Companies: “We’re All In This Together”

We’re all in this together: the pandemic catchphrase. What are examples that demonstrate this being lived out in our society? How can we support each other and show empathy for the difficult situations it has put so many of us in?

We know that schools are taking on a lot of additional responsibility during this pandemic to support students and families. They are providing so many services to students outside of education and we have all realized the extreme need that our school buildings fill for our society. Schools have set up daily food pick-up, 1-1 technology access, virtual mental health counseling services, and frequently connect families to other community service providers. But the list can go on.

Schools aren’t the only entity in our society that has stepped up to fill the needs for families, and shouldn’t have the sole responsibility to do so. We’ve seen companies doing this for their employees and wanted to share some bright spots that highlight the idea of being “all in this together.”

 

Asurion Hosts Trainings for Parent Employees

Asurion has created a task force within the company to figure out the needs of employees and how to best support them. They’ve found many ways to support employees, including how to help parents who have quickly added “homeschool teachers” to their list of endless titles. They’ve partnered with Possip to host multiple “Parent Learning Series” to train parents on topics like: 

• Working and Teaching From Home

• Meeting Your Child’s Social-Emotional Needs

• Summering and Working From Home

• Preparing for At-Home Learning

Asurion has allowed employees to be honest with their needs and have listened to what they are saying. Having an open ear is crucial to supporting your employees. 

 

Chick-fil-A Supports Team Members’ Needs

Chick-fil-A is supporting local communities through a relief fund of over 10 million dollars. The money will be going to Chick-fil-A employees and their families, along with first responders and essential workers. The company is also offering free meals to healthcare workers, feeding children who are out of school, and share positivity by writing customers notes of encouragement. This organization is going out of their way to support their team members and the community at large. 

 

Basecamp Provides Flexible Schedules

Basecamp is a technology company that specializes in helping companies go remote. They deeply understand the difficulties that come with remote working, especially when schools are closed. The CEO announced to employees that anyone with caretaking responsibilities can create their own individualized schedule for the workday and work less if needed. Grace is also so necessary during this time, and providing flexible schedules helps extend that understanding to employees. 

 

PepsiCo Increasing Wages

PepsiCo is giving additional pay to all of its frontline employees. The totals add up to an extra $100 per week to anyone who produces, transports, or delivers their products. Providing additional financial support to employees has helped take care of potential lost income of other family members, 

 

Starbucks Providing Mental Health Support

Starbucks is focusing on its employee’s social-emotional needs during the pandemic. The company is covering 20 therapy sessions a year for every Starbucks team member. This is to focus on their mental health in an extremely difficult time that comes with new 

 

Reach out to amanda@possip.com if you want to discuss how to support your parent employees!