A Wellness Policy Built by Employees for Employees

In spring term 2024, Visiting Fulbright Scholar Dr. Ivana Radačić taught a course entitled "Self- and collective- care, well-being and spirituality: A holistic human rights framework." Among other  activities, students in the course developed well-being policies for human rights collectives. This blogpost presents the results by a group composed of Human Rights Practice students Aurea Cunanan, Mireya Denee Kuskie and Erebus Moeller. Other blogposts feature the policy proposals developed by other groups of students (see links at the end of this article). You can also read Ivana's reflections on the course, the policy proposals, and the issues that they raise for human rights practice and education.   

by Aurea Cunanan, Mireya Denee Kuskie and Erebus Moeller 

The field of human rights and social justice activism has done so much for the people of the world in a myriad of ways. We have helped people face injustice and inequality against powers and forces that looked too great to overcome. However, in all of our work, “dangerous stereotypes and perceptions filter through…that suggest that to be a ‘true’ HRD [human rights defender], you must sacrifice all and work yourself to exhaustion in furtherance of the greater cause” (Chamberlain 2020, 216). Chen and Gorski (2015, 366) have also stated that many working in the field of human rights and social justice activism, “perceive self-care as contradicting an implicit pact of ‘selflessness’”. It has been shown that self and collective care along with ideas of how to carry out these aspects of care fall far short of what human rights defenders may need with respect to all aspects of their health: physical, mental, and spiritual. 

This op-ed introduces and proposes workplace policy supporting self and collective care for HRDs. Proposing these ideas may be novel, but they are necessary for the continuation and sustainability of human rights work. HRDs need institutionalized support for the work they do as they witness and grapple with constant human suffering and injustice. 

In this policy, we aim to place self-care and collective care at the forefront of human rights practices. It is important to include self-care and collective care practices in workplace policies to ensure their institutionalization and operationalization within a workplace. Individuals working in the human right field are entitled to institutional access to resources that prevent, and address burn out and trauma as they are the vital in these human rights movements (Guntzel, J & M Johnson 2020, 6-9). Developing and implementing such policies create a foundational basis for collective care because the value of self-preservation and thriving is emphasized within the organization in operationalized ways. 

We firmly believe that changes to workplace policy and procedures are an important foundational point toward enshrining self and collective care principles and practices. Organizations that have prioritized and operationalized workplace wellness create a culture of resilience sustaining human rights movements. As stated above, destructive notions of selflessness and suffering have taken root as a dominant narrative among HRDs. Workplaces prioritizing employee mental and physical health create an organization prioritizing people. Person-centered approaches are vital to human rights movements.

The attached policy is an example of workplace well-being policy, built around the idea that employees can experience a healthier work-life balance. We as a collective have created a foundation for workplace wellness. Our focus points are paid time off, collective care/workplace culture, and mental health care. These would allow employees to take care of themselves without fear of repercussions from their employer. Employees will also feel supported throughout their journey. Implementing this workplace policy aims to provide a comprehensive overview of changes organizations can implement to proactively support their staff from the bottom to the top. 

Policy Proposal: A Wellness Policy Built by Employees for Employees 

Aurea Cunanan, Mireya Denee Kuskie and Erebus Moeller 

Introduction

This policy aims at ensuring well-being of HRDs. It supports collective care in our organization by providing for workplace amenities, socialization activities, a number of benefits and regulating working times. 

Workplace Culture

• Workplace amenities 
  • On-site beverages, breakfast, and lunches accommodating various diets
  • The ability to fully decorate your office space
    • Employees encouraged to make their space their own
    • If an employee is with the group for a period of a year they can apply for a small stipend to pay for potential furniture or to paint the walls of their office 
  • A dedicated space within the workplace to eat meals
    • Designated no work zone so everyone can rest and enjoy their food
• Collective care 
  • Weekly events for socialization and chatting with your team members 
  • Fireside Chats with management 
  • Open office hours with executives once every 3 months 
  • Emphasis on JEDI (Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion) 
    • Annual commitments towards JEDI and meeting JEDI goals   
• After Hours workshops that specialize in hobbies 
  • Pottery, Painting, Sewing, Knitting, Cooking classes, Book clubs, ect. 
  • Personal Growth Seminars
    • Spirituality Growth
    • Life coach conversations 
• Employee retreats to promote team building

Working Hours/Times

Employees are encouraged to choose their preferred work schedules

• 4 Day workweek /8 hours a day
• Flexibility with work from home and in person depending on location/project/etc.

Benefits 

• Full coverage for insurance - including dental and eye 
  • Mental Health coverage 
  • Gender based care coverage 
  • Family planning care coverage
• Paid parental leave 6 months at a time 
  • For both parents
  • If at the end of a period of 3-5 years after hiring, an employee has not used or will not use their parental leave, the employee has the choice to take an paid extended sabbatical that is not correlated with their regular PTO/vacation days.
• Adoption benefit 
• Child Care benefit 
  • Daycare on site or a discount at a local childcare center 
• Wellness benefits 
  • Dedicated money/resources toward personal and professional development, holistic and therapeutic care, etc. 
    • Organize opportunities for healing and growth 
      • Group therapy 
      • Meditation times 
      • On staff therapist for burnout and emergency based situations- at no cost to the employee. 
  • Wellness benefits that can be used for physical wellbeing. 
    • Gym Memberships, Yoga Classes, Acupuncture, ect. 
• Paid Personal Leave 
  • 12 Sick Days a Year 
  • 25 Vacation Days a Year 
  • 12 Mental Health Days a Year 
• Salaries
  • Starting salary at $75,000 and will be adjusted annually and for location 
    • Salaries will be adjusted to accommodate for inflation every year
    • Salaries will be adjusted for cost of living based on location 
• Tuition reimbursement programs
  • Graduate education benefit
  • Professional development course reimbursement
    • Accessible throughout the workweek
• Commuter Benefit

  • Public transportation reimbursement to encourage employees to utilize local commuter options