Nike gives staff a week-long break as a gesture of mental health support

Sports brand Nike has given a week-long break to its staff in Oregon, as a gesture of mental health support.

From Monday until Friday, Nike HQ will “power down” to give employees a rest.

The company's head of insights, Matt Marrazzo announced the break on Linkedin.

In a message to staff, he said: "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."

He also said: "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 prioritise mental health and still get work done."

Nike is not the only company to make this step - career networking company Linkedin and dating app Bumble also gave their employees breaks, with regards to their mental health and the coronavirus pandemic.

In June 2021, Bumble temporarily closed all of its offices to give around 700 of their staff a much-needed break, to combat burnout.

The company's head of editorial content praised Bumble's founder Whitney Wolfe Herd's decision to give staff a paid holiday to combat workplace stress.

Clare O'Connor said, in a now-deleted tweet, managers had "correctly intuited our collective burnout".

She added the break feels like a "big deal", particularly in the United States - where annual leave is "notoriously scarce".