BJ’s to offer mental health, caregiver services for employees

BJ’s Wholesale Club is joining with Toronto-based LifeSpeak Inc. to provide mental health and unpaid caregiver support to company employes.

The approximately 30,000 BJ’s associates and their dependents will have access to LifeSpeak’s well-being platform, which provides expert-led digital resources that include classes on mindfulness, building resilience, managing stress, and related mental health topics.

In addition, BJ’s employees will have access to LifeSpeak’s Torchlight caregiver support product, along with advisors who can empower them to resolve modern caregiving challenges quickly and efficiently, the companies said.

BJ’s management team, meanwhile, will have access to education and insights to help them fully understand and support employee caregiving needs, the companies said.

“Adults are struggling to balance their professional lives with caregiving responsibilities,” Michael Held, LifeSpeak founder and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

Held cited reports that reveal that 80% percent of employees say workplace stress affects their relationships with friends, families, and co-workers, and that 80% say caregiving affects their productivity at work.

The association with LifeSpeak will allow BJ’s “to support the unique needs of our team members across our footprint, many of whom are facing personal and caregiver challenges at home, while delivering exceptional support to our team members in the field,” Mark Griffin, BJs senior vice president and chief human resources officer, said in a statement.

“By providing our team members with 24/7 access to micro-learning videos, podcasts, guides, and advising from hundreds of the world’s leading well-being and caregiver support experts, we hope to de-stigmatize conversations about mental health in the workplace and expand our family-first culture,” he said.

Marlborough, Mass.-based BJ’s operates 235 clubs and 164 BJ’s Gas locations in 18 states.