World Mental Health Day: Programs, culture shifts and gentle reminders

World Mental Health Day is October 10th, which serves as a great reminder for everyone to pause and take an inventory of our physical, mental, and emotional health. This year at HireVue, we wanted to remind employees about the programs available to them, as well as a few cultural reminders that will contribute to better health. 

Some mental wellness programs require significant monetary investments (e.g. top-notch health insurance), but there are company norms that cost nothing and give your employees priceless breathing room. 

I know that in my role as a people leader, I’m always looking to my peers for valuable insights into how they conduct business, so I thought it would be helpful to share our internal messages and takeaways that could be applied in your teams.

We don’t glorify over-work 

There are peak times when work is more hectic than others and requires more focus than usual but constant hustle and grind at the expense of friends, family, and hobbies is not something we expect from any of our team members at HireVue. If your teammates find themselves constantly working before and after hours, dialing in when they’re sick or on vacation, something has to give.

Modeling the behavior as a people leader

It goes a long way to model for your team that balance isn’t the exception but the norm in your workplace. A small tactical tip is creating policies around response times. I include this in my email signature to alleviate any pressure to respond immediately, “At HireVue, we value flexibility and have global teams working across multiple time zones. Although I sent this at a time that is convenient for me, it is not my expectation that you read, respond, or follow up on this email outside of your own working time.”

Take breaks and schedule breathing room 

Working from home can sometimes make your home feel like work, especially if you don’t take breaks. Remind employees to schedule time for a recharge–suggest they take a walk with the dog, do a quick ride on the Peloton, or drink some tea on the fire escape. And encourage them to block it on the calendar–there’s no need for secrecy. 

As a fully remote organization, I encourage all of our team to look for opportunities to do walking calls. This can be a 1:1 or a group internal call where you don't necessarily need to be at your desk. It’s great to get out and take a walk while you talk to clear your head and get a break from all that sitting.

Modeling the behavior as a people leader

Some break times are mandated by law for hourly workers, but bring up decompression time as a part of your culture for everybody. Did you just get out of a back-to-back meeting session? Log on and tell your teammates you need to pop out of the room to refresh your water and then rejoin. This small act is especially impactful when it comes from leaders.

Use your PTO, plan for upcoming company breaks

Taking time off isn’t something nice to do, it’s a must to keep yourself balanced. By now most of us have seen the tips on how to “hack” your PTO, but if you haven’t, it’s simply using time off around key dates in the federal holiday calendar (e.g. taking November 12th off after Veteran’s Day for a four-day weekend).

Modeling the behavior as a people leader

At HireVue we’ve implemented a combination of half-day Fridays in the summer, and a synchronized shutdown in the winter, in addition to our flexible PTO–but these benefits are a lost investment if employees aren’t taking advantage of them. Remind your teams to respect calendar blocks and engage in good vacation behavior. Resting and recharging is good for productivity and personal well-being.

Use your available benefit programs

Our list of benefit programs keeps growing, and we want to make sure you’re taking every opportunity to create a healthy, balanced life. Some current programs include:

• Employee EAP program
• Virtual LifeStyle program
• Learning opportunities

We regularly remind our teams of what is available in their region so they’re taking advantage of the benefits available to them. 

Modeling the behavior as a people leader

The programs listed in this section represent a significant financial investment for the business and it would be a shame if our employees were neglecting to use them! Take every opportunity to evaluate which programs are being utilized and always keep lines of communication open to add additional benefits that align with employee needs. And don’t be afraid to mention how you have personally benefited from a program.

At HireVue, we believe that a healthy, balanced workforce is key to long-term success. By promoting a culture that values mental wellness, we’re not only improving the well-being of our employees but also fostering a more engaged, productive, and resilient organization. Let’s continue to prioritize mental health—not just on World Mental Health Day, but every day—and lead by example in creating a workplace where balance, well-being, and personal growth are championed.