Mental health is a key part of our wellbeing, but regrettably, it’s one we easily tend to overlook or even be ashamed to discuss. This is a topic that is being addressed more and more, but unfortunately, the statistics also show it is a growing cause for concern, with record numbers for people experiencing stress, anxiety, and depression.
No matter who or where you are, the past two years have not been easy on anyone, and it is fair to say everyone has had a lot to process. The constant uncertainty and the adaptability demanded from all of us have put a strain on our mental wellbeing.
Even though at Dashlane we always had wellbeing in the center of how we support our people, we decided it was time to take it one step further: Last July, we partnered with Spring Health to offer free therapy and life coaching sessions, as well as wellness exercises to everyone who works at Dashlane and their dependents.
Below are some of the reasons we are prioritizing wellbeing at Dashlane, and why you should, too:
It creates a culture of transparency, diversity, and inclusion
At Dashlane, we have many diversity initiatives throughout the year, including those related to Black History Month, Pride, Hispanic and AAPI heritage, and many more. We make sure to spend time reflecting, listening, and learning in order to strive to do everything possible to create an inclusive space where our employees can be themselves.
We also want to make sure we are creating a culture where they feel supported, and they understand that being vulnerable is okay. That’s why mental health is something we chose to address and have taken seriously for a long time.
For the last two years, we have declared the last Friday of May an official Dashlane mental health holiday. This day is intended to give everyone time to unplug, focus on their wellbeing, and hopefully motivate them to make this an ongoing practice.
And because Transparency & Trust is one of our core values, we also made sure to create a safe space for Dashlaners to share their experiences. Last year, for Mental Health Awareness Month, we curated a mental health magazine featuring several open letters written by employees discussing their mental wellbeing. And even our CEO, JD Sherman, shared his own story with all Dashlaners during our town hall.
Giving every member of our community a voice is a vital part of an inclusive environment. Not only because open discussions can help break stigmas and stereotypes, but because it will make people feel valued and heard.
Hybrid and remote are here to stay
Let’s face it, workplace dynamics have changed, and the era of working in the office full time is over. For us at Dashlane, having teams working long distance is not particularly new. We already worked in distributed office hubs around the globe, all working together as one company. The difference now is that we empowered our people to choose where they want to work from.
But remote and hybrid environments come with their challenges. The workplace and our personal life have become increasingly more connected, and it’s harder to spend time together as a team unless previously scheduled. And while our managers make themselves available to support their direct reports, it might be harder to pick up on the clues that someone is going through a difficult time in their personal life if they are not comfortable enough to share it, especially in the work environment.
We must prepare for and anticipate this, so we are ready to support our people's emotional wellbeing and focus on their mental health in all aspects of their lives. Because employees are our greatest asset and looking after their wellbeing is not only the right thing to do, but it will also pay off in the long run.
Being proactive is better than reactive
Employee experience and wellbeing should be a company priority, and partnering with Spring Health was our way to strive to do just that.
Our objective was to make sure there were no barriers to reaching out for help. So if and when the time came that people needed it, they weren’t thinking about where to find it or how much it was going to cost them—only that they already have a solution available.
And over the last 6 months, we’ve been happy to receive feedback from Dashlaners telling us how they had never considered therapy in the past, but now that we’ve made it so easy to access, they or their partners tried it and found it very helpful. (Yes, Spring Health covers not only every Dashlaner, but also any dependents in their family aged 13+.) We did it because we know achieving a positive and balanced mental wellbeing isn’t a finish line you can sprint to; it’s a continuous journey we all go through in life, and at Dashlane we are proud to support our employees along that journey.
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