Monday Wellness: Mental Health
By: Olivia Rodriguez
Due to years of corporate burnout and the pandemic fueling The Great Resignation, people all around the US are prioritizing their mental wellbeing and health above all things. Being that Monday Talent was born in the midst of all the chaos, wellness is at the core of who we are and taking our mental health seriously is a requirement upon joining the team. Though we are primarily here to assist our clients with building their teams, we are also hoping to set the standard in regards to prioritizing mental health in the workplace and beyond!
Here are all the things that Monday does to foster a positive mental health and wellness-focused environment:
Summer Fridays ~Forever~
Here at Monday, we work on a 4 and a half-day work week. We start our weeks off on a Monday (naturally) but finish up at 1 pm on Fridays. This has allowed all of us to work smarter (not harder) and really look forward to unwinding earlier at the end of the week
Unlimited PTO
A norm in the startup world, we have unlimited PTO and are required to take at least 20 days off per year. Taking time off is essential to taking care of your mental health as we all need time to take a breather from work
Flexible Schedules and Remote Working
No one is keeping track of the clock to see that we immediately sign on at 9 am each day, we are able to start earlier if we’d like or start a little later. Having a flexible schedule and also working remotely has helped me, especially with getting a workout in before starting my day (or in the middle of my day) or taking my dog for an extended walk when it’s beautiful out. All of this flexibility is incredibly helpful to keep us motivated throughout the week and not sitting at our desks from 9-5
Juno
We love Juno here at Monday and even have our own separate blog post about it! It’s our version of a wellness stipend and it’s been so helpful to use for any wellness services or products we might need (or want!)
Weekly Meditation
One of my favorites, we have weekly 15 minute meditations on Wednesdays. This is something done right in the middle of the day for our east coast team and at the start of the day for our west coast team. From breathing techniques to stretches to tapping, we are able to ground down and center ourselves before continuing the second part of our week *insert yoga emoji here*
Lunch & Learns
BiWeekly, we get to have really exciting guest speakers come in and chat with us about different topics. We’ve had lunch & learns about building our personal brand, how to invest and save for retirement, and most recently, how to prioritize your mental well-being in and out of work with Bea Arthur
Holiday Break
Another favorite, we are closed between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day - it’s the best way to close out the year during the most wonderful time of the year
Tech Boundaries
Working remotely makes it tough to separate work from home and home from work so we definitely focus on implementing boundaries on Slack (setting work hours, utilizing pausing notifications, updating statuses, scheduling messages,) with our emails (scheduling emails) and on our calendars (blocking time for appointments, therapy sessions, lunch, working out, when you sign off for the day), etc. This has allowed all of us to set clear boundaries around work so we don’t just keep on keeping on into late hours
All in all, keeping your employees’ mental health and wellbeing #1 will not only have them feel cared for, prioritized, and appreciated, but it’ll also prevent high turnover and keep your team most importantly, happy :)