Nike is continuing its efforts to emphasize employee well-being with an annual initiative focused on resting and recharging.
The sportswear giant has once again closed all of its offices worldwide this week to give its employees additional time off to recover and rest. Several employees took to LinkedIn to discuss the initiative this week.
“As an employer and a brand, our goal is to help all athletes become their best selves,” wrote Monique Matheson, Nike’s chief human resources officer, in a LinkedIn post this past weekend. “This is one way we can do that for our team.”
Nike global director of social media engagement ops Sami Unrau also announced the start of Nike’s well-being week in a LinkedIn post earlier this week, describing the week as a chance for employees “to step away, rest, and refill their cups.”
Nike is also offering summer Fridays for employees for the second year in a row.
The Swoosh made the decision to close its offices for a week for the first time in August 2021, giving global employees the option to take time off in advance of a planned to return to the office the following fall. In May 2021, Nike said it would bring employees back to its headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., in September with a “3-2 flexible work model,” which allows employees to work remotely up to two days a week.
After more delays, Nike employees began their return-to-office process in May of 2022. Last year, Nike included summer Fridays along with its annual Well-Being week initiative. The week-off initiative emerged during a period of general worker unrest and anxiety, as companies asked — or, in some cases, required — their workforce to come back into the office.
In general, Nike has been an outward proponent for destigmatizing mental health issues in recent years. In May 2021, the brand teamed up with Crisis Text Line with the goal to advance the conversation around the importance of mental health and expand the direct line of support to those in need. In June, Nike launched the Nike Well Collective, an initiative that looks to expand on ideas of mind, body and life, serving as a guide for “wellness journeys” for all of its consumers.
