Confidential and safe
CompanyRounds have been developed and improved based on participants’ evaluations. Our prime focus is ensuring safety for participants and that’s why each session is led by an experienced facilitator.
All participants agree to ground rules before a session, including:
- keeping confidential what is shared in CompanyRounds
- maintaining the anonymity of participants and employers
- listening with compassion, responding without judgments
Participants are welcome to share or not; there is no pressure to do anything during CompanyRounds. The facilitator holds the space so that those who want to talk about experiences brought up by the theme can do so in safety. Other participants then respond from their experience if they wish.
We talk about what folks felt, what it meant to them, and what has helped them cope. We don’t try to second-guess anyone, criticize them or solve problems in CompanyRounds. And The Company Chaplain provides additional resources afterward for those who want more support or follow-up.
Topical themes that reflect the moment
Sometimes we just need to acknowledge our experiences. That tells us we’re not alone. Others may have different experiences, but they get it—life can be really hard. Going through it with the support of others is a healing experience.
Each session of CompanyRounds™ has a theme or focus. Caring for a sick family member, worrying about school-age kids when they are at home during Covid, bereavement—they all take a toll.
In previous sessions of CompanyRounds we have covered such themes as:
- Working from home: isolation and loneliness
- Abusive and threatening customers
- Harassment and objectification
Employers are welcome to work with us to choose a theme for in-house CompanyRounds, where only their employees can join. This can be a good way to respond to an issue that has come up in the workplace recently.
To join a CompanyRounds session, please click here. To ask a question or request an in-house session for your employees, click here.
Employees:
CompanyRounds™ is different from other events you may have experienced because it is focused on your feelings. Our skilled facilitators make it a safe place to share your experiences and feel supported by your peers.
Going through difficult experiences at work, such as the failure of a project, a loss of promotion, or feeling isolated is just hard. These experiences can build up over time, and limit a person’s creativity, judgment, or potential for success.
CompanyRounds™ provides a unique kind of “reset button” to restore one’s sense of agency and capacity to cope.
CompanyRounds offers you the opportunity to:
- share your feelings and receive empathy from your co-workers
- feel the healing power of compassion
- discharge some of the emotional burden of working in these difficult days
- experience greater connection with peers
Please click here to see our schedule of upcoming CompanyRounds sessions.
Employers:
The experience of participating in CompanyRounds fosters empathy and understanding, which helps employees trust their peers more fully, making your team or company the kind of place that attracts and retains the best talent.
CompanyRounds:
- fosters a culture of compassion
- enhances understanding among co-workers
- improves communication within your organization
Please click here to schedule a CompanyRounds session.
As human beings we need experiences that tell us we can trust each other. That is where CompanyRounds™ can help your organization, by providing the building blocks for a culture of compassion and empathy.
One session of CompanyRounds™ is free for your employees each year, if you are a BattleField™ Member. To become a member, click here.
| CompanyRounds is | CompanyRounds is not |
|---|---|
| Facilitated peer support | Group therapy |
| Safe space to share difficult feelings about experiences connected to work | Criticizing or second guessing what someone should have done |
| Experiencing empathy and compassion as we receive it in CompanyRounds | Problem solving or skills training |
| Giving empathy and compassion to others | Education or dissemination of knowledge |
| Online, by teleconference | In person |
| Source of healing experiences such as noticing, “I’m not alone.” | Didactic or instructing how to change your feelings |
| CompanyRounds is |
|---|
| Facilitated peer support |
| Safe space to share difficult feelings about experiences connected to work |
| Experiencing empathy and compassion as we receive it in CompanyRounds |
| Giving empathy and compassion to others |
| Online, by teleconference |
| Source of healing experiences such as noticing, “I’m not alone.” |
| CompanyRounds is not |
|---|
| Group therapy |
| Criticizing or second guessing what someone should have done |
| Problem solving or skills training |
| Education or dissemination of knowledge |
| In person |
| Didactic or instructing how to change your feelings |
FAQs
1. Why should I trust CompanyRounds?
Safety and confidentiality is baked into every step of CompanyRounds. From the agreement that folks make at the start of each session, to avoid naming companies and people and to keep what they hear confidential.
And we don’t judge people in CompanyRounds, we accept that each person’s experience is just that—their experience, not right or wrong. And we don’t focus on others, it’s not a blame session. And finally, it’s not a pity party—it takes guts to share painful experiences and own your feelings.
Finally, we do not record sessions and we do not analyze what is shared in the session. We do not report to your employer on what is shared, unless it is an expression of intent to harm self or others.
2. Wouldn’t it be better for people to do this on their own time?
People can join in their own time, but smart leaders know that teams are more productive the more members trust each other. Morale improves when people are happier in themselves. Creativity flows when folks aren’t carrying around painful feelings. This is why it makes sense to take an hour out of the work day to participate in CompanyRounds once a month.
If CompanyRounds is a regular feature on the calendar—say once a month—the culture of the organization will grow in compassion, making your company a better place to work.
3. Is it mandatory?
We don’t recommend making CompanyRounds mandatory. But we do suggest you provide some encouragement for folks to attend the first session.
4. Is this another training?
CompanyRounds is not a training. It’s an opportunity to talk about work related experiences that continue to weigh on us in the present.
We talk about hard things that we happened at work, and specifically, the feelings that remain after we experienced those things. That’s not to say that skills training isn’t valuable, just that there will be other opportunities to learn new skills and improve your knowledge.
CompanyRounds frees up cognitive space and builds the bonds of trust and empathy that support good teamwork and communication.
5. Is this a support group?
It’s not a psychotherapy group, where the intention is to heal some issue. It is a peersupport forum — a place where peers can share experiences in a supportive, safe space that benefits the individual participant and their employer, e.g. by improving communication in the organization.
6. Will this help me improve my performance at work?
CompanyRounds nurtures the human being with compassion and fosters the growth of trust, and these experiences will help you to perform better.
It’s important to know that we don’t problem solve, or engage in, “Monday morning quarterbacking.” There are other places to formally figure out what should have, or could have been done better. What’s unique about CompanyRounds is that we’re interested in your actual experiences and allowing you to give voice to the ways they may have remained to trouble you.
7. Why focus on feelings?
Many of our motivations at work are emotional. Painful memories or experiences that impact our perception of our selves or others can effect our health and performance, as well as the company culture or success of our team. CompanyRounds will help develop healthier, happier co-workers, and it sends the message that you’re a compassionate employer.
8. Is there any data on employee retention?
Workers who feel unsupported by their employer are twice as likely to be considering a career change, according to a recent survey of more than 1,200 full-time U.S. employees.
Key findings were that over 80% of workers report that recent events (in 2020) have negatively impacted their mental health. 65% say it’s affecting their ability to work. Only 14% of those have sought mental health care, and most are paying for this treatment out of pocket.
CompanyRounds are an innovation in employee assistance, and it’s too early to say if employees will stay longer with an organization if they know there’s a forum to acknowledge and receive peer support, but findings such as these lead us to expect so.