During what is being called “The Great Resignation," companies are losing employees at an alarming rate. People are realizing, after working from home and having more autonomy over their schedules, that the way they were working before was not in the best interest of their mental health and happiness. So, how can employers hold onto their employees, while making their work environments healthier and more productive?
“Obviously, the physical side effects of stress are terrible for the individual, but they are also terrible for the business,” says Elizabeth Moore, cofounder, along with Ashley Brook James, of TRILUNA. “Stress directly impacts the bottom line. Estimates on the cost of stress-related illnesses to businesses are in the billions annually.”
There are three major components to burnout, she explains. The first is exhaustion, the second is cynicism, and the third is reduced professional efficacy.
Elizabeth and Ashley have personally experienced all of these components. Both worked in high-pressure careers for many years, and over time became burnt out. “Ashley had debilitating month-long migraines,” says Elizabeth. “I have struggled with anxiety all my life, and it got to the point where I was having panic attacks every day. My anxiety manifests in digestive issues and I was even having heart palpitations. We were both miserable and physically sick.”
The two quit their jobs and decided to team up to help others who may be experiencing the same issues, and TRILUNA (originally TRILUNA Wellness), was founded in 2018. (They recently rebranded and dropped the “wellness” part of their name. They share they came to realize that most people equate “wellness” with weight loss and outer beauty, while their focus is on inner health and mental wellness.)
“We started the business doing a lot of in-person events for the community, but when COVID hit, we had to pivot very quickly,” she says. “Then, we started to see an increase in requests from corporations to do online workshops. And that just kept growing and we decided that was the direction we wanted to go in.”
The two start with companies or departments leadership to discover the culture in the workplace and assist management with creating solutions that will result in happier, healthier and more productive employees. The initial 30-minute consultation is free of charge.
“We provide stress management and burnout prevention workshops, and have one class that has been expanded out into a series – which we have broken up into three modules,” says Elizabeth.
Most of TRILUNA’s workshops are virtual, but if a company is local, they can be done in-person. They also provide stress management boxes, which are filled with small batch and handmade items that aid in reducing everyday stressors and just make people smile.
“We also hold intensive corporate retreats where companies can hire us to come in for a weekend and we will do a deep dive into everything,” she says.
Instead of one-to-one training, TRILUNA always works with groups within companies. “Wellness must be community care as well as self-care,” says Elizabeth. “It is really difficult to be a healthy individual in a sick environment. When we do stress management, we have to consider the context of the organization, the culture, and what’s going on inside that company.
“We can help an individual deal with the stress in his or her body, but the context of community helps to deal with the stressors. If we can give individuals the tools to deal with the physical stress and at the same time give the company the awareness of the stressors, then we have done our job. We are not there to tell people what they should do. We’re there to equip them with tools so they can take care of their well-being in the way that best suits their life.”
Elizabeth and Ashley say they know what they’re doing is working.
“We’ve really been able to change the way people think and talk about mental health inside an organization,” says Elizabeth. “We are cracking open this veneer of professionalism that keeps everyone from talking about what’s really going on and it has been so powerful. We know we are doing our job when one employee says to another, ‘Wow, I didn’t know you were also feeling that way.’ They realize they’re not alone.”
One employee remarked that she hoped they realized that what they are doing is saving lives. “And that’s why we do this,” says Elizabeth. “It is truly an honor to get to do this work.”