Mental Health Break: Nike Closes Office for a Week

Nike has made the announcement to close its corporate offices for a week. In a statement on LinkedIn senior Director, Matt Marrazzo said the message from senior executives was to “take the time to unwind, destress and spend time with your loved ones. Do not work.”

Mental Health Response:

The move comes during the North American summer period, and it has been reported that the week has been given to offer employees the chance to take time off and recover. The corporate offices will be closed and employees will get full pay.

In 2019, the World Health Organisation recognised workplace burnout as an occupational phenomenon. Each country has varying levels of challenge in this space, just recently ABC’s Foreign Correspondent reported on the increasing death toll coming from workplace exhaustion from South Korea’s eCommerce delivery drivers.

The quote:

“In just about an hour, teams at Nike will start closing their laptops for our regular Summer Friday hours. But today is *extra* special.

Nike HQ is also powering down for a full week off starting next Monday. Our senior leaders are all sending a clear message: Take the time to unwind, destress and spend time with your loved ones. Do not work.

It’s times like this that I’m so grateful to be a part of this team. In a year (or two) unlike any other, taking time for rest and recovery is key to performing well and staying sane. This past year has been rough – we’re all human! and living through a traumatic event! – but I’m hopeful that the empathy and grace we continue to show our teammates will have a positive impact on the culture of work moving forward.

It’s not just a “week off” for the team… it’s an acknowledgment that we can prioritize mental health and still get work done.

Support your people. It’s good business but it’s also the right thing to do.” – Marr Marrazzo, Nike.