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World Mental Health Day: A Time to Turbocharge Mental Health

The last few years have been especially tough on us all. And it’s no surprise that since the entire world has been through so many turbulent changes and events recently, we think that now (more than ever before) is the time to tune into ourselves and focus on taking care of our mental wellbeing.

At Spotify we strongly believe that every day is a mental health day. Since we launched Heart & Soul in 2018, we’ve been proactively encouraging employees to pay attention to their mental health, and practice good mental wellbeing through preventative measures. We create and nurture an environment where it’s OK for any of us to not always be OK. Our Heart & Soul initiative exists to help us create a safe, stigma-free environment for our people that is open and caring about mental wellbeing. 

In addition, we see annual calendar dates such as World Mental Health Day (WMHD) as moments to turbocharge our thinking and initiatives. The attention that such dates get can help to reduce stigma, raise awareness about the importance of regular mental health practices and support. 

Right from the start of the pandemic, the safety and well being of Spotifiers has come first – this is of utmost importance to us. Spotify band members have shown such incredible resilience and done amazing work since the start of the pandemic, and we are so proud of them. At this moment, on WMHD 2021, we wanted our employees to take the opportunity to tune in to themselves. We recognised that everyone needs a break and time to reset and refresh. 

That’s why we’ve decided to close the Spotify offices from November 1st – 5th. Instead of working on code, having meetings, or any of the other work tasks, every single band member will lay their instruments down in order to focus on their own wellness. Spotifiers are being given an extra week of paid time off to recharge. The idea is that everyone gets the chance to spend time with their loved ones or simply do the things that make them feel really good. We’re asking everyone to unplug.

When we plug back in again, we will revert back to business as usual, where everyday is a mental health day and it is totally OK not to be OK. I hope that this World Mental Health Day has been a reminder and presented an opportunity to everyone to tune in to themselves.

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