You’ve likely seen a few #selfcare hashtags floating around your social feeds lately, and for good reason: When you’re in a healthy state of mind, you perform better. A growing number of companies are embracing this sentiment and incorporating their own spin on self care around the workplace. From in-office yoga to therapy reimbursement, these local businesses are encouraging their employees to get mentally fit.
DigitalOcean is a tech company that simplifies cloud computing for developers. Behind the scenes, the team is heavily focused on personal wellness in the form of physical activities and charitable giving as a group. People operations program lead Yoojin Levelle told us more.
What are some of your company’s wellness and mental health initiatives?
At DO, we want every employee to be their best self, both in their professional and personal life. We offer in-office yoga twice a week, outside fitness groups and sports leagues, and a monthly $100 gym reimbursement benefit for all employees. We also like to focus on giving back to the community, and have partnered with BrightFunds to create an in-house charitable giving program called DO Good, managed by our team lead of office experience, Amanda Brazzell.
In addition to these existing programs, we have some new and exciting wellness program initiatives rolling out this year which will provide more holistic resources to our employees, and create greater dialogue about mental, emotional and financial health and wellbeing.
How have you seen these initiatives affect team morale?
Last year, our DO Good program helped us raise a collective $83,997 for 171 different nonprofits! That kind of organic generosity carries over into our internal culture and positively influences morale between colleagues.
What’s one mental wellness perk you wish you could implement in your office?
We plan to implement a program soon which will help employees receive confidential mental health assessments, and also help them gain easier access to high-quality care with licensed and certified professionals. Also, we’re focused on partnering with DO’s diversity and inclusion efforts — led by Saudia Ganie — to create safe-space discussion groups for employees to talk about personal matters, such as being a new mom and what it means to return to work.
Away is a travel brand that encourages its employees to live an active lifestyle, relax with regular massages, and yes, travel. Head of People Jessica Elders told us exactly what types of self care initiatives they offer employees.
What are some of your company’s wellness and mental health initiatives?
There's no shortage of wellness perks at Away, and my team is constantly thinking about new ways to create a wellness-minded culture that goes beyond just healthy snacks (though our fridge is pretty impressive). As a travel company, we know the power of a good vacation, so we have a flexible PTO policy and take regular team trips.
We’ve also held special events in the office, like a wellness day we hosted during our particularly busy holiday season. Employees were able to take advantage of on-the-spot acupuncture and massages, and taste some amazing healthy snacks. Oh, and our office is dog-friendly — if playing with a cute puppy doesn’t make you feel happy, I don’t know what will!
How have you seen these initiatives affect team morale?
The big things are important for laying the foundation, but the small things can be just as meaningful for defining the culture. For example, when the Bomb Cyclone hit New York in January, our co-founder and CEO sent a Slack message to the team that encouraged people to stay home if they couldn’t make it in safely, but promised hot cocoa and blizzard watching for those who could. Hot cocoa didn’t cost the company much, but the team bonding and laughs we shared will be a lasting memory!
What’s one mental wellness perk you wish you could implement in your office?
Personally, I’d love to have a meditation room in the office — our co-founder and chief brand officer meditates every day, so I might be able to make the case.
It only makes sense that Quartet, a company that connects individuals with mental healthcare providers, would have some mental wellness perks of their own. Chief People Officer Erin Dertouzos listed out some of the top ones.
What are some of your company’s wellness and mental health initiatives?
We have a program in place that provides employees and their family members with up to 12 in-person therapy sessions annually. Team members just call the number we provide them and mention that they work for Quartet. They are then paired with a therapist based on their location and can schedule an appointment.
We also have a behavioral health co-pay reimbursement, which covers outpatient mental health visits with both in-network and out-of-network providers. We’ve contracted with a third-party provider to process claims and to pay employees directly to ensure complete anonymity.
How have you seen these initiatives affect team morale?
It's an empowering signal to our team that we align our culture, benefits and compensation to our mission and values. An employee recently shared with me that their spouse had considered therapy but wasn't sure it was for them and didn't want to commit to a month of meetings and $200 in co-pays to figure it out. Because of our benefits, they were able to attend therapy, essentially for free, and found it incredibly helpful.
What’s one mental wellness perk you wish you could implement in your office?
Right now for Quartet, I think an off-site where the whole company comes together to bond, talk about strategy and have a bit of time for fun and games would be fantastic. We've grown a lot in the last year and I'd love some time to reconnect with our in-market teams all at once.
MealPal is a subscription-based service that lets you order meals from participating locations around the city. The team is committed to staying physically and mentally well — and a big part of that involves food. Marketing associate Julie Pliskin told us what it’s like to be an employee at MealPal.
What are some of your company’s wellness and mental health initiatives?
At MealPal, we have a daily afternoon "brainfood" snack and a monthly "fitness Friday" where the whole company takes a break to participate in anything from spin classes to ice skating and yoga classes. On top of this, we have company-wide unlimited paid vacation, personal and sick days and we also have a variety of places to work within the office, which encourages everyone to get up and move around the space, and take mental breathers when needed.
How have you seen these initiatives affect team morale?
We have been able to foster a creative workspace where people on different teams can bond over everything from food to fitness. By enabling collaboration across the company, and giving all of our employees MealPal subscriptions, we are able to get the full user experience while also working with team members from different parts of the business on innovative solutions to improve our product.
What’s one mental wellness perk you wish you could implement in your office?
An in-house meditation/nap room! We don't have the space right now, but it’s definitely something we will look into as we continue to grow.
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