Dr. Marcie Beigel

Work-life balance has long been a hot topic. With where and how we work remaining in flux, employees are seriously questioning where work ends and life begins. 

To learn how companies can encourage these healthy discussions on work-life balance, the Kunik team sat down with Dr. Marcie Beigel, Founder & CEO of Behavior and Beyond and an established behavioral specialist bridging mental health and business. As one of our Kunik Experts, Dr. Marcie partners with team leaders to navigate wellness in the workplace and at home. 

Below, Dr. Marcie provides her expert insights on topics like:

1. How company culture impacts business performance
2. Three steps for organizations to understand their employees’ greatest struggles
3. What Dr. Marcie thinks every company could learn from Kunik

Let’s dive in. 

“Knowing where you can send your team members for support is huge. By giving people the space and tools to navigate these hard things, you get so much back.” - Dr. Marcie Beigel, Founder & CEO of Behavior and Beyond

How company culture & employee health impact your bottom line

The onset of COVID highlighted the deep connections between company culture, business performance, and individual employee health. 

• Dr. Marcie notes that employee health has trackable consequences for an organization’s bottom line. 

• As a result, those economic repercussions have incentivized companies to reconsider their culture and prioritize conversations about mental health and wellness. 

On the other end of the equation, employees feel more empowered to assert what they need to thrive in their jobs. This looks like:

• Parents setting boundaries with their kids when they work remotely 
• Hybrid employees drawing clear lines around work time vs. personal time 

Whether you prioritize company culture or not, Dr. Marcie guarantees the impacts of that choice will ultimately be felt throughout your organization. 

“Companies are seeing that the soft skill of talking about mental health is actually really important, which is something I’ve always believed. If you provide support to your employees, you experience more retention, which literally saves you money.”

‍3 steps to understanding your employees’ challenges

Kunik taps into our network of experts to address some of the most challenging topics in the workplace, such as mental health and work-life balance. Dr. Marcie is a perfect example: For over 25 years, she’s crafted company-wide strategies and frameworks to optimize connection and conversation. 

Here’s a glimpse at how they work: 

Step #1: Make space to listen to employees’ struggles

The first step of the framework requires leaders to ask employees what they need to feel supported. 

Dr. Marcie often finds that the topics on employees’ minds – from access to therapy to parenting struggles – don’t emerge in point-blank conversations with managers. Instead, employees usually speak about their greatest obstacles over instant-messaging channels or during casual conversations. So, the best way for leadership to get the answers they need is to simply listen. 

Participate in conversations when people are not talking about work. Then, use that dialogue as a springboard to offer relevant, tailored support.

Step #2: Lead by example

Setting a good example is a key part of this framework. When company leaders recognize the importance of open conversations and speak accordingly, we see two effects: 

1. It allows employees to choose to participate and respond or to simply listen. 

2. It establishes that leadership will not judge anyone for needing help. Sometimes just knowing there’s the option to reach out is help enough.

However, Dr. Marcie cautions that if you go through the motions without genuine sentiment or buy-in, your employees will be able to tell and turn away. 

Step #3: Remember you cannot solve everyone’s problems

If there’s one takeaway Dr. Marcie values above all, it’s that managers and leaders aren’t responsible for solving their employees’ mental health problems. However, they are responsible for supporting and helping them access and understand the resources available to them. Such resources are plentiful, but placing the burden directly on the shoulders of managers causes burnout. 

It can be as simple as knowing how to help a teammate sign up for the therapy covered under their health care plan. Ultimately, what matters most is that your people know whom to turn to for 100% judgment-free help. 

“I’ve worked in spaces where people reach out individually to say, ‘I don’t want to talk about this at work, but I need help finding a therapist because I’m really struggling.’ That’s exactly why creating spaces where people can ask for help is huge.”

How Kunik creates space for company-wide conversation

Dr. Marcie loves working with Kunik because the team intentionally designs meetings for open collaboration. 

She teaches frameworks that empower employees to share their thoughts and experiences. From there, she guides the conversations while advising and supporting wherever necessary. Ultimately, this allows people within the organization to learn from each other. 

In her experience, that’s one of the most important actions for any company aiming to invest in their culture.

“Kunik’s approach is to let your people be seen and heard. That’s the one thing so many employees need to know: that their company values their voice and is letting them be heard.”