Community wellbeing and workplace giving are integral to an organization’s success. Providing your people with opportunities to get involved within their communities, and supporting the causes and issues that matter to them, increases employee engagement and helps create a strong company culture. The key to a successful community wellbeing program is to ensure your people feel invested in the organization’s giving efforts. The more personally connected to a cause they feel, the more likely they are to participate.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Steve Camilleri, Executive Director at the Center for the Homeless. We hope you enjoy Steve’s wisdom and perspective.

I'm scared to write this blog.

OK, there, I admitted it, I'm scared. But why? 

Because I am going to share my love for Justin Timberlake. And my love for him goes way back...and not just the uber-cool 2013 Suit and Tie Timberlake, but I'm talking about the 1995 N'Sync when-no-one-else-really-thought-he-was-cool-Timberlake!

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger SnackNation, a company that delivers healthy snacks to offices to help boost employee engagement, workplace health, and productivity. SnackNation's blog and infographic address an important workplace wellbeing concern – stress. We hope you enjoy SnackNation’s insight on this important wellbeing topic.

There’s a silent killer in your workplace.

It lurks in the shadows, depleting your energy, sacking your concentration, and shaking your confidence. Your co-workers talk about it in hushed tones (if at all), and your boss is in denial of its very existence…

Its name?

Stress.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Clint Bolser, President and CEO of LOGAN Community Resources, Inc. We hope you enjoy Clint’s wisdom and perspective.

A couple years ago my son Preston and I participated in a father-son overnight basketball camp at Bethel College. The camp incorporated basketball drills and games but the overall goal was to enhance a father and son relationship in a fun atmosphere. Mike Lightfoot, who is retiring this year as Bethel College Head Basketball Coach spent a couple of hours privately with the fathers to talk about his experience as a father and engage the group in conversation about what we can do to be positive role models for our children.

Whether you’re flying two states over for a business trip or exploring a new country on your dream vacation, travel requires a lot of planning. In the midst of booking flights, confirming hotel rooms, reserving rental cars, and packing suitcases, travel insurance can seem like an unnecessary addition to your to-do list. Ask any seasoned traveler for advice, however, and they’ll tell you it’s the one thing you should never set off without. No matter how much planning you’ve put into your trip, the unexpected can, and often does, happen. The good news is, you can plan for that too—and purchasing the right travel insurance policy is just the way to do it.

It’s no secret that disengaged workers can negatively impact your organization. Research, especially studies conducted by Gallup, continues to show us that disengaged employees are less productive, are absent from work more often, and more likely to have workplace accidents than their engaged colleagues.

A key component of managing the employee experience is gathering employee feedback. To improve employee engagement, you must understand your starting point. Do your employees feel valued? What do they appreciate most? What areas can be improved?

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Greg Downes, Chairman Emeritus at Gibson. We hope you enjoy Greg’s wisdom and perspective.

Recently I’ve been thinking about some memorable advice from an old and dear friend of mine, former Indiana Governor and Lt. Governor, and former South Bend Mayor, Joseph E. Kernan. I have always looked up to and respected him for many reasons, not the least of which is his leadership. The advice came in May 1998, when Joe, then the Lt. Governor, delivered the Commencement Address at the University of Notre Dame. 

You completed a new workplace wellbeing initiative…now what?

As the initiative comes to an end, don’t just forget about it and move on. Use the experience as a guide to ensure that your next workplace wellbeing initiative is even more meaningful and effective.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Mike Cahill, President & CEO of Physicians Health Plan of Northern Indiana. We hope you enjoy Mike’s wisdom and perspective.

I was in a meeting the other day about a service my company had considered offering for a number of years. After about 10 minutes, I gave the go-ahead. One of our senior leaders mentioned they have been talking about this for a few years and had not made a decision, so why the need to move now on a decision?

My response, and one many of us should think about, is that putting off a decision is still making a decision. We must get some psychic boost from ‘putting off’ a decision versus deciding to not do anything. In the end, the results look the same. So why bring any of this up?

This country has had the same argument over health care for a long time.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Jeff Rea, President & CEO of the South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce. We hope you enjoy Jeff’s wisdom and perspective!

Harry Chapin was a great American singer-songwriter-story teller probably best known for his hit single “Cat’s in the Cradle.” I remember being introduced to Harry in 1970’s at the Joyce ACC on Notre Dame’s campus. I was so inspired by his stories that I rushed out and bought an 8-track tape of his Greatest Stories Live. Yes, I’m old, for you youngsters, that’s how we used to get our music! Harry died in 1981 at the age of 38 in a car accident.

Over the years, Harry’s music lived on and I amassed a collection of 8-tracks, cassette tapes, albums, and CDs that included both Harry’s music and many of his ramblings about “the meaning of life.”