Leave it to Sesame Street to unveil the fragile mental state of the world today.
In January of 2024, everyone’s favorite furry red monster, Elmo, posted: “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” on X. The post received more than 217.8 million views and thousands of responses.
Apparently, we, as a society, are not doing so great.
The responses included everything from comments on winter’s emotional toll to job losses, fears of World War III, existential dread, workplace burnout, depression and anxiety.
Although Elmo probably didn’t mean to, the post became a social artifact of today’s rising mental health issues.
Research from the Kaiser Family Foundation and CNN found that 90 percent of the public believes there is a mental health crisis in the United States today. Even pre-pandemic stats taken from a global audience share a concerning view. The World Health Organization found in 2019 that one in eight people around the world were living with a mental disorder — that is 970 million people.
While the workplace can commonly be a direct source of stress and exhaustion that exacerbates mental health issues, some employers are trying to change that narrative.
Rachel Lewis, a manager of people operations at one such employer — Workrise — spoke with Built In about the tactical ways that the company tries to meet the holistic mental health needs of its employees.
Workrise is a software company built to streamline the way that the oil and gas industry manages vendor relationships.
What are some of the key ways Workrise invests in the well-being of employees?
At Workrise, the mission of the People Team is to create an inspiring culture of belonging. We prioritize our employees’ well-being with our “People Come First” philosophy and go above and beyond to support their well-being.
Financially, we provide educational webinars with retirement plan experts and financial advisors to help our employees confidently navigate their financial futures.
Regarding wellness, we’ve got our onsite Austin team covered with a brand-new fitness center and free healthy snacks and beverages. And who doesn’t love breakfast taco Tuesday? It’s a favorite tradition around here. Plus, we ensure everyone has a lunch stipend for in-office days to enjoy local Austin eats.
Risers also receive a quarterly wellness allowance and monthly newsletter packed with tips, discounts and all things health related.
Family matters to us, so we offer paid maternity and paternity leave and flexible time off. Taking care of yourself and your loved ones shouldn’t add stress to your plate.
Our goal is to create an inspiring culture of belongingness where every Riser feels valued and empowered to live their best life at work and home.
The last couple of years have been especially taxing on people’s physical and mental health. How has Workrise adapted or expanded its benefits offerings to support employees’ needs and meet them where they are?
The past few years have been unparalleled for everyone’s physical and mental health. We’ve listened closely to our employees and enhanced our mental health benefits. Every employee, along with five of their family members, has access to a premium Calm subscription. Calm has on-demand meditations and sleep aids for managing stress and staying balanced.
Life can get busy, so we partnered with HelloFresh to provide a discount code. It makes meal prep and shopping less hectic while nudging us toward healthier eating habits. We also have a telemedicine benefit at $0 copay to provide direct access to healthcare anytime, anywhere.
To ensure our employees have a comfy and productive workspace at home, we offer new hires a hybrid and remote stipend. I used mine to purchase monitors and ergonomic items for my home office.
We strive to create a supportive work culture through ongoing research, feedback and innovation. Our holistic programs for physical health, mental resilience and work-life balance ensure our team feels valued, energized and empowered to thrive professionally and personally. At the heart of our success is the well-being of our employees.
