(WFLA) – Amid high rates of burnout and quitting among the American workforce, Nike announced a move to prioritize employees’ mental health.
Last week, Matt Marrazzo, a senior manager at Nike, posted on Linkedin that employees at the sportswear company’s corporate offices in Oregon would have the week off from work.
“Take the time to unwind, destress and spend time with your loved ones. Do not work,” the post reads. “This past year has been rough – we’re all human! and living through a traumatic event! – but I’m hopeful that the empathy and grace we continue to show our teammates will have a positive impact on the culture of work moving forward.”
Nike already offers employees flexible schedule “Summer Hours.” Nike managers say the new move prioritizes the mental health of the company’s staff and leads to increased productivity at work.
As the pandemic drags on, many people are quitting their jobs. The trend has been nicknamed the “Great Resignation” and the “Big Quit.” People cite everything from unsafe COVID working conditions, to wanting to spend more time with family, to extreme stress as motivations for leaving their jobs.
According to ICD Eleven, doctors can diagnose someone with burnout if they have three symptoms. The patient must be exhausted, experiencing mental distance or cynicism about their work and have problems getting the job done successfully.
Doctors can only diagnose burnout when it comes to working; it does not apply to other life situations.
