Certainly, teaching about intersectionality will have a beneficial effect on any business for it will remind employees of existing policies that aim to help them succeed in their professional lives as well as reinforce their trust in your company.  Use the following video to inform your audience about contemporary efforts of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by editing this animated Vyond video template.

Video Transcription: What is intersectionality?

[Voiceover]

You may have come across the idea of intersectionality when talking about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

Intersectionality is a framework for understanding how intrinsic aspects of identity, such as gender, race, and age, shape the way a person experiences the world. Moreover, intersectionality acknowledges that discrimination like the individual can be intersectional. Racism, sexism, transphobia, and other forms of discrimination can intersect to create a complex model of oppression.

The term intersectionality was coined by Kimberly Williams Crenshaw, a professor of law at UCLA and Columbia University. Initially, intersectionality had the mission of critically examining how the law operates regarding race and gender.

Understanding intersectionality helps us listen, introspect, empathize, elevate, and include the voices of those who have been marginalized. Lastly, having a more holistic understanding of what informs a person’s identity can assist in building a workplace culture that is more inclusive and positive for everyone.

Create Your Own Animated Videos

There’s a reason why Vyond is the leading platform for creating your own videos. Robust and powerful customization features are all wrapped into our simple, easy-for-everyone studio that comes fully loaded with everything you need to build engaging video experiences.

See where your creativity can take you with a 14-day Vyond free trial; no credit card required.

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Video Transcription: Ageism in the Workplace

[Narrator] It isn’t always easy to spot ageism.

Like many other isms, ageism can sabotage, diversity, equity, and inclusion when we aren’t looking for it.

So what does ageism look like? Actions like excluding somebody based on presumed technical skill.

[Employee 1]”You can send a slide deck to me. I’m not sure if is all that good at PowerPoint.”

[Narrator] Only going to lunch with coworkers from the same age group as you. Or informing a hiring decision by guessing a job candidate’s age.

[Employee 2] How old are your kids? So when did you graduate?

[Narrator] All of us have our preconceived notions about age. Like any kind of bias, ageism is best-confronted head-on. So where do we start?

Examine your own feelings towards age and work to unlearn biases. Spend time getting to know people in different age groups.

[Employee 3] “Want to check out the new coffee shop with me?”

[Narrator] Talk about ageism with your colleagues and partner with leadership to combat ageism at work. By spotting and stopping ageism, we can create a more inclusive and equitable workplace for all.

Create Your Own Animated Videos

There’s a reason why Vyond is the leading platform for creating your own videos. Robust and powerful customization features are all wrapped into our simple, easy-for-everyone studio that comes fully loaded with everything you need to build engaging video experiences.

See where your creativity can take you with a 14-day Vyond free trial; no credit card required.

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Beyond being more engaging, videos that explain benefits and policies can go a long way in reaching employees who might otherwise be too uncomfortable to ask. By tackling sensitive topics—like mental wellness and parental leave—with on-demand video, you can better ensure the right employees are seeing it at the right time.

Use this employee benefits template video as a starting point for your own benefits explainer.

Video Transcription: Employee Benefits Overview

When you join Vyond, you’re getting so much more than a job. Here are some benefits we offer to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones.

We trust you to manage your own time. All time off is covered by a single PTO plan, whether you’re sick, vacationing, or something else altogether.

You accrue time off at a generous pace from your first day of employment and have the flexibility to use it however you like.

Vyond employees get several options to choose from when selecting the right health insurance for themselves. Each plan comes with 100% coverage for employees and the ability to add dependents at a partial cost. In addition to choosing your provider. You can choose between an HMO or a PPO plan. Employees are also offered dental and vision insurance options at no extra charge.

Vyond employees can participate in the company’s 401(k plan, with a company match after the first year of employment. All Vyond employees are issued stock option grants upon employment too.

When you join Vyond, we’ll support you with other benefits like life insurance, commuter benefits, an employee assistance program, and flexible spending accounts. Want to learn more? Contact Jen, our director of HR.

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In this video, we have used sound effects from our library and paired them with a visual that may or may not be the same. Can you identify the sound effect?

Have fun exploring the sound effect library and bringing your stories to life.

Video Transcription: Thinking Outside the Box with Sound FX

It’s Sound FX, the game where you figure out what sound effect
from the studio library is used in the scene. Fingers on buzzers. Here we go! What sound effect was used in this scene?

• Was it A.forest, B.cell phone buzz? The answer is B.cell phone buzz.
• What sound effect was used in this scene? Was it A.pig eating, B.drill? The answer is A.pig eating.
• What sound effect was used in this scene? Was it A.heartbeat, B.punch?The answer is a.heartbeat. What sound effect was used in this scene?
• Was it A.in the train, B.dragster idle? The answer is B.dragster idle.
• What sound effect was used in this scene? Was it A.waterfall crash, B.frying? The answer is B.frying.
• What sound effect was used in this scene? Was it a.explosion, b.body fall? The answer is A.explosion.

