Link Logistics' Maria Naidicz Kappel, the industrial giant's chief people officer, regards remote work as a mental health benefit.
To that end, people who work for Link Logistics, one of the nation's largest industrial property landlords and part of private equity giant Blackstone, can work from wherever they please in August as part of the company's Remote Month. "Outside of Remote Month, we observe a hybrid office policy with our teams working from their local offices Monday through Wednesday," a Link spokesperson said in an email.
The real estate company said benefits such as this are important for its workforce's overall health and well-being. "While helping people thrive mentally and emotionally does not start and end with the workplace, I do believe companies have an important role to play," Kappel said in a company blog post. "There is no one-size-fits-all approach to mental health. We still have plenty of opportunity to improve, and are dedicated to continually doing so."
The landlord's decision to adopt August as a companywide remote-work month was made in late May to provide employees the chance "to enjoy family, friends, and self-care, and less time" commuting, Kappel said. It was also implemented alongside many other mental-health benefits, such as access to telemedicine and fitness services, discounted caregiver support, extended bereavement leave, and other resources for its national workforce.
While some companies are mandating that their employees return to the office more regularly, Link Logistics is among the employers figuring out how to incorporate flexibility into their permanent work schedules. "This isn't just the right thing to do; it's good business, too," Kappel said. "Mental health is more of a business imperative than ever since the pandemic hit in 2020."