How does Salesforce foster the wellness of its employees? Are Salesforce’s wellness methods applicable to any business?
Marc Benioff explains that Salesforce fosters employee well-being because vibrant employees are more engaged and productive. That way, they can better support the company’s principled business efforts.
Check out how to promote wellness in the workplace like Salesforce does.
Fostering Employee Wellbeing
In Benoiff’s view, Salesforce employees comprise the company’s “ohana” (the Hawaiian word for family—Benioff says he feels connected to Hawaiian culture because he’s vacationed there his whole life, so he infuses Salesforce with aspects of it). Let’s discuss how to promote wellness in the workplace with two measures Salesforce uses to make employees feel like family: paid volunteerism and opportunities for mindfulness.
(Shortform note: Benioff’s attempt to cultivate a familial atmosphere within Salesforce by adopting elements of Hawaiian culture—which include the gifting of leis, the use of Hawaiian prayers, and tropical office decor—has raised concerns about cultural appropriation, which the company’s Chief Equality Officer said he planned to address. Benioff has also been criticized for personally contributing to Hawaii’s housing problem by purchasing large tracts of land there, a trend other billionaires also contribute to that displaces Hawaiian natives. Benioff responded to this accusation by donating land to build affordable housing, but he continues to accumulate land there for personal use, disrupting the local economy by, for example, forcing a bakery to shut down.)
Salesforce offers employees seven paid volunteer days per year. Employees can volunteer for any cause in whatever capacity they want; for example, many employees volunteer in an educational capacity, providing mentorship and skills training to children in underserved schools, because they find such work emotionally rewarding. Benioff says paid volunteerism improves employee engagement, helps employees form meaningful relationships with people they care about, and reinforces employees’ sense of contributing to something large and worthwhile (Salesforce’s extended family). It also benefits the company—offering this benefit helps Salesforce attract and retain talented, compassionate employees.
(Shortform note: Experts say that on the whole, US volunteerism rates have decreased steadily since 2010 (and more rapidly since the Covid-19 pandemic). One possible reason for this is that people became busier with work, and therefore had less time to give, due to economic circumstances like the 2007-2008 financial crisis and the recession that resulted from the pandemic. While overall volunteerism has declined, corporate volunteerism—where employers pay employees to volunteer—has increased. This suggests that by sponsoring employee volunteerism, companies like Salesforce aren’t only benefiting themselves and their employees, but also benefiting society by subsidizing the resource upon which the American social safety net is built.)
Salesforce also makes mindfulness an essential part of the Salesforce work experience. Benioff describes mindfulness as a Buddhist practice he learned from Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh that is centered around the breath, promotes understanding without judgment or projection, and supports mental well-being. To demonstrate its genuine care for employees, Salesforce incorporates mindfulness into their lives by offering a space for mindfulness on every floor of each of its offices that employees can use to meditate or pray. Benioff also encourages employees to practice mindfulness before they set their yearly work goals, since beginning with a clear mind can help them set more meaningful, achievable, value-oriented objectives.
(Shortform note: Mindfulness is en vogue in the technology industry due to its association with enhanced peace and productivity, but that association is vexed by concerns about corporate commodification of the practice. Opponents of corporate mindfulness programs argue that the pressure to pursue greater productivity via mindfulness runs counter to the practice’s original Buddhist purpose: to reach enlightenment and end suffering by surrendering your attachments, which include the desire to be productive and build wealth for yourself (or your employer). Many Buddhists are also critical because tech companies contribute to suffering by creating devices that help people dissociate (which is the opposite of mindfulness), a concern Nhat Hanh once voiced.)
