“If you could be anything but a human, what would you be?”

It’s a blue-sky hypothetical that has been lobbed between teammates at Headspace — but not in a business setting. Rather, it’s one of the in-good-fun inquiries that bubble up during “Watercooler Wednesdays,” an optional Zoom-facilitated team gathering that transpires every other week at the wellness startup. 

“We have such a great culture at the office. Once we started working from home, we were like, ‘How are we going to get that virtually?’” People Experience Coordinator Luis Jimenez said.

Like other newly introduced employee engagement programming at the guided meditation service — whose app boasts 65 million-plus users, according to the company — it’s an opportunity for colleagues to take a reprieve from work in a year characterized by constant change. 

“Having resources like Watercooler Wednesday, where you can spend quality time engaging with your colleagues in conversations that weren’t work-related, is really important,” Senior Community Manager Jae Washington said. “You’re breaking up a little bit of the monotony with true employee and team engagement.

“For me, that speaks to the level of commitment that the organization, the leadership and the employees themselves have to making my experience not just a work experience, but a holistic and complete experience,” she added.

Additional initiatives include “No Meeting Fridays” and “MINDAYS,” which alternate weekly between meeting-less Fridays and companywide PTO days, respectively. Internally, it echoes what the company has strived to extend to its users: the opportunity to refresh and recharge emotionally and mentally.   

“This year, you’ve got work-from-home, COVID-19, social injustice, children at home and parents suddenly becoming educators. With all of that stress, it was a chance for us to give people the acceptance to take a break from all of that noise,” President and Chief Operating Officer CeCe Morken said of the company’s broader efforts to provide supportive space for employees. 

Recently, Morken, Jimenez and Washington shared with Built In LA how employee support manifests itself at the organization — and how that helps empower colleagues daily.
 

For me, choosing Headspace as an employer and partner was very intentional.”

Internally, what does it mean to give employees a supportive space?

Morken: It’s giving time back in the day to take care of yourself, your mind and whatever is important to you to get yourself balanced. We do that through initiatives like No Meeting Fridays, MINDAYS and group meditations. That’s part of it. Another part of that is support programs — such as the stipends for helping people set up their office at home — and things that we do during the week that allow people to get together and have some fun. 

I don’t think you can separate the physical aspects of your mind from what you do with your mind, so we’ve done development programs to help all of us be better at unconscious bias and ally training. We’re in the very early process of teaching people how to give feedback to each other so that it’s super constructive.
 

How do programs like No Meeting Fridays and MINDAYS help you feel supported? 

Morken: We all have to have a chance to think, strategize and absorb everything that happened during the week. No Meeting Fridays were designed to enable people to have time to think about the work that they do and how to make it even better. We have great teammates, and this helps to get the best out of them. MINDAYS is a chance for people to get their life chores done, where nobody’s expecting you to send anything. It’s a day before the crazy weekend that you can take for yourself to get caught up on life. 

Jimenez: I’m so grateful for MINDAYS. It’s something that everyone kind of deserves. It wasn’t in our culture before. This really, really helped. You can see it in our work, too. After the first month of having No Meeting Fridays and MINDAYS, I feel like you could see our team improving. We’re more clear in our vision. It’s really great. 

Washington: For me, choosing Headspace as an employer and partner was very intentional. Things like MINDAYS and No Meeting Fridays are a real testament to Headspace’s commitment not only to the employee’s professional journey but to their personal, emotional and mental journey. It solidified my belief that this company was not only committed to its mission, but to the minds of the employees that ultimately interacted with the customer.

Luis, as the people experience coordinator, what sort of feedback have you received on employee engagement programming?

Jimenez: The feedback has been really good. We also had a survey of the most important benefits, and MINDAYS made it to the top two or top three. It’s been quite an experience doing this and new territory, but so far, everyone kind of seems to love it. We always go back to our mission: We’re here to improve health and happiness. As long as we go back to that, and we implement our core values — which are “selfless drive,” “courageous heart” and “curious mind” — that’s a perfect recipe to make anything here, honestly.

Jae, you’re also involved with the company’s DEI committee. How does that help create a supportive space for teammates?

Washington: My involvement is one of several committed colleagues who are very interested in not only continuing the conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion but actively contributing to process planning and strategy. As we all try to navigate this new normal, I think it’s really beautiful to find an organization that is intentional and also interested in being a little vulnerable and transparent about the journey. 

This specific initiative shows me that Headspace is purposeful in its efforts to create a space that is not only inclusive but equitable. It’s a true participation and investment in what this company will be internally and externally. I appreciate the honest conversations because often they’re uncomfortable. There’s a true commitment to being present and holding space with each other even in those uncomfortable moments. 

How have you personally felt supported during this time, and how does that support empower you to do your best on a day-to-day basis?

Morken: What I feel — and what I hope others feel — is that because we’re trying to be so transparent, that this is a safe environment. We’re all going to have days that are better than other days. You want to have that safe place where you can say, ‘I can’t do any more today, I need a break.’ 

Jimenez:  It feels like a privilege to feel supported by your work. We’re so transparent with everything. You really can go to your manager and be like, ‘Hey, I’m having this issue,’ and everyone will help you. It’s really empowered me the way that they support me. It makes you want to give your best because everyone’s giving their best.

Washington: This opportunity with Headspace has been an island in a rough sea. This place is a refuge in what could have really been a very lonely and negative space and time for me. It allows me to be more present. That not only benefits me and my colleagues, but it benefits my friends and family. In a way, it creates a whole and a better me. That support is vital.