Ashish Kothari argues that meditation apps, gym memberships, and mental health days don't work because they only reach employees already inclined to use them. Real improvement comes from fixing broken systems at work, not offering individual wellness perks.
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Many companies today will say, yes, we are doing enough on this. We are doing wellness things. We have meditation classes. We give headspace and calm. We have gym memberships. We have employee benefits. We have employee assistance programs. When people are struggling, we actually give them the resources. They have therapists. We have mental health days. We have doctors on staff. And I hear these all the time. Yes, we're doing enough. We're doing a lot. Look at our spend. It's actually gone up. Friends, let me help you. Step back and look at those. If you think about the continuum around well being, most organizations are focused on two ends of the spectrum. On one end, we are actually giving a bunch of wellness interventions to the individual. We're putting the whole burden on individuals. Friends, if you look at the data on those who use gym memberships versus not the people who use gym memberships are the ones who went to the gym in the first place. Very few people who wouldn't have otherwise gone to the gym sign up for the gym memberships you give. Same goes for meditation. Those who meditate, meditate. They don't need headspace and calm. If they needed it, they can actually get it themselves. What they need is for you to fix work.
