Chimers Chime In: Taking care of your mental health at work
One of our company values at Chime is Be Human, which is a daily reminder that we are all, well, human. When the pandemic set in, ‘be human’ became a common phrase spoken aloud in meetings and all hands as we all looked for ways to support each other at work and a shared language to normalize being human. We realized that, while we all come together to work Monday through Friday, our realities extend far beyond the boundaries of our workdays and include our physical and mental health, as well as other aspects of our wellbeing, like family and community.
We weren’t the only ones who recognized the growing importance of acknowledging and supporting mental health at work with the onset of the pandemic. In fact, studies show that mental health concerns have increased over the past few years. 76% of respondents to Mind Share Partners’ 2021 Mental Health at Work Report reported one symptom of a mental health condition in 2021, up 17% from 2019. More people are talking about mental health and giving it a place at work — and we believe doing so is critical to everyone’s well-being.
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we talked with a few Chimers to understand how they take care of their mental health at work. Here’s the advice they had to share:
Grace Hayes-Larson, Product Manager (she/her/hers)
How she takes care of her own mental health at work
“My goal is always to do my best work and I know I cannot do my best work when I’m not caring for my mental health. I think of caring for my mental health as a responsibility not just to myself, but also to my team to ensure I can always be the teammate they need to be successful.”
Her advice for keeping mental health in mind at work
“Authenticity is key! Foster a team environment where people are able and encouraged to be themselves. It’s exhausting to be someone you’re not for 40+ hours/week. Small daily rituals also help remind me to prioritize taking care of myself, like a cup of tea before meetings and eating lunch regardless of my schedule.”
Danielle Vann, an Instructional Design and Training Specialist on our Member Operations team (she/her/hers)
How she takes care of her own mental health at work
“I block off time for me to do heads-down work and to also work out. I also have no camera days to protect my space and limit Zoom fatigue. I’m not good to anyone if I don’t take care of myself first.”
Her advice for keeping mental health in mind at work
“When working from home, it’s easy for work to consume your life. Ensure that you’re setting boundaries for your schedule and workload. If a meeting is after working hours, I propose a new time. If I feel like I have too much on my plate, I ask for help.”
Her favorite mental health benefit at Chime
“I’m very thankful for the Modern Health benefit. I was going through a divorce when the pandemic hit, and forced isolation really impacted my mental health. Having a therapist to talk to honestly saved my life.”
Sam Weeks, a Manager on our Fraud Performance team (she/her/hers)
Her advice for keeping mental health in mind at work
“Be comfortable saying no and try to make self-care a preventative measure rather than a recovery measure.”
Her favorite mental health benefit at Chime
Therapy through Modern Health
Supporting mental health at Chime
At Chime, our benefits are structured to support the whole Chimer, including their physical, mental, financial, and social wellbeing. We focus on providing benefits that are actually used by Chimers and make a difference. A few of our top benefits for mental health include:
Modern Health for meditation, clinical therapy, mental health coaching, and programs and courses.
“What really made me decide on Modern Health was the ability to have both coaching and therapy, because while behavioral health is much more talked about now, for some people, there is still a stigma around it and a lack of understanding.” — Beth Steinberg, Chime’s VP of People and Talent
Take Care of Yourself Days, which we implemented during the beginning of the pandemic when we noticed that Chimers needed some time for self-care. Every month, Chimers get one dedicated Friday off to do whatever they want, without worrying about the rest of the team continuing to work in their absence.
“Our take-care-of-yourself days are amazing opportunities to do just that, anything from a day of rest to a day of adventure!” says Grace.
Chime Resource Groups (CRGs) aim to support Chimers and the communities they belong to. They host small, private discussions for group members, such as those AfroChime holds every two weeks to provide a safe space for folks to share their feelings. They also organize broader events and discussions around relevant themes, such as a panel on the immigrant experience that Chimmigrants organized. All of our CRGs’ programming aims to create safe spaces for Chimers to share their experiences and feelings, as well as to feel connected with and supported by one another.
Round tables with Dr. Carol Langlois are monthly, dedicated wellness discussions about relevant topics, such as recent cultural events or career challenges a group of Chimers might be facing. The time together involves a guided conversation in a safe space with a trained therapist there to offer support, advice, and create a welcoming environment for all perspectives. These conversations help Chimers connect, process, know that they’re not alone, and feel supported at work.
The Chime Parents network supports the many Chimers who are parents. We know that parents carry a lot of responsibility outside of work, so we created a dedicated network of support for parents at Chime. It includes a private Slack channel and regular discussion groups to share what parents are going through and provide support and advice to one another.
While Chimers actively use our mental health benefits (34% use Modern Health, for example), studies show that not all employees take advantage of the benefits and tools at their disposal at work. This month, we recommend taking stock of your mental health and getting to know the benefits your company offers, and if you’d like some more tips for taking care of your mental health at work, check out this list. Are you on the hunt for a job and want to make sure your next company will support your mental health? Don’t be shy to ask about benefits and resources during the interview process.
