Wellness Wednesday Issue #93

📝 10 introspective journal prompts for deep inner reflection.

🍁 These cute fall decor pieces just dropped on Amazon, starting at $3.

🎁 Boss’s Day is on Oct 16th—check out these gift ideas.

🏡 Thinking of buying a house? Learn if you can borrow from your 403(b).

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to evaluate how inclusive your workplace really is for employees with disabilities.

Spoiler alert: Companies that prioritize disability inclusion see some serious returns, with studies showing 1.6x more revenue and 2x more profit.

Here are 10 practical steps to create a more inclusive environment:

1. Leverage Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): Have disability-focused ERGs? Use them to gather insights and promote inclusion. These groups can also support talent acquisition by referring qualified candidates with disabilities.
2. Create Ongoing Awareness Programs: Use NDEAM as a launchpad for year-round disability awareness programs. From lunch-and-learn sessions to major events, keep the conversation going.
3. Host Mentoring Days: Create pathways for youth with disabilities through hands-on mentoring and job shadowing. Learn how to set up these programs through the American Association of People with Disabilities.
4. Hold Educational Sessions: Educate your team with “Lunch and Learns” that cover disability-related topics like accessible documents or diabetes management in the workplace.
5. Encourage Volunteerism: Give back by involving your employees in community-based disability employment initiatives, such as resume reviews or mock interviews.
6. Keep Disability Inclusion Visible: Keep disability awareness front and center with posters and information boards throughout the year.
7. Offer Sign Language Training: Provide ASL training as part of your professional development offerings to support deaf or hard-of-hearing colleagues.
8. Focus on Campus Recruitment: Build relationships with university career services and disability services to attract diverse talent.
9. Provide Disability Employment Training: Equip your managers with the knowledge they need to foster inclusion by using resources like the Job Accommodation Network.
10. Improve Onboarding: Make sure your onboarding process covers disability inclusion policies to set the tone from day one.

When it comes to streamlining your workflows, the right project management tool can make all the difference. Two of the biggest players in the game? monday.com and Smartsheet. Let’s break down what sets them apart so you can pick the best fit for your team.

monday.com

Perfect for: Teams who love visual, customizable platforms and need something that’s user-friendly.

What stand outs:

• Visually Intuitive: monday.com’s colorful and drag-and-drop interface is not just pretty; it’s super simple to navigate. Even non-techy folks will feel right at home.
• Custom Dashboards: From Gantt charts to Kanban boards, you can easily adapt the layout to match your team’s workflow.
• Seamless Collaboration: Need to ping someone or share files? No problem. monday.com integrates smoothly with tools like Slack, Trello, and Google Workspace, making collaboration seamless.
• Automation: Set up automatic triggers for task updates and reminders to reduce repetitive work.

The trade-offs:

• Cost: While packed with features, monday.com can get pricey fast as you add more advanced tools and grow your team.
• Complex Workflows: It’s easy to get started, but if your team needs highly tailored or complex workflows, it can take time to master.

Smartsheet

Perfect for: Teams who love spreadsheets but need a bit more power for project management.

What stands out:

• Spreadsheet Heaven: If your team already lives in Excel, Smartsheet will feel like an upgraded version of home. Its familiar layout is perfect for data-heavy projects.
• Data-Driven: Smartsheet excels at managing and reporting data in real-time, with customizable dashboards that track project progress effortlessly.
• Scalability: Need to manage dependencies, track tasks across teams, or automate workflows? Smartsheet handles complex projects like a pro.

The trade-offs:

• Less Customization: Smartsheet’s spreadsheet-style interface is less flexible and visually dynamic compared to monday.com.
• Learning Curve: For teams new to project management tools or not used to spreadsheets, it can be a tougher platform to adopt.

Final Takeaway

Go with monday.com if your team values an easy-to-use, visually engaging platform with strong collaboration features. But if data management and spreadsheet familiarity are your team’s priority, Smartsheet is the tool for you. Both platforms offer powerful ways to keep your projects on track; it just depends on how your team prefers to work!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is back and I’m advocating for action this year. Even if it’s small, individual steps that you make to take action for your health. And while every story and diagnosis is unique, let me share some of my experience and serve as your reminder to take action for yourself, for others, and for this community.

Rewind back to summer 2016. I had a prominent lump in my right breast, one I (wrongfully) assumed was a cyst for a full year. At 26 I was healthy, running half marathons, a former college athlete and was hyper-focused on my professional development. I was in the midst of my part-time MBA program, while I worked full-time, and planning my upcoming wedding. I was thriving and happy with where my life was headed.

Until that lump started giving me pain.

That pain migrated to my armpit where I could clearly feel swollen lymph nodes. I could no longer ignore what my body was clearly communicating.
After a few days of whirlwind scans, and then agonizing days waiting for results and spiraling down Google rabbit holes, I got the call.

On September 15, 2016, one year before I was slated to get married, heard those dreaded three word: “you have cancer.”

Specifically, I had Stage IIB triple positive, invasive breast cancer, even though I had no family history or genetic predisposition. Thankfully, it hadn’t spread beyond my lymph nodes, but I had to immediately begin treatment.

I’ll forever be grateful to my oncologist because he knew in the haze of the early days post-diagnosis, that there were questions and concerns that I would not have thought to bring up, like preserving fertility and cold capping to save my hair. As young patients, it’s critical to have a trusted team of doctors who prioritize our care and treat us fully, not just the symptoms or the disease.

Needless to say, I completed one round of fertility preservation and dove headfirst into active treatment and the hardest year of my life. I completed six rounds of chemotherapy, two lumpectomies, 33 rounds of radiation, a year of immunotherapy, and then long-term hormone treatment for the next 5-10 years, putting me in medical menopause (joy of my life).

I did take a break on my hormone medication to try to have a baby, and luckily, my ovaries “woke up” and I was able to have my two sons.

Now I’m a mom, cancer free, in my final year of treatment, and looking at another Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a fire in my heart for health advocacy.

YOU know your body best. Trust what your body is telling you. I’m not a medical professional, but if you experience any significant changes in your breasts, get yourself checked out. If breast cancer runs in your family, get genetic testing. Be informed on your options and take control of your health journey.

My story is mine, but it’s also a part of a large community of young adults whose lives have been derailed by cancer. 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed in their lifetime. Odds are it has touched your life in some way.

With that said, I have a simple challenge for you.

It’s an action you can take today: check yourself.

Complete a self exam, and do it every month. Your easy monthly reminder is to feel it on the first.

Jessica Boyd, Director at Institute for Supply Management

P.S. Connect with her on Linkedin.

Managing remote teams across borders comes with challenges—compliance, payroll, and keeping everyone on the same page. That’s where Deel steps in.

Whether your team’s spread across time zones or working from home, Deel simplifies it all:

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🌟 Boost Team Engagement: Create a thriving remote culture with tools like meetup roulettes, NPS feedback, and interest groups.

🛠️ Seamless Slack Integration: Keep your team connected with a 92% adoption rate in the first week. Monitor engagement, time off, and more—all within Slack.

Want to simplify your global team management?

Explore more of Deel’s custom solutions today.

🚙 Keep your car spotless with this car cleaning putty that easily picks up dirt and debris.

🥤 On a health kick? Try Stevia Dr Pepper for a guilt-free soda alternative.

📚 Boost your sales skills with the innovative strategies in the New Model of Selling.

👗 Prepare for the holiday season with fashion tape to keep your outfits secure and stylish.

🚨 Job Ops: Visit our job board here.