How companies are implementing Wellness Programs to avoid employee burnout
With the ups and downs of this pandemic, workers are still feeling the strain and stress from these last 15 months. A big story in the news relating to mental health has been Simone Biles withdrawing from the Olympics commenting that "My mind and body are simply not in sync" and that "Physical health is mental health". Although her role as an Olympic athlete is different than what most of us experience, companies are seeing this disconnect in the office as well. Workplace wellness has become a hot topic and has certainly evolved from this pandemic. Companies are exploring ways to go the extra mile to ensure their staff is healthy, happy and productive. Check out what these companies are doing to promote wellness company-wide. Accenture: Offering employee assistance programs which includes support for stress, substance abuse, depression and anxiety along with 24/7 Teladoc services. Staying healthy is also top of mind by encouraging employees to set health goals and offering rewards for completing healthy activities. They offer special rates and discounts for fitness centers and online fitness programs. Bumble: Following an article in the New York Times by Dodai Stewart on the notion of a national one-week vacation, Bumble announced a free vacation week in April for the entire company with the goal of everyone being fully offline. Citi: Announced in March, Citi would implement “Zoom Free Fridays”, no major meetings to be scheduled on a Friday to give people a chance to start unwinding for the weekend. Fidelity: Is providing all of its US employees 5 additional paid “relief days” along with elder and child care assistance. Google: Is offering onsite or remote: onsite healthcare services, fitness centers, and community bikes. They also offer cooking classes, coding degree programs and music lessons. For those deciding to return to the office, they will have kitchens stocked with healthy meals and snacks, campus cafes and much more. Hootsuite: Is giving employees from July 5 – July 12 off, a company-wide shut down for “Wellness Week” that is separate from their traditional vacation time. They are also expanding their mental health benefits and coverage including fertility, sick leave policies, gender affirmation surgeries and more. LinkedIn: Following the company-wide shut down trend, LinkedIn also provided a week off in April for all employees. Marriott International: Has added three additional “TakeCare Days Off” on the Fridays before major holidays including Memorial, July 4th and Labor Day. Microsoft: Offers resources for smoking cessation, weight management and fitness training as well as assistance programs for personal and family counseling, stress management and child/elder care. They will fund gym memberships and fitness related equipment and provide health screenings. Additionally, onsite cafes are stocked with healthy dining options along with onsite grocery and dry cleaning delivery to make lives easier. Mozilla: Implemented a company-wide shut down for “Wellness Week” back in July. That went along with another wellness perk they formalized in January for a “Wellness Day” or company-wide day off once a month, every month for all of 2021. They scheduled these for Fridays to give people the chance to really enjoy their weekends. Shopify: “Rest and Refuel Fridays” is what Shopify has implemented globally from July through August. ZocDoc: Is partnering with Headway to make mental health care more available and affordable for patients as they stated “Together we’re making it easier for patients to find and book the in-network mental health care that fits their needs. Patients First!.”
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