Mental Wellbeing at Yelp in 2020

Whether it was cabin fever, a fight with the cat, or that we simply missed the way things were pre-COVID-19, many Yelp employees have been trying to balance their new work-from-home reality. Mental health was a major focus of our virtual event planning this year. When we talk about mental health at Yelp, we include our emotional, psychological, and social well-being.

Here’s a list of events that we offered for our employees throughout this challenging year:

Mental Health Employee Panel: We invited Yelp employees to discuss what mental health means to them. Panelists shared their personal stories and the practices they’ve put in place to sustain their mental wellbeing. 

Learn how to draw a Mandala with Myott Smith: Yelp’s very own, Myott Smith, Customer Success manager, hosted a guided drawing session for all Yelpers to learn how to draw beautiful mandalas. 

Mindfulness with Michelle Heller from Heller Good Yoga: Michelle Heller of Heller Good Yoga hosted a virtual session on breathing techniques, desk yoga, and a guided meditation.

Mental Wellness Sessions with Erika L Thrower: Additionally, we invited Erika L. Thrower, licensed therapist from Ayé Wellness, to join us throughout the year. To help us make sense of this new reality, Erika shared her insights on wellbeing and strategies to take charge of life in healthy, balanced ways while working from home. In a session titled, “Managing the ‘Now What?’” Erika guided us through tips on managing anxiety, uncertainty, and feelings of uneasiness, during the time leading up to the presidential election, combined with the looming danger of COVID-19. 

In these times, it’s more important than ever to take steps to care for ourselves and those around us.