A giant sculpture says “Do the Right Thing” at Nike’s headquarters on March 22, 2018 in Beaverton, Oregon.
Natalie Behring | Getty Images
Sportswear giant Nike gave its employees week off, as the last company to offer workers holidays to support their mental health in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Matt Marrazzo, Nike’s senior global marketing science manager, said in a post on LinkedIn last Friday that Nike’s headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, was “off” during last Monday’s week.
He said, “All of our senior leaders send a clear message: Take the time to disconnect, de-stress, and spend time with your loved ones. Don’t work.”
Marrazzo added that he believed that taking the time to rest and recover was “key to working well and staying healthy.”
Last year had been “tough” amid the coronavirus pandemic, Marrazzo said, describing it as a “traumatic event”. Still, Marrazzo said he had “hope that the empathy and grace we continue to show our teammates will have a positive impact on the work culture to move forward.”
Marrazzo believed the Nike movement recognized that “we can prioritize mental health and keep working.”
A Nike spokesman confirmed he had closed offices in different locations for a week, “allowing employees to enjoy extra free time to rest and recover.”
Nike is following the Bumble dating app, which in June implemented a week-long vacation to help combat exhaustion. Bumble announced in July that it was turning the collective week into a fortnightly permanent advantage.
LinkedIn also gave most of its 15,900 employees a week’s paid vacation in April to give workers a chance to recharge.
LinkedIn CEO Teuila Hanson said it was “inspiring to see our employees return to work rejuvenated and recharged.”
“It reminds me of the importance of corporate culture and the well-being and mental health of employees for any business,” Hanson added.
A study recently published by workforce analysis firm Visier, which surveyed 1,000 full-time workers in the United States, found that 89% of employees said they had experienced burnout in the past year. In addition, 70% of respondents said they would leave their current job for another organization that offered better resources to reduce the feeling of burnout.