Taking care of some things

Why I started a Mental Health Day for my sales team

I wanted to do loads of things when starting the sales team at Ethena, but one initiative majorly stood out: creating a culture where people can be their authentic, best selves at work. Obviously, the focus of an authentic team culture should be on creating an inclusive environment, talking to people with respect, the list goes on, but something we all tend to forget is how our Mental Health factors into the equation.

I remember “way back when” I worked at Yelp, a veteran sales rep mentioned how the biggest thing she had learned in her sales career was finding a balance between work and life, and, for her, taking a mental health day was one way she enabled that for herself. I knew back then that once I went into more leadership roles, this would be something I’d covet as well.

In my personal life, whether it’s my own battle or those of family or friends, I have recognized how impactful our mental state is on every little thing we do. We never know what anyone may be going through, and sometimes a break can be just what a person needs. Knowing this, I felt it is only right to encourage taking a mental health break in the workplace for my team and myself! For me, a mental health break is traveling, video games or sports, but one thing I’ve learned is we all have something that works best for us. Whatever yours may be, I encourage you to find it/them if you have not.

How does this work at Ethena?

“Taking care of some things”

For me, when folks say this phrase, it is a great way of either actually taking care of some things or utilizing time for a mental health break away from work. What this means from a practical standpoint is finding or allowing that time for each person to step away from everything when they need to, especially external meetings and most internal meetings :-). We don’t ask for explanations, and I encourage my team to take one per month when they’re feeling stressed. If they need more time, that’s ok as well; no one can be successful if they are worried and distracted about life and the stress it causes.

What a mental health day looks like for me

TV shows. About 7 years ago, I started a “Shows2watch” list for a friend; somehow, since then, it has morphed into a list with over 200+ shows, each with my own personal numerical rating and synopsis. I watch all types of genres and am rarely surprised when I hear about new shows to watch, given that when I have free time, I try to watch as much as I can. At the end of the day, this works for me, but everyone has something that works for them.

How to get started:

If you have ever wanted to get one started for your team or your company, please check out the following resources that were helpful for me in terms of validation, research, and impact.