Watercooler Wednesdays: Take A Break and Invest In Yourselves
Happy Wednesday everyone.
You know, in the old days, I used to get so anxious before writing something. There were plenty of reasons why, but two of the biggest (and most relevant) had to do with motivation and exhaustion.
My love of writing and identification as a writer used to be swallowed up by these things — —
“Do I want to do this?”
“Can I do this?”
Sometimes I really didn’t want to write, especially about certain things that I admittedly had little to no interest in.
Without my heart in it, there was no rhythm and beat to those pieces and that’d cause a lot of sadness, even shame to be plain with you.
The other factor was pretty much an abysmal lack of self-care…
I’d work long hours, forget to eat, and not sleep on time. This “hustle and grind” was absolutely awful. It’s led me to take a strong stance against crunch culture and the consequences of that entrepreneurial determination that can often go right off the rails.
Fortunately it seems as though there’s been a rising sense of realization in the startup community about the need for real wellness, real rest.
This week’s Wednesday Watercooler is about spotlighting a few of the stories making the rounds.
Thanks to Olivia Kantyka and Ian Parkes for the inspiration!
Beginning With Bumble
“The pandemic has rightly increased employers’ focus on employee wellbeing and many companies, including dating app Bumble, are taking matters into their own hands.
Bumble, which allows women to make the first move when it comes to dating, has closed down all of its offices this week to help employees combat workplace stress.”
— Yessi Bello-Perez: “Bumble Gives Employees A Week Off To Prevent Burnout”
Great coverage from Yessi here, and a wise move from Bumble in my opinion!
Hubspot Unplugs
“We know that our customers aren’t just buying our software, they’re also trusting the people who build, support, and sell that software,” said Katie Burke, HubSpot’s Chief People Officer. “As a result, we need to ensure those people are well-rested and able to support our customer and partner needs for the long haul. As leaders, it’s our job to show our employees that taking time off isn’t just encouraged, it’s critical.” — Sophie Hamersley: Announcing “HubSpot Unplugged:” A New Initiative To Help Employees With Burnout
HubSpot’s Unplugged Initiative couples a week off with additional components designed to help manage stress and encourage wellbeing.
Seven Seven Six and Investing in Founders
“We believe that it’s our founders’ job to care for their employees and our job to care for our founders.” —The Seven Seven Six 2% Growth & Caregiving Commitment
The introduction of this caregiving fund is a step in the right direction, and the entire outline is well worth a longer look.
Invest In Ourselves
It simply makes sense for us to do so — just as much as we invest in our work, our relationships, our dreams and ideas.
Having That Support
It’s absolutely crucial. Seeing these and other organizations respond to the physical and psychological needs is encouraging. Obviously a lot of work still needs to be done in the world for us to get to that ideal place of balance, but…
At least the dots are starting to connect.
