Announcing the 2022 Mindful Workplace Award Winners

This year, we launched our very first Mindful Workplace Awards to celebrate our customer community and the leaders that are building happier, healthier workplaces. We wanted to shine a light on the organizations and individuals that are bringing real innovation and passion to making the workplace better for all.

For our inaugural award program, Headspace for Work customers submitted nominations for consideration across three unique categories. We were thrilled to receive more than 50 submissions from our brilliant customer community, sharing their insights on what mindful leadership looks like, innovative ways to support colleagues, as well as sharing how they overcame challenges along the way. Our Mindful Workplace Award judges carefully deliberated over each submission and had the difficult job of selecting our winners.

It’s our pleasure to celebrate the winners of the 2022 Mindful Workplace Awards. You can also watch our Mindful Leadership Fireside Chat to hear directly from our winners on innovative ways to support colleagues, the measurable benefits of mindfulness at work, and how they overcame challenges along the way. We think you’ll be impressed if not inspired, as we were.

Mindful Leader of the Year: Dr. Paulina Mazurek of UT San Antonio

We’re big believers in the power of mentorship. All over the world, there are thoughtful CEOs, dedicated HR managers, and bold wellness champions leading a cultural shift to make organizations better places to be, for everyone. The Mindful Leader Award is dedicated to an inspiring individual who goes above and beyond to put well-being at the heart of their workplace.

Burnout among physicians and medical students is prevalent on an international scale, impacting the individual, the patients they serve, and the organizations they work for. In 2019, Dr. Mazurek brought the Headspace for Work program to campus to help students develop a mindfulness practice, both as a preventative strategy to guard against burnout, and as a way to address students’ physiological, psychological, and sociological challenges.

Dr. Mazurek’s efforts have resulted in a downward trend in burnout scores since she began her role in 2018, falling and remaining below the national average for medical student burnout. Data from the most recent graduation questionnaire, provided by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), places the Long School of Medicine in the 90th percentile nationally, for programs and activities that promote effective stress management, a balanced lifestyle, and overall well-being.

Headspace for work celebrates Dr. Paulina Mazurek as our 2022 Mindful Leader of the Year for her efforts to reduce stress and burnout among medical students. Read Dr. Paulina Mazurek’s full story, here.

Mindful Innovation Award: AIR MILES

Whatever the future of work holds, we know that it won’t be one-size-fits-all. New realities like hybrid workforces and the intersection of well-being, diversity, equity, and inclusion are opportunities to make organizations more equitable places that truly support every employee. The Mindful Innovation Award is for the organization that has developed thoughtful and innovative solutions to support diverse work populations, from global populations to the deskless workforce, to putting DEI strategies at the center of well-being programs.

AIR MILES is Canada's most recognized loyalty program with nearly 11 million active accounts, representing approximately two-thirds of all Canadian households. Following the new realities of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Air Miles faced the challenge of navigating the transition to a hybrid work model. In response, AIR MILES designated mental health and wellness as one of the top three strategic priorities for the People & Culture team.

AIR MILES emphasized that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for everyone and the organization strives to bring a mix of offerings to meet all employees' needs. AIR MILES launched Headspace for Work as another resource employees could use for their mindfulness journeys. This implementation included building several engagement campaigns around Headspace, challenging employees to participate in various meditations, Move classes, and breathing exercises. Having Headspace for Work has also encouraged Associates to share their favorite activities in the company Slack channels and in team meetings, contributing to a sense of community and support.

Headspace for Work celebrates AIR MILES as our 2022 Mindful Innovation Award Winner for exploring new ways for employees to connect, learn, and share on mental wellness in a hybrid work environment. Read AIR MILES’ full story, here.

Mindful Impact Winner: JPS Health Network

Our brilliant community shows us every day that, in the right place, at the right time, even small actions can create huge benefits. Whether it’s easing stress for a whole workforce or transforming one person’s life, we want to celebrate strategies that engage people with well-being and empower them to prioritize it. The Mindful Impact Award goes to an organization that can demonstrate an inspiring return on investment from mindfulness programs.

JPS Health Network includes more than 25 community-based clinics in North Texas and employs more than 7,200 people. Like most organizations, JPS Health Network faced a series of challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, such as high stress, work-life balance issues, and increased turnover among employees.

For JPS Health Network, physical and mental health go hand in hand, and as team members, it’s important that they’re caring for both. JPS Health Network added Headspace for Work to its portfolio of benefits to improve the mental health and well-being of team members and their families. This program implementation included building communication campaigns to promote the Headspace app for all employees within the organization, in addition to empowering the JPS Enliven network of wellness champions. In just one month, JPS Health Network doubled Headspace for Work Program engagement.

Headspace for Work celebrates JPS Health Network as our 2022 Mindful Impact Award Winner for unparalleled program engagement. Read JPS Health Network’s full story, here.

Rising Leader (Honorable Mention): Action Tutoring

Action Tutoring supports disadvantaged pupils through volunteer tutors, who work in challenging and often unpredictable circumstances. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified these challenges, as anxiety, loneliness from working from home, screen fatigue, grief, and sickness impacted nearly all workforces.

Action Tutoring has not only embedded Headspace for Work into its well-being offering, but also into its company culture and innovative engagement programs. As Action Tutoring’s well-being offer is core to its benefits package, it has enabled the organization to retain and attract great people. As the organization has grown, two thirds of middle managers were retained and promoted internally.

Headspace for Work celebrates Action Tutoring as our 2022 Rising Leader Award Winner for cultivating a workplace where staff feel able to talk freely about mental wellness and well-being. Read Action Tutoring’s full story, here.