Supporting employees with a growing network of wellbeing initiatives - Bristol Myers Squibb - Our stories

Supporting employees with a growing network of wellbeing initiatives

To do well, and serve well, we must be well.

That’s why, around the world, BMS strives to create an inclusive, interactive employee community with a shared goal of living life better. Our holistic approach focuses on four pillars of wellbeing: physical, emotional, financial and life & work, which we support through a wide array of offerings.

Our online platform and mobile app, Living Life Better, provides content grounded in science addressing each of these key areas, and promotes encouragement and support among community members.

BMS has steadily expanded access to the platform, to more than 90% of employees.

This underscores BMS’ commitment to taking meaningful action to support our collective wellbeing and fuel our ability to transform the lives of patients through science.  

Mental health matters: shedding the stigma

Among BMS’ allyship programs is Mental Health Ally (MHA), a volunteer-led initiative that seeks to destigmatize and normalize the conversation around mental health and promote successful management of mental wellbeing. MHA launched at several more sites in 2022 and grew to include about 400 trained mental health allies, an almost threefold increase from the year before.

BMS also launched in the U.S. its Mental Health Resource Guide — a single source for all resources available to help employees find what they need quickly — and is developing guides for other countries.

Additionally, BMS launched a partnership with Rethink Care, a leading app and digital training platform, to teach mindfulness and meditation practices, build emotional intelligence and leadership skills, and manage modern-day parenting. The platform, which is currently available to UK, U.S. and Puerto Rico employees with plans for global expansion, offers additional specialized resources for families raising children with learning, social or behavioral challenges.

Working to get physically and financially fit

The focus on mental wellbeing didn’t mean the other pillars took a back seat. On physical wellbeing, for example, seven more countries have gained access to fitness studios and apps for on-demand fitness, meditation, financial health, nutrition and more. Membership has increased to nearly half of eligible BMS employees globally.

Global financial wellbeing services launched in 11 more countries, bringing the total with access to educational financial workshops and other resources to 28. Across these countries, more than 10,000 employees attended workshops to improve their financial literacy, including on budgeting, debt management, saving and investing, preparing for unexpected expenses, retirement planning and much more.

Wellbeing challenges have brought employees together, motivating them to live life better. Two global challenges — focused on inclusive physical activity and on mindfulness and self-care — connected thousands of colleagues across 17 countries. In celebration of Black History Month, we partnered with the Black Organization for Leadership and Development (BOLD) People & Business Resource Group (PBRG) on a step challenge aimed at increasing awareness around social justice and health.

Recognizing an employee favorite

2022 was the first year that the company’s global holiday shutdown became an annual event, so employees everywhere can plan to take that week to recharge, spend time with loved ones and pursue passions beyond their work at BMS.

Peers and partners are taking note of BMS’ strides in wellbeing. In 2022, the company was awarded the Work-Life Balance Award by Taiwan’s Labor Ministry; recognized as a top Menopause Friendly Workplace in the United Kingdom; and acknowledged as a top healthiest workplace and for outstanding health innovation in China.

Three countries, three different
approaches to Living Life Better