Via Unveils Self-Care Employee Stipend During Mental Health Awareness Month

Via Prioritizes Employee Mental Health Year-Round with Initiatives

Particularly as a virtual company with employees all over the world, Via wants our team members to know how much we support and care about them and

their mental health. We do that year-round through a variety of initiatives, including shoutouts on Friday Good Vibes.   In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, we unveiled yet another initiative: self-care stipends. Each Via employee will receive a $100 stipend quarterly that can be used to boost their mental and/or physical wellbeing, whether that’s a gym membership or a massage. Also during Mental Health Awareness Month, we invited Emily Westhoff to kick off our virtual Friday Good Vibes meeting with an active and mindful breathing practice and group meditation. In addition to writing content for Via, Emily is also a yoga instructor. Our employees loved it so much we plan to do it in the future too!

Here are other ways Via keeps employee mental health at the forefront of our company culture:

Water Cooler Slack Channel

Connection in a virtual company can be challenging so that’s why we created Via’s Water Cooler Slack Channel. We use Slack, a communication app for deskless teams, to chat quickly about work projects. But in this Slack channel, we focus on sharing big and small things in our lives outside of Via. From pet photos to poems, life’s highs, and lows, we share it all—just as we would

if we were standing around a physical water cooler. It’s been a great way to stay connected with one another and it’s a big-time mood booster!

Friday Good Vibes

Every Friday, Via holds our all-company meeting, Good Vibes. Over this 30-minute virtual meeting, employees share something they appreciate about other team members and/or give a shoutout to someone who did excellent work that week. We all get off the call feeling grateful to be a part of such an extraordinary team!

Monday Mashup

Learning new things is a good way to expand the mind and boost our self-confidence. With that in mind, the Via team kicks off each week with Monday Mashup. During this Monday morning call, we ask a question for each team member to answer. Questions range broadly from, “Are there more doors or windows in the world?” to “What is your spirit animal?” The result: We learn something new, have fun, and enter our work week on a positive note.

Work from Anywhere

Via believes having flexibility contributes to a healthier, happier work experience. That’s why we take a “work from anywhere” approach, which means we give our employees the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world. Recently, our marketing manager flew to Michigan and worked from her family’s home so she could attend her best friend’s wedding festivities, including a bridal shower and dholki. Another employee drove to Chicago to stay with his sister after an injury and was able to both work from her house and help care for her. Having this level of flexibility and freedom results in happy, engaged, and productive employees!

Unlimited PTO

One of the best ways we demonstrate that we care about employee wellbeing is by offering unlimited paid time off (PTO) instead of a set number of paid days off. By being able to take time off when they need it, whether that’s to recharge or tend to a sick child, our Via team members are better able to do their work efficiently and effectively. Ultimately, less stress means they’re also less likely to burn out.

Let’s Connect

These special values and benefits are just a few examples of the great initiatives Via has created for our amazing team. We’d love to hear how your workplace shows its commitment to employee wellbeing. Please share your ideas with us. And if your outdated software system is contributing to your work stress, let’s connect so we can show you how Via’s software solutions can make your workday easier. CONTACT US