Life can throw us all kinds of curve balls, and I’ve personally had times when I’ve needed a little extra help—whether grieving the loss of someone close to me or dealing with my pesky knees that tend to have so much trouble! Southwest has been there every step of the way as I’ve been shown tremendous care by my Cohearts and provided with incredible benefits that help with my wellbeing. At Southwest, our Culture of caring is real. Our President Emeritus Colleen Barrett (namesake of the CCB Institute!) was devoted to taking care of our People from the very beginning, and that has not changed in over 52 years. We want our People to live and work well—both at work and home!

Because we know that wellbeing involves every aspect of life, today we focus on six dimensions of wellbeing (based on Gallup research): physical, mental, financial, career, social, and community. We seek to understand through Employee feedback and data what we are doing well and what pain points we can work to improve through projects sponsored by our cross-functional Wellbeing Executive Steering Group. 

In addition to our robust “core” Total Rewards package of financial compensation, retirement programs, health and insurance benefits, travel privileges, and other perks, we offer numerous wellbeing-focused programs and resources, for example:

• Clear Skies, our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), provides mental health services to help Employees and their family members.
• Dedicated onsite (and via phone) resources to address EAP questions, health needs, and Retirement Plan strategies.
• Discounts for gym memberships and wellness and nutrition programs.

And it doesn’t stop there. Constantly assessing Employee needs, we introduced several new wellbeing offerings over the last year, including support for hypertension, expanded fertility benefits, additional support for orthopedic surgical procedures and treatment, supplemental hospital plan enhancements, and enhanced medical and vision plan features.

We also recognize that our Leaders play a critical role in supporting the wellbeing of our Employees—the key word being “support.” Leaders are not expected to be therapists, financial advisors, etc., