At Nextdoor, we ask employees to bring their authentic, whole selves to work. We understand that employees are not robots who boot up for eight hours a day to complete work tasks, then head home. By offering mental health benefits and promoting regular use of those benefits we ask employees to fully explore their well-being.
When I came to Nextdoor, I was searching for a company that understood the importance of mental health. I had struggled at past jobs watching employees experience burnout and not having adequate tools to support them. When I interviewed here, I found a company that not only offered mental health benefits, but was an early adopter of Modern Health, a platform that provides personalized mental health support for employees across a wide spectrum of needs.
With Modern Health, employees can get free 1:1 coaching and therapy sessions, as well as group sessions and on demand content. The first step is to take a quick online assessment to help zero in on what may be impacting your wellbeing (emotional, social, physical, professional or financial). Then employees are offered a list of therapists or coaches to book time with. If 1:1 sessions aren’t your thing, each month there are rotating group therapy topics in the form of online “Circles”. Lastly there are on demand meditations and courses that employees can participate in, available 24/7.
Employee resource groups (ERGs) also play an important role in making sure employees feel supported — our team launched one of the newest ERGs, called MIND (Mental Health in Nextdoor), as a way to provide employees with a safe and understanding space when it comes to mental health and wellbeing. Some of the events hosted have been mindful meditation sessions, speaker series on the role of nutrition in stress and anxiety, panels on sleep habits and “Wellness in Relationships,” and book club discussions.
I believe in our mental health resources and have personally benefited from them when I was going through some stressful, difficult times. I hope by sharing my own experience I can inspire others to check out Modern Health and start their mental health journey today.