The WEll-BEING Playbook: The workplace is now virtual, but work can still be done

BY CHRISTINA GWIRA

The workplace will never be the same again. We are now in a new normal when it comes to work and corporate life. Water cooler talk has been replaced with coffee and Zoom. Board meetings and trainings have been taken online through Google Hangouts and GoToMeeting. More and more, we are realizing that “that meeting”, could have truly been a phone call. The workplace will never be the same again. But will the issues that have been historically and statistically plaguing the corporate landscape die with this new normal? Or will these problems simply be amplified and feed deeper into the lives of workers?

Enter the WEll-Being Playbook.

This digital well-being resource “focuses on the well-being and self-leadership of the most marginalized” within the workforce. Created by Karlyn Percil, neuro-success coach, elephant storyteller and lifestyle speaker and backed by a team of culturally and racially diverse well-being practitioners, “the WEll-Being Playbook is designed to help organizations provide more racially and culturally relevant well-being options for their employees.” The playbook was launched a short time before the COVID-19 pandemic hit to much praise and fanfare. Organizations and employees alike saw the immense value in what had been created.

And then COVID-19 hit.

Are organizations now more concerned about going remote than about helping to ease the “emotional tax” that sometimes comes with working a job? Yet, the question still remains: how do we manage our mental health with new work-from-home (WFH) setup that many organizations have been forced to adapt? In the past, Sally from HR (a fictional character, created by Kelechi Okafor) was only relegated to office hours. Just a week ago (at the time of writing), one had the ability to move into a safe space outside of work, after hours. One was able to enter and create space and room to decompress and re-center oneself, prepped to fight another day. But now, the person who used to be a trigger only at work, is now, sitting across from us on Zoom. It is because of these sudden changes that it was necessary for me to reach out to Karlyn Percil for a follow up interview. Our original interview took place on March 11^th, 2020. However, the workplace as we knew it has drastically changed within the period of a fortnight.

When asked about how she has personally been affected by COVID-19, Percil states, “every house is affected.” Within her effective and popular Success Planner based on the Oxygen Mask Theory, Percil refers to the concept of the “five houses”. The five houses are: financial, personal, family, health and wellness. All the upcoming workshops and events that she had planned for 2020 have been postponed. She is now looking to pivot and bring these same events online so that people can still participate and continue through their healing journeys in this new normal.

As an empath Percil felt, “the collective pain of the Universe. I felt my own pain […] I gave myself permission to grieve what I thought 2020 would have been.” She took the time to do the “emotional flossing” to come into alignment with how she can help others during this uncertain time. Now, Percil is in a place to open up capacity and is doing so by re-opening the virtual Sister Talk Circles, as well as creating capacity for heart-to-heart sessions for women of color.

The work of The WEll-BEING Playbook is just in its infancy. We are at the beginning of a new age. As a digital resource, organizations have no excuse to lay aside the work that needs to be done in providing the resources that BIPOC women need within the workplace. The playbook provides, “culturally relevant practitioners, offerings and spaces where the lived experiences and the unique challenges marginalized people face inside and outside the workplace are prioritized.” Workplace culture is being re-defined, right in front of our eyes. With the WEll-BEING Playbook in play, I am confident that the workplace of the now, will be one that is truly equitable, inclusive and positive for all.