To alter a classic-rock song to more accurately reflect the mood of today’s pandemic-weary workforce: The workers are not all right. Since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, numerous surveys have shown that workers’ mental health has taken a nosedive.

How do companies address the plummeting mental health of a range of employees with differing needs: from frontline health care workers to corporate cubicle dwellers and C-suite executives? Could the appointment of a chief wellness officer help steer mental health initiatives to ensure that companies have happier, healthier workforces?

The answers to these questions may depend on what we mean by “wellness,” which for some companies falls outside of traditional mental health benefits.

So what does wellness mean exactly? Here’s our in-depth look at wellness, and what some organizations are currently offering.—SB

Do you work in HR or have information about your HR department we should know? Email [email protected] or DM @SammBlum on Twitter. For confidential conversations, ask Sam for his number on Signal.

Nearly one in five households in America adopted a pet between the start of the pandemic and May 2021, according to the ASPCA. Now, with companies like Microsoft and Wells Fargo urging employees to return to the office, some remote workers may be feeling anxious over the idea of leaving their pets behind. A CertaPet survey of US dog owners last year found that 69% of respondents would “prefer to permanently work from home for the sake of their dog.”

According to a 2020 study from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, less than 1% of responding employers offered paid pet “pawternity” leave—time off to care for a new pet—and slightly more than 4% allowed pets at work. There appears to be a gap between what employers are providing and what pet owners want, as many Gen Z and millennial workers have said that they would rather quit their job than leave their pets at home full-time. Further, 77% of respondents to a LiveCareer study noted they would like “pawternity” leave as an option.

Why are pet-related perks on the rise? A survey last year by Banfield Pet Hospitals indicated that nearly one in two C-suite executives are planning to allow pets in the office when employees return. This, in part, may be due to the rising rate of pet ownership and pet-related spending that has made pet-related benefits appealing to employees. According to a 2021 study from the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NCBI), “...[C]ompanies that have policies in place that support a work-life balance are more attractive to the young workforce. Therefore, pet-friendly policies become more important for this new generation of workers.”

Monster, the online job website, is one company offering pet insurance as a perk in its benefits package. “It is one of the more frequently asked about perks when employees are discussing their benefits package,” said Claire Barnes, chief human capital officer a Monster. “With more people adopting pets during the pandemic, we can expect to see a growing demand for this type of benefit.”

Are dogs right for your office? Keep reading here.—KP

Do you work in HR or have information about your HR department we should know? Email [email protected] or DM @Kris10Parisi on Twitter. For completely confidential conversations, ask Kristen for her number on Signal.

The phrase “go to HR” was trending on social media last week, after a woman asked her Twitter followers what to do about sexual comments made by a male coworker. The tweet, which was subsequently deleted, triggered a tsunami of responses and takes, many of them urging the woman to “go to HR.”

“I’m hoping that one woman’s tweet inspires hundreds of women to go to HR this afternoon for something said to them that they previously second-guessed themselves over,” read one representative tweet from author Laura Nowlin. “Too many women are still doubting themselves in these situations.”

This “go to HR” sentiment, however, was met with cynicism and scorn from many, and this general derision highlighted a common challenge faced by HR professionals: how to win and maintain trust with employees.

As Twitter user @doriecp put it, “I see ‘go to HR’ trending, so I want to remind everyone that HR exists to protect the organization... not you. The only time they look out for your best interest is when your best interest aligns with the organization’s best interest…”

Another, @TheMegaChloe, wrote, “‘Go to HR’ is trending. HR exists to protect the interests of the company and it is in a company’s best interest to avoid being named…in a lawsuit, so your HRBP should be doing all they can to make sure employees don’t have a reason to file one.”

So what can HR actually do to earn employees’ trust, especially when it comes to reporting harassment? In our HR Brew LinkedIn group, operations manager Lianne Moreno stressed the importance of regular one-on-one meetings with employees. “I usually get a lot from these one-on-ones. The important aspect here is relaying some of the issues that come up to management and then executing a plan to fix them.”

Executive coach Lisa M. Liszcz wrote, “I’ve seen trust built when HR facilitates focus groups on topics and then takes action on what is learned. It’s especially helpful when HR and focus group members can collaborate on taking action on focus group suggestions.”

So: collaboration, regular one-on-one meetings, and communicating employee concerns to management are some of the trust-building suggestions for HR professionals. What else?

Yes, YOU, there in the back: What does your experience tell you? What can HR really do to ensure employees feel that they can safely “go to HR”? Join the discussion right here on HR Brew’s LinkedIn page, or reply to this email with your thoughts.

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: The gender pay gap has widened for female executives: Women in the C-suite earned 75% of what their male counterparts made in 2020, down from 88% in 2018. (Morningstar via the Seattle Times)

Quote: “You could hand the child a genuine BB8 robot that could do everything, including the child’s homework, and it wouldn’t be enough to quell the tears. When burnout hits, adding another perk doesn’t work. If your employees are overworked and stressed out, adding pizza on Fridays, working from home three days a week, and a year-end bonus will not stop the burnout. It may buy people off for a short period of time, but it’s not a long-term fix.”—Suzanne Lucas, writing for Inc.

Read: What to think about when you’re thinking about giving gifts to your employees. (Protocol Workplace)

As Google prepares to bring many workers back to its offices, the company is reportedly reviving some of its famous workplace perks. Four of these perks have been offered by Google in the past, one has not. Can you spot the fake perk without searching Bing?

• Nap pods
• Whisky Wednesdays
• Free haircuts
• Aikido classes
• Laundry service

Have you ever felt in over your head at work? Like any day your boss will find out you Google 95% of the things you’re supposed to know? Well, so has everyone—even the people you look up to the most.

In order to show that nobody has it all figured out, Morning Brew launched a new podcast, Imposters, where the Brew’s executive chairman, Alex Lieberman, sits down with the most respected names in business, sports, and entertainment to talk about how they overcame their personal challenges.

Check out Imposters here.

Catch up on the top HR Brew stories from the recent past:

• IBM executives planned to rid the company of older, ‘dinobaby’ employees and replace them with millennials, lawsuit alleges
• Battling Zoom fatigue and burnout with...VR headsets
• Circle back: How’s that Public Service Loan Forgiveness overhaul going?