe compassionate employers go further. Compassionate employer → Progressive, impactful policies → Happy employees → Increased retention and productivity → Increased profitability.?

And if you want to improve the leaves (and lives!) of others, we’d love for you to join us in funding the push for paid leave for all. Learn more about why paid leave pays off here.

Until next time,

Team Cocoon