Additions deepen strategic expertise in scaling Empower Work’s approach that improves economic mobility and emotional well-being for vulnerable workers. Empower Work is excited to add two new members to our Board of Directors, Suprita Makh and Nancy Heinen at a pivotal growth inflection point for Empower Work. Simultaneously, we celebrate the longstanding commitment of Julie Lein, who helped get us to this point, and who will be stepping into Board Emeritus.

At Empower Work, we’re focused on creating more positive, supportive pathways at work.

One of my favorite podcasts, NPR Politics, has a segment called “Can’t let it go” where they discuss a story they can’t stop thinking about. For me this week, it’s the new Pixar short that’s been making the rounds, directed by Kristen Lester and produced by Gillian Libbert-Duncan. It depicts Purl, a vivacious ball of yarn, trying to fit in at a toxic, male-dominated office, aptly named B.R.O. Capital.

"Professor Says the Workplace Is the Fifth Leading Cause of Death in the U.S."
"Pregnancy Discrimination Is Rampant Inside America’s Biggest Companies"
"78% of Employees in Tech Report Experiencing Unfair Behavior or Treatment"

These are just a few recent headlines about the American workplace. From microaggressions and gaslighting to being groped by customers to HR teams that retaliate against employees for reporting issues, there’s no shortage of toxic and unacceptable behavior.

The headlines paint a bleak picture. And prompt a critical question: “now what?”

At Empower Work, we’ve seen that people have incredible ability to navigate complex situations if they have trained, informed support to talk through what they know of themselves, their employer, their boss, the players involved. Our text line provides a non-judgemental space to think through the implications, and if needed, get connected to additional resources from reporting tools to legal referrals.

That’s why we’re here. Workplaces challenges are universal. Support to navigate them should be too.

One year ago, I sent a file to print — 60 fliers I’d thrown together to test an idea. The idea had been sparked by a question: why wasn’t there an easily accessible resource for people facing work challenges?

As Empower Work began reaching people, we found what was tough for people varied widely — microaggressions, ethical decisions or questions, run-ins with managers, gaslighting, bullying, sexual innuendo, difficulties managing up, being sidelined or worked around, job transitions, harassment, discrimination…the list went on.

The Empower Work approach is based on researched-backed best practices in coaching and counseling. Our peer counselors go through a robust application, screening, and training where they learn to hold space to discuss what people are facing and ask succinct, informed questions that help people go from feeling backed into a corner with no options, to multiple pathways ahead of them. If needed, we connect people to additional resources ranging from legal information to meditation apps. All of our resources are vetted in line with our mission — free, accessible, inclusive.

Shannon Lubetich’s story about Snap highlights not just problems with culture and diversity, but the lack of resources available for employees. People face myriad toxic workplace situations across a broad spectrum including, but by no means limited to, bullying, microaggressions, power imbalances, harassment, unethical practices, gaslighting, and discrimination, to name a small subset. These situations are so prevalent, employees will almost certainly face at least one, if not a combination, while they’re in the workforce. What’s not certain is whether they’ll get the support they need to address these situations as they arise. Empower Work is here to provide that workplace support.

I still remember the red fibers on the carpet of the hotel room in Chicago when a friend shared her salary. I was 29, my friend was a few years older. On Equal Pay Day, it’s critical that we each do what we can to make workplaces more equitable. April 10th marks how far into the year on average women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year.

This week, Empower Work received a game-changing $100,000 donation from the Pineapple Fund. The fund was started by an anonymous donor, “Pine,” who is making “bold, smart bets that hopefully impact everyone in the world” by giving away $86 million in Bitcoin.

Pineapple Fund’s transformative gifts to 30+ organizations have been highlighted by the New York Times, CNBC, Mashable not just for the impact, but for the intriguing new way that cryptocurrency is influencing philanthropy. Pine’s contribution is our largest individual gift to date — and our first Bitcoin donation.

It’s a powerful reminder of how a seemingly simple moment can be a turning point, and that’s core to our mission.

It's Time to Reshape How We Support and Empower People at Work.

At Empower Work, we’ve been in semi-stealth mode testing a new model — free, immediate, anonymous support via text or web chat. Empower Work’s focus is truly on people. As a mission-driven nonprofit, we’re not trying to sell to your company’s HR or make a profit. Any revenue goes back to ensuring we remain free and accessible. Because of the scale of the problem, our approach focuses on both sides of the conversation.