Mars
Nourishing Wellbeing In Our Workplaces
At Mars, we believe in taking a holistic approach to health & wellbeing that allows Associates to thrive. This means they are healthy, energized, and happy at home and work. And when Associates are thriving, we can all be a part of building the world we want tomorrow.
Mars Be Well Together
Be Well Together is our Associate Health & Wellbeing framework for holistic health that reflects our long-term, evidence-based investment to continue building a culture at Mars where health & wellbeing is a priority. It acknowledges that all aspects of health are interconnected and recognizes the importance of social health. And it invites everyone to join in and improve their health in whatever way is best for them.
Be Well Together has three interdependent components that create a holistic health model:
- Energize your day: Actions that immediately improve energy and wellbeing today
- Boost your health: Actions that build long-term physical, mental, and financial health & safety
- Live your purpose: Actions that support long-term goals, growth, and happiness
There are many aspects of Be Well Together to support Associates whether they’re at a Mars worksite or at home. These include programs, benefits, resources, and tools designed to support mental health & energy, nutrition, physical fitness, safety, and much more.
As part of our commitment to nourishing wellbeing, we have an explicit focus on progressing how our worksites support Associates’ health & wellbeing. To help drive this, we developed an internal, global, healthy worksite certification process. It measures progress against 10 evidence-based fundamentals of a healthy, energizing, and happy site culture:
- Healthy Leadership Practices
- Facility Design
- Support for Physical Activity
- Support for Nutrition
- Support for Energy Management and Recovery
- Mentally Healthy Workplace
- Preventive Care
- Tobacco Cessation
- Tobacco Control
- Occupational Health Programs
We assess each of our worksites bi-annually, and our goal is to have 95% of our large sites (100+ Associates) meet the criteria for a “Gold Mars Certified Healthy Worksite.”
Taking a population health-based approach, Mars is committed to monitoring the impact of our investments on our Associates’ health & wellbeing. We use these insights to establish good practices worldwide and target areas for improvement.
Veterinarian wellbeing
We are focused on supporting all aspects of Associates’ health and wellbeing, including helping address the considerable mental health challenges(Opens a new window) faced by many veterinary professionals.
In 2019, we created a suicide prevention training called “Assess, Support, Know” (ASK), a first-of-its-kind offering designed to help veterinary professionals recognize and address emotional distress and suicidal thoughts. It is currently available to all Mars Associates and the entire veterinary profession for free.
In addition to competitive compensation as part of a well-rounded total rewards package for our 70,000 veterinary Associates, we’ve made considerable investments to enhance Associate health and wellbeing resources and benefits, including student debt relief, personalized mental health offerings and trainings, Associate assistance programs, and in-house mental health professionals to support to our veterinary Associates and clients.
Our Mental Health Commitment
In the world we want to tomorrow, everyone is thriving. That’s why at Mars, we believe it’s our responsibility to support Associates’ wellbeing, which includes their mental health, and to talk about mental health in a non-judgmental, supportive way that helps Associates be the best they can be. This will enable us all to reach our full potential and contribute to an inclusive and high-performing workforce, community, and society as a whole.
We are committed to strengthening our culture that promotes, supports, and improves Associates’ mental health and recognizes the changing needs of our population over time. Achieving this commitment requires collective and aligned action at an individual, team, and organizational level.
We recognize the importance of social support in all aspects of wellbeing, including mental health. The people around us at work and in our communities influence our health, and we influence theirs. Through our culture, rooted in the Five Principles, we support Associates to care for themselves and others, while also recognizing the joint ownership between Associates and the company in making progress against our goals.
Our mental health efforts include actions against goals in three areas:
- Protect: Enhance a workplace culture that minimizes risks that can negatively affect mental wellbeing. We inspire new ways of working, behaviors, practices, and policies that drive a superior and sustainable Associate work experience.
- Promote: Raise awareness of mental health and break down stigma through education, peer support, and capabilities. We encourage healthy behaviors and strengthen skills that enable and empower Associates to increase control over their mental health & energy.
- Provide: Simplify support through access to quality mental health benefits and confidential treatment options. We provide information, resources, and confidential services that are culturally relevant and accessible across the workforce.
We believe mental health is a critical part of achieving a culture of health & energy where everyone is thriving. This commitment not only supports individuals and teams, but is key to our organization’s success now and in the future.
