Work Reimagined for a Philanthropic Organization’s Team to Sustain Their Pace as They Serve Communities in Need

The California Wellness Foundation (Cal Wellness) was struggling with an unsustainable workload. The situation was hindering the mission of protecting and improving the health and wellness of the people of California, as employees on the verge of burnout were at increasing risk of becoming less efficient, taking longer to complete work, struggling in making decisions, even potentially leaving in search of a more sustainable opportunity. A WhiteLabel partner was brought in to co-lead an effort to transform the working environment for staff and leadership. We developed a set of initiatives to create change under a three-part framework of Behaviors, Processes, and Environment and then worked side-by-side with staff members to implement the initiatives, moving forward in ways that ensured the change effort did not itself add to the unsustainable workload. One initiative was a staff-led reimagining of the Cal Wellness “return to office” hybrid work model that combined activities to name and change the root causes of workload overwhelm in the organization with activities to build team culture. At the end of the engagement leaders and staff recognized an increased employee engagement from new norms and processes in place that enabled a healthier work experience.