Wellness isn’t one-size-fits-all: How We Help Associates Define Balance

The past two years have been incredibly challenging for our personal and professional lives, putting a spotlight on our well-being. From caring for loved ones with COVID-19 to navigating the lack of child-care, pandemic-era stressors have added to our previous challenges, taking a toll on our mental health at a time when modern work is already marked by ever-growing responsibilities and an ever-increasing pace of change. 

We know this has sent many workers spiraling into burnout mode. A 2021 survey from the American Psychological Association found that nearly 80% of U.S. adult workers had experienced work-related stress in the prior month, with symptoms ranging from lack of interest, decreased motivation, and difficulties disconnecting from work. Meanwhile, a CDC survey found that during the pandemic, 30% of Americans showed symptoms of conditions such as anxiety or depression.

Though the peak of pandemic-related stress has subsided for many, its effects still linger and have expanded employees’ needs and shifted their priorities. While we recognized our role in helping our associates navigate the challenges of these times and of the future, we’ve learned that “wellness” isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s constantly evolving among individuals and from one generation to the next, so we’ve stepped up our focus on offering programs that honor the whole person and their individual spectrum of care, including the mental, social, and financial aspects of their lives. These programs include an increasing number of partnerships with mental health services, generous 401(k) matching, strong health benefits, and time-off policies that give associates real permission to support themselves and their families when needed as life evolves. 

“How you define wellness is always going to depend on where you are in your life,” said Manuel Albornoz, who leads finance for our Technology Operations Business Management Office. “It changes and evolves. Your definition today is probably very different from what it was many years ago.”

"How you define wellness is always going to depend on where you are in your life."

Manuel knows firsthand how important this comprehensive yet flexible approach to employee wellness is. During the height of COVID, the father of three had an experience familiar to many COVID-era parents: when his children were unable to attend school in person, and he was working from home, he was juggling his professional and personal lives constantly every day. The stress started taking a toll, and Manuel felt overwhelmed, burnt out, and in need of new, unanticipated kinds of support.

Asking for help didn’t come easily. Manuel, a native Colombian, whose wife is Honduran, has spent much of his life navigating multiple cultures with varying attitudes towards wellness–particularly mental health. “In Central America, mental health is very taboo,” he says. “Many people don’t talk about it or seek help. In Colombia, people are a little more outspoken about it, but it’s still taboo, and it’s managed behind closed doors. These differences can be tough to navigate.”

Manuel noted two main ways in which T. Rowe Price supported him through this process. One way was by offering a wide variety of mental health resources, which allowed him to connect with a therapist. The second was by fostering a work environment that allowed him to tend to his family when needed.

Indeed, by building an organizational culture that respects the evolving needs of employees, we’re empowering them to foster a work-life balance that meets their individual definitions of wellness. 

For Arif Husain, head of international fixed income at T. Rowe Price in the UK, flexibility is at the core of his definition. He has placed a high importance on being able to schedule his workday around his responsibilities as a husband and father. In practice, this means starting his workday by taking early-morning calls at home. Later, after taking his son to school, he heads to the office to collaborate in-person with his team.

"This is a big change for me, and it's improved my quality of life immeasurably,” he says.

Arif didn’t always prioritize wellness like this. In his early twenties, while working as a sell-side trader before joining T. Rowe Price, he was obsessed with his job. That meant working long hours without time off, eating poorly, not exercising, and neglecting and losing friends. Then one year, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, he faced a moment of truth. “Things had gotten to the point where I said to myself, ‘I actually don't want to see my family,’” he recalls. “All I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sleep. At that point, I figured something had to change.”

"All I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sleep. At that point, I figured something had to change.”

Arif decided that moving into the investment management field would allow him to better prioritize his mental and physical wellness. And while he’s long been a vocal wellness advocate at T. Rowe Price in the UK, this year he’s taken on a formal mental health champion role, recognizing the role that visible leadership can play in destigmatizing mental health in the workplace.

In addition, he also knew that modeling behavior that improved his own wellness could give his teams permission to do the same for themselves. Research studies have backed up this approach by finding that one of the most effective ways to promote cultural change is to empower senior leaders to promote and model change internally.

“That awareness from leadership really matters,” Arif says. “It’s all about making people more comfortable, more able, and more willing to get the help they need.” 

Find Your Place With Us.