"Businesses should focus on employee engagement and retention."
Joyce Marter has been a licensed psychotherapist for over twenty years and is the Founder of Urban Balance, an outpatient mental health company with seventeen locations in six states. She is a national keynote speaker, has served several board presidencies on state and regional professional counseling boards, and pens the Mental Wealth blog on Psychology Today.
Marter is routinely consulted as a mental health expert in the media, featured in such outlets as The Wall Street Journal, CNN and MTV. She is the author of The Financial Mindset Fix: A Mental Fitness Program for an Abundant Life.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Joyce Marter: With 25 years experience as a licensed psychotherapist, I am a globally published author, corporate trainer, keynote speaker and mental health thought leader.
I founded built and successfully sold, Urban Balance, a national outpatient mental health company. Joyce Marter Enterprises, Inc. provides public speaking and training workplace wellness services in the area of mental health, financial health, work-life balance and mindfulness in the workplace.
I’m the author of The Financial Mindset Fix: A Mental Fitness Program for an Abundant Life which was published by Sounds True in 2021, in Spain and Latin America in 2022 and will be released in Korea and China in 2023. It is a mental health/financial health wellness program for individuals and employees of corporations.
2020 and 2021 threw a lot of curve balls into business on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past couple years, how can businesses thrive in 2022? What lessons have you learned?
Joyce Marter: In my corporate training experience with national and global companies, I’m seeing significant changes in the ways people manage work-life balance which has behavioral economics implications for businesses.
With the Great Resignation, the Silent Resignation, Quiet Quitting and employees desires to have greater work-life balance and either work remotely or a hybrid model, employers are needing to adjust expectations and provide more flexibility as well as wellness services to help employees combat overwork and burnout and the resulting mental health implications.
The pandemic seems to keep on disrupting the economy, what should businesses focus on in 2022? What advice would you share?
Joyce Marter: Businesses should focus on employee engagement and retention. I recommend surveying employees about their workplace satisfaction and creating a cultural shift to facilitate psychological safety in the workplace where employees feel safe talking about their mental wellness and needs to function effectively at work.
Businesses should focus on offering employees greater mental health services through Employee Assistance Program (EAP) benefits and other wellness benefits such corporate memberships to mindfulness apps like Headspace or Calm, or mental health benefits like Ginger or Whil.
Providing employees with trainings that I provide, such as Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace, Mental Health Triage for Leaders & Supervisors, How to Promote Positive Mental Health & Resilience, and Mindfulness in the Workplace can help reduce healthcare costs and absenteeism and improve productivity, morale, teamwork and staff retention.
Programs such as my Financial Mindset Fix program can help sales and business leaders leverage psychology to improve their sales and financial return during challenging times.
How has the pandemic changed your industry and how have you adapted?
Joyce Marter: The pandemic has caused a mental health and financial health crisis, so need for my services has spiked. I’ve pivoted from conducting almost entirely in-person keynotes and workshops to 70% virtual trainings and webinars.
Without the time and expense of travel, I’ve been able to serve a larger audience of client companies across the globe in a variety of industries including healthcare, tech, finance, engineering, government municipalities, and more. I’ve developed new programs, talks and services to better meet the needs of changing workplaces, by helping employees adjust to constant change and helping them continue to be engaged and productive at work.
What advice do you wish you received when the pandemic started and what do you intend on improving in 2022?
Joyce Marter: I wish I had known the pandemic would lead to a lasting shift in the ways people live and work and that these changes are not time limited. I will continue to adapt my messaging and trainings to meet the needs over the evolving workplace dynamics, especially as recent studies show that the four-day workweek is a win-win for employers and employers and organizations and staff will need support through that transition.
Online business surged higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for 2022?
Joyce Marter: I imagine that as we wrap up 2022 and move into 2023 this will continue, however, there will also be a need for in-person connection that is meaningful both personally and professionally. Many corporations are initiating quarterly or annual all staff workshops or retreats so there is opportunity for staff to connect and access support from one another.
How many hours a day do you spend in front of a screen?
Joyce Marter: I spend anywhere from 6-8 hours a day on a screen. For this reason, I practice what I preach and create space and time for mindfulness practices such as meditation, yoga, and connection with nature, which is a wonderful antidote for too much screen time. It’s important for us to unplug from technology and connect with ourselves and one another in the here and now.
The majority of executives use stories to persuade and communicate in the workplace. Can you share with our readers examples of how you implement that in your business to communicate effectively with your team?
Joyce Marter: As a therapist, coach, and corporate trainer, I promote emotional intelligence, effective communication and conflict resolution for business leaders and workplaces.
With my own team, I recognize the importance of creating space and time for personal connection, employee feedback, and conscious, compassionate and collaborative discussions so we can support one another as we promote the growth of the organization. Positive feedback to staff is key and encouraging employees to take ownership and initiative, rather than simply task-masters is something I continue to work on in my own company and help others do the same.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as the real challenge right now?
Joyce Marter: The real challenge is that workers are burned out from constant change, transition and uncertainty over the past year. They need to be refueled and supported in order to cultivate mental and workplace resilience so they can better manage obstacles and challenges and engage in opportunities for growth.
In 2022, what are you most interested in learning about? Crypto, NFTs, online marketing, or any other skill sets? Please share your motivations.
Joyce Marter: I’m interested in learning more about crypto and changes in personal and business finance.
A record 4.4 million Americans left their jobs in September in 2021, accelerating a trend that has become known as the Great Resignation. 47% of people plan to leave their job during 2022. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. Do you think leaders see the data and think “that’s not me – I’m not that boss they don’t want to work for? What changes do you think need to happen?
Joyce Marter: Employers need to reevaluate workload, as the World Health Organization released a recent study that over 735,000 people die each year from overwork and burnout. There needs to be realistic expectations about the hours per week required to meet expectations.
Employees need more support through workplace wellness trainings and benefits that will help them improve their mental wellbeing and better support them and their families with resources such as EAP and other benefits like PTO and access to quality healthcare.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Joyce Marter: I would love to attract the client companies that are most in need of my services so that we could both benefit. I would use this superpower to expand my business and continue to add more speakers to my company to meet the growing needs.
What does “success” in 2022 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Joyce Marter: My personal definition of success is to live and work with a mindset that is open, positive and abundant, to lead with authenticity and to foster holistic success that includes mental wellbeing, physical health, connected relationships at home and work, and financial prosperity.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Joyce Marter for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Joyce Marter or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
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