Jobber’s Unique Programming for Employee Wellness

A conversation with Sara Cooper, Chief People Officer at Jobber

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About the episode

At Canada-based Jobber, the coaching and development team historically supported employees’ professional development. But as Chief People Officer Sara Cooper explains: Career development is one of many ways employees can grow.

That became eminently clear as Jobber employees were forced to contend with Covid’s challenges. They had less appetite for career development and a greater need for wellness support, so the coaching team pivoted to meet that need.

One of the company’s most unique approaches is its certified mental health support team, which Jobber doubled since the pandemic. Trained not to offer therapy but to connect people to resources, the volunteer employee team was built on the premise that peers are more likely to open up to another peer than a manager or executive.

Other programs and policies include job-protected leaves and an option for employees to shift to part time if needed, returning when ready. An “every other week” schedule supports parents who split child custody with a former partner.

“We wanted to ensure that people knew that their health, wellness and families came first,” says Cooper. “And we didn’t want people worried that taking time to focus on themselves and their families was going to put their roles at risk.”

Resources –

2020 Maestro Health survey referenced at 5:50

2021 McKinsey report referenced at 17:18

Highlights

From This Episode

The impact of Jobber’s certified mental health supporter team
Talk points for leaders to broach mental health with employees
Addressing root causes before employees need to tap mental health insurance
Why mental health is not a perk
The lesson Jobber learned in devising its return-to-office plan
Accepting that creating return-to-office plans is a “figure it out together” process

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