Flight Centre Travel Group’s pair of wins in the 2023 Workplace Benefits Awards is reminding employees of the mental and physical wellness offerings available through the company’s benefits plan, says Anna Fisher, the organization’s health and wellness director.
“I think, too, that the awards have provided validation for our employees that we do want to take care of them and acknowledgement that we do have initiatives in place to help support our people.”
The travel company won in the Mental-health program category for companies with fewer than 1,000 employees, as well as the Health/wellness program category for employers with fewer than 1,000 employees, for its Healthwise program, which includes a focus on physical, mental and emotional health.
Read: Flight Centre wins award for mental-health training, efforts to reduce stigma
In 2022, as part of its Canadian Mental Health Week initiatives, Flight Centre launched its ‘Encouraging the Conversation’ podcast, in which the company’s employees — including Fisher — shared their experiences to help reduce stigma. The company also encourages workers to disconnect when needed, set clear boundaries and to step away from work when they’re out of the office or on vacation.
While Flight Centre continues to provide employees with a hybrid working arrangement, it’s supporting employee health through several onsite amenities as well, including gyms, meditation rooms and access to Peloton exercise equipment. Some offices also offer onsite massage therapy and acupuncture. In addition, the organization provides discounts on gym memberships for fully remote workers or those who don’t live near an office location.
Flight Centre’s ‘Hour of Power’ program allows workers to devote 60 minutes each week to their physical or mental well-being and post photos of themselves enjoying their self-care time on its intranet to motivate colleagues. Currently, more than half of its employees are participating in the program, says Fisher.
Since its WBA wins, the company has continued developing its mental and physical wellness offerings, including launching an event during Mental Health Awareness Month in May, which saw its Healthwise ambassadors and employee resource groups team up to produce content for the intranet that included personal stories as well as mental-health tips and resources.
“Overall, [the awards] have been fantastic for us. I think . . . we have a great program, but it’s nice to be acknowledged externally and it’s a way for us to market it to our employees like, ‘Hey, here’s our resources again.’ It’s another opportunity to communicate [these benefits] to them.”
Enter the 2024 Workplace Benefits Awards here. The deadline is June 28.