Well, that’s about all we have time for today. It’s been a pleasure playing, Sound FX.

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Effective remote collaboration depends on having explicit discussions about empathy and team norms. Start the conversation with your teammates.

Video Transcript: Empathy in the Workplace

One third of boomers consider having kids in the background of video calls to be a violation of remote work etiquette. Gen X isn’t far behind with 30% of them agreeing, compared to 22% of millennials and 11% of Gen Zers.

Since more and more of us are working from home these days, it’s important to recognize that we’re all facing different challenges. The person who sat next to you in the office might be facing a completely different at-home reality than you’re facing.

How do we practice empathy in the remote workplace?

It starts with how we react to moments in everyday remote work life. We know that younger workers are challenged with separating their physical work environment from home life while older workers are struggling with feeling disconnected. There’s also a gender divide when it comes to work life balance. And there are many other factors at play contributing to your colleagues’ different experiences and adaptation to our remote work circumstances.

Proactively acknowledge that your colleagues may be facing new challenges. Genuinely ask people how they’re feeling. Try to understand their perspective and offer your support. Your recognition helps to build mutual empathy and create a healthy work environment. Even if you didn’t have a close rapport with your colleagues when you worked together in the office, it isn’t too late to start now.

Demonstrating compassion and empathy even digitally can go a long way. One area where you can practice more kindness is in your emails. With a thoughtful opening and closing to your emails, your communication can remain professional while conveying warmth and support. Whether or not you’re a manager, if you can adjust your behavior to fit your colleagues’ preferences, your flexibility will make you a pleasure to work with.

Ask how a colleague prefers to conduct a meeting. If they choose a phone call over a video conference and there’s no real need to chat over video, then go with it. When you do have specific preferences, be consistent. If you feel it’s important to conduct weekly team meetings as a video conference so that everyone can connect face-to-face, keep that structure predictable.

With so many of us needing to adjust to unfamiliar and erratic circumstances during these challenging times, it’s best to keep to a stable and consistent pattern wherever possible. Your empathy promotes trust, respect, and loyalty with your colleagues. Following these tips will make you a better co-worker overall and make you more enjoyable to work with.

Whether you’re working remotely now or planning to be back in a physical office sometime soon.

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See where your creativity can take you with a 14-day Vyond free trial.

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Other videos in this series:

• Course introduction
• Interpreting nonverbal communication cues
• Communicating the importance of time off
• Reducing virtual meeting overload

Video Transcription: Managing remote teams’ mental health | Promoting wellness and self-care

[Narrator] Humans typically have a hard time with change under normal circumstances. Now with COVID 19, the world is learning new ways to live life and build community and work, which can heighten feelings of frustration, anxiety, and stress. It’s important for organizations to lead with mental health in mind by creating a supportive space for teams.

Before COVID, almost 60% of employees never spoke to anyone at work about their mental health status. Many aren’t aware of the resources available or are afraid to use them. So what can managers do to support their team’s mental health? Lead by example. Being honest about your own mental health will help create that supportive space. Let’s take a look!

[Manager] Hi, everyone. I’ve been having a hard time these past few days. Feeling a bit anxious about all the changes that are happening. I’m trying to focus on what I can control, so I decided to participate in our remote meditation session this morning as part of my self-care. It helped me feel a little calmer to start the day. Has anyone else tried the session yet? What else are you doing for self-care these days?

As a reminder, don’t forget that BusCorpCo wants to help you deal with the challenges of working remotely. If you need to adjust your schedule to accommodate childcare, caregiving, or sickness, please trust we will work with you to be as flexible as possible. I’ll be setting up weekly check-ins with each of you to talk about any concerns.

I’m confident in the work we’re doing as a team and appreciate that you’re all trying to adjust to your new work environment. If you’re experiencing feelings of self-isolation or having trouble adjusting, please remember you can reach out to me directly or to the Employee Assistance Program. This program is confidential and designed to help employees when needed. I know this is tough, but I also know we can handle this together!

[Narrator] Organizations need to ensure that their employees understand the mental health benefits and resources available. Be specific with phone numbers and websites. Reiterate organizational support. And, lead by example through honesty, communication, and compassion.

Create Your Own Animated Videos

There’s a reason why Vyond is the leading platform for creating your own videos. Robust and powerful customization features are all wrapped into our simple, easy-for-everyone studio that comes fully loaded with everything you need to build engaging video experiences.

See where your creativity can take you with a 14-day Vyond free trial; no credit card required.

The post Managing Remote Teams’ Mental Health: Promoting Wellness and Self-Care appeared first on Vyond.

These extra video calls are leading to meeting fatigue and it’s draining employees’ energy. Video calls are important and have their place, but they also force us to focus more on conversations in order to absorb information. This video offers managers tips for helping their employees fight video meeting fatigue.

Other videos in this series:

• Course introduction
• Interpreting nonverbal communication cues
• Communicating the importance of time off
• Promoting wellness and self-care 

Video Transcription: Managing Remote Teams’ Mental Health | Reducing Virtual Meeting Overload

[Narrator] Are you dreading another video work meeting? Do you wish you could just call in to a meeting like the good old days? Are you tired at the end of the day from attending multiple video calls?
Well, you might be experiencing video conferencing fatigue. Yes, it’s a thing. A real thing.

These days, we’ve not only been video conferencing for work, but also for maintaining connections with family and friends. That’s a lot of video chatting!

Employee: I just got off my 3rd video meeting today. The thing that gets me about these video calls is maintaining constant eye contact. And you need to overly express yourself so the person can see your reactions. If you look away, it looks like you aren’t paying attention. It’s exhausting to pay that close attention on video calls multiple times a day!

[Narrator] Meeting overload was around even before the coronavirus pandemic. Over one-quarter (26%) of professionals think meetings are unproductive or unnecessary, with nearly half (48%) of managers saying there are more meetings than required in a week.

So what can managers do to help their teams ease the pain of video conferencing fatigue?

[Manager] I know most of you have been participating in many video meetings these days. I wanted to talk to you about some tips I have for managing video conferencing fatigue.

• Avoid multitasking and stay present. It’s easy to get distracted by instant messaging or emails but staying present will limit the amount of energy used during the calls. Multitasking can cost you as much as 40 percent of your productive time!
• Take breaks! On long calls, while you are listening, turn off your camera at times to give your eyes a break from trying to read everyone’s facial expressions.
• Take the meeting on a walk using your phone instead! Walking meetings are known to improve creativity, and probably reduce stress!

[Narrator] Do what you can to support video breaks to help reduce video conferencing fatigue. Encourage your employees to make the best decision for their mental health!

The post Managing Remote Teams’ Mental Health: Reducing Virtual Meeting Overload appeared first on Vyond.

During any kind of stressful time, and now when people may feel lucky to have a job, employees might find it more difficult to request time away. But it’s important to take a break. Time away improves mental clarity, productivity, and focus. When your employees are recharged, it leads to better outcomes for them and better outcomes for the company.

Other videos in this series:

• Course introduction
• Interpreting nonverbal communication cues
• Reducing virtual meeting overload
• Promoting wellness and self-care 

Video Transcription: Managing Remote Teams’ Mental Health | Encouraging PTO to Recharge

[Narrator] Paid Time Off or PTO gives people time to relax and recharge, leading to a more enjoyable and productive work environment for everyone. In these unprecedented times, however, taking time off may not seem like a priority or it may even feel like a huge ask.
Since our offices are now in our homes and kids are being homeschooled, leaving work behind is more challenging than ever. In fact, one in five Americans feel their company shames employees who take allotted vacation time.

So, what can managers do to support their teams in taking PTO?

Lead by example! Leadership can encourage employees to be intentional about their self-care while working remotely and take time off to unplug and recharge. Whether it’s to work on a home project, read a book, or go for a long walk, even small breaks from work can make a significant difference in your energy and stress levels.

[CEO] Here at BusCorpCo, we’re firm believers in the importance of taking PTO, especially during these stressful times. It’s important to recognize the need to take a break from work, even if it’s just for a day. Our PTO policy is in place for this very reason.

Personally, I’m going to take 2 days off next week to unplug and recharge. Even though we are unable to take a regular vacation right now, I plan to sleep in, exercise, and read during my time off, if my kids let me. Work with your managers to get your PTO scheduled and don’t forget to plan for the remainder of the year. Your managers will be setting up 1:1s to review your PTO schedule soon.

[Manager] You’ve been working so hard lately, you deserve some time off!” I noticed you haven’t used any PTO this year. I want to make sure you feel comfortable taking time off and know how to request it.

[Narrator] Your organization has a PTO policy for a reason. Positive reinforcement is the key to letting people know they can use their PTO.

As a manager, take note of employees who don’t take time off and let them know it’s ok to do so.

Let’s make the most of things and allow vacation days to serve their purpose – to refresh employees and provide a space to get away from the stress of day-to-day work. Let your teams know it’s more important now than ever before to rest and recover.

Create Your Own Animated Videos

There’s a reason why Vyond is the leading platform for creating your own videos. Robust and powerful customization features are all wrapped into our simple, easy-for-everyone studio that comes fully loaded with everything you need to build engaging video experiences.

See where your creativity can take you with a 14-day Vyond free trial; no credit card required.

The post Managing Remote Teams’ Mental Health: Encouraging PTO to Recharge appeared first on Vyond.