PORTSMOUTH, NH (July 6, 2020) — Safe Harbor Recovery Center, a program of Granite Pathways, has resumed in-person support services for individuals recovering from substance use disorders in the first phase of a three-phase opening. Visits are by appointment or crisis drop-in only with temperature checks, and masks and hand sanitizers are available. Learn more on the Granite Pathways website.
MIDDLESBROUGH, UK (June 26, 2020) — The UK’s ERSA recognizes best practices and the significant achievements of those supporting job seekers in their progression into work. The awards also recognize customers who have overcome their challenges to reach their full potential. Announcements were made on UK Employability Day, Friday, June 26, 2020 – the day when the employability sector recognizes the work of all who assist jobseekers in achieving their goals. Winners for each category will be announced on July 22.
Read about our finalists and their achievements on the Fedcap Employment website.
NEW YORK, NY (June 29, 2020) Fedcap Rehabilitation is a member of SourceAmerica’s network of more than 600 nonprofit agencies. This network employs more than 90,000 people with disabilities nationwide, some of them through the U.S. AbilityOne® Program, which is one of the largest sources of employment in the United States for people who are blind or have significant disabilities. Jason Golden of SourceAmerica spoke with our colleagues at Fedcap Rehabilitation. Read the article on the SourceAmerica website.
PORT JERVIS, NY (June 29, 2020) — New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has written a letter to the food banks of New York—including Easterseals New York’s Community Outreach—recognizing their remarkable work in feeding needy New Yorkers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The letter reads in part—“Your tireless efforts have helped feed countless New Yorkers in need as we face one of the biggest public health crises in our history, and I truly can’t thank you enough for stepping up in this time of great need. Day after day, you exemplify selflessness in the face of long, difficult hours and unprecedented challenges, providing an example of commitment and compassion at a time when it is truly needed most.” Learn more about the program, and ways to contribute to support the work of Easterseals New York, on the Easterseals New York website.
The worries about coronavirus and the general fatigue of sheltering in place is taking its toll on the mental health of employees. And according to most mental health experts, the COVID-19 pandemic will affect the mental health and wellbeing of employees well beyond the immediacy of the initial crisis.
For those of us in leadership positions, this weighs heavily. The idea of working from home was once novel and has for many, quickly grown old. Employees readily admit that the line between work and personal life is increasingly blurred, making relaxation challenging. For those still going to their worksites every day, the stress and danger of being infected is weighing heavier as the country experiences new surges in infections. Interacting with friends and family via Zoom, virtually celebrating everything from birthdays to weddings to happy hour is not quite meeting the need for connection.
As leaders, we are struggling with the need to bring employees back to our worksites safely in order to serve our clients and maintain the solvency of the organization, and at the same time ensuring our employees feel safe enough to effectively do their jobs.
Woven into this tension is the knowledge that many of our staff are struggling with their emotional well-being. As a CEO of a large multi-national company, employee health and wellness was always part of my role, but has recently taken on new significance. Some time ago we had Patrick Kennedy—a champion for mental health issues and insurance parity—present at one of our Solution Series. He emphasized the importance of every one of us “getting a checkup from the neck-up” at the same time we are attending to our physical health. He addressed the reality of stigma and the difficulty employees face in being open about the struggles they may be facing. And he is right. The workplace has not always been a safe place for talking about emotional well-being. Many employees fear being judged and thought of as “less than.” We need to change this.
According to a recent article in Fortune Magazine by Guru Gowrappan, “…Rewriting the story [making it safe to talk about mental health issues in the workplace] requires organizational leaders to be vocal—not just by talking the talk, but by action. Every executive leader, department head, manager, and colleague has an important role to play in …helping to normalize the conversation. The steps that organizations take now will go a long way in ensuring that employees are equipped with the tools and education needed …”
At Denver-based Paladina Health, which manages primary care practices, Chief People Officer Allison Velez said that virtual 15-minute meditations are being offered each morning for any employee interested in joining. Teammates who miss the meditation can log in later for a replay.
“The old rules may not apply,” Velez said. “This is the time for HR to reinvent themselves. If your old policies and programs aren’t meeting the current needs of your teammates, change them.”
Recently, as part of our commitment to addressing this issue, The Fedcap Group launched a professional development opportunity focused on trauma-informed care. The fact that the session was filled within days and had a long wait list, told us the importance of this topic to our staff. We are intentionally embedding small group discussions about self-care and resilience into this series. Employees need and want to talk about how their emotional well-being impacts their ability to do their jobs well. Fostering these conversations opens the door to a new corporate culture that normalizes discussions about emotional well-being and builds a strong sense of employee safety.
Addressing the overall health and well-being needs of our employees just makes sense. It impacts loyalty, quality and productivity. And it is the right thing for leaders to do.
VALHALLA, NEW YORK (June 30, 2020) — Throughout New York State, massive shifts have occurred for workers, many of whom are parents who suddenly needed child care when schools closed. Although many office-bound parents could keep their children at home for remote education, parents who work in health care, as first responders, or in other essential functions needed help, and fast.
View the full story on the Easterseals New York website and consider making a donation to help us continue supporting our first responders.
Single Stop, a company of The Fedcap Group, was recently presented with a national award for its innovative work in helping low-income individuals prepare and file their tax returns in the face of the health, economic and social challenges gripping the nation.
Tax Time Allies, a group of organizations providing tax preparation services to low income people, and The Intuit Financial Freedom Foundation, which supports programs that promote financial literacy and independence, recently created the Tax Time Allies ACE Award for agencies that go above and beyond in helping these individuals prepare their tax returns. Visit the Single Stop website to learn more.
I have always been intrigued by the concept of cognitive dissonance—having real discomfort around the conflict between behavior and knowledge, or behavior and beliefs. Almost everyone knows someone who has refused to give up smoking, even if the person knows smoking is not good for him or her. Despite all the scientific evidence showing the effects of smoking, the person convinces himself that smoking is not that bad for them. And the more information the smoker reads about the dangers of smoking, the more discomfort or cognitive dissonance they feel.
Researchers such as Leon Festinger recognized that we have a drive towards internal balance or ‘consistency.’ “Cognitive dissonance is a result of an inconsistency between one aspect of ourselves and another.” Because the desire for inner harmony is quite intense, it makes it easier to understand why individuals attempt to justify or rationalize their behavior—they need to in order to minimize the internal discomfort. In other words, when there is dissonance, our brain has learned to rapidly build a bridge over the contradiction to reduce our internal tension.
Daniel Frings penned an article entitled “Cognitive Dissonance As A Motivating Tool” where he states “Cognitive dissonance is a powerful tool which can be used to motivate us in various ways. And … if you strongly endorse a set of attitudes then you are likely to also be highly motivated to behave in line with them.” He recommends that we work hard to recognize the link between the values that drive us, our attitudes, and our subsequent behaviors. And then he suggests that you increase the level of dissonance that will be generated by publicly stating your vision and values that drive your behavior.
Over the years, I have come to view cognitive dissonance as a value add in the human psyche. It provides us with guardrails for what we should and should not do. The more tuned in we are to feelings of discomfort or when we hear ourselves trying to rationalize decisions—we might need think twice about our decisions. It is important for leaders to reduce the instincts to rapidly build the bridge over the contradiction and to sit with the dissonance, evaluating whether or not it is time to change the decision or time to change the long-held belief.
I welcome your thoughts.
Nonprofit leaders speak with NYNMedia on confronting the twin challenges.
Nonprofit leaders, including Christine McMahon, President and CEO of The Fedcap Group, shared views on how COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement are changing the nonprofit sector with NYNMedia.
“Recent events create an opportunity to prioritize outcome data on black Americans and target our investments accordingly. Each of us in the nonprofit sector can have real impact by collectively shifting our attention to those outcomes that bring about economic well-being. We must significantly improve early education opportunities, designed to drive the number of children entering and completing college, perhaps the single most reliable predictor of long-term success. Lending institutions must re-think their risk profiles and success factors, adjusting their lending to enhance the economic development results of poor neighborhoods.”
Read the full article—with perspectives from nonprofit leaders in the arts, health, workforce and youth development, and other sectors—in the first of two articles discussing the changing nonprofit sector: Leader to Leader: Responding to Race and COVID-19 (part 1).
Leaders of nonprofits are looking ahead and adapting to changing conditions, and the crisis has presented an opportunity to create real change. “Independent of COVID-19, nonprofits face structural challenges that limit our progress in improving the economic wellbeing of marginalized populations. The pandemic has only exacerbated and amplified our difficulties in advancing meaningful change. At some point, we must come to terms with the stark reality of how not-for-profits are capitalized,” said Ms. McMahon. Read the second part of this in-depth look at the nonprofit sector: Leader to Leader: The Post-COVID Nonprofit.
A Message from Christine McMahon, President and CEO of The Fedcap Group
June 19, 2020
Today is Juneteenth, a commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States and a celebration of Black Americans’ contribution to making the nation a stronger democracy and more just society.
Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free—two and one half years after President Lincoln declared the Emancipation Proclamation.
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor…” —General Orders, Number 3; Headquarters District of Texas, Galveston, June 19, 1865
The celebration of June 19th was coined “Juneteenth” and became a day for African Americans to reassure one another, pray and gather remaining family members.
Today, Juneteenth is enjoying a phenomenal growth rate within communities and organizations throughout the country. Institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Henry Ford Museum and others have begun sponsoring Juneteenth-centered activities with the goal to cultivate knowledge and appreciation of African American history and culture, and to celebrate African American freedom and achievement.
Across America, companies and individuals are sharing in a moment of silence during Juneteenth to recognize the ongoing struggle for justice for all. We want to honor this historic day with a moment of silence as well. Please take some time out of your day today to pause and reflect on this significant occasion, remembering the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Thank you for taking part in honoring the legacy of Juneteenth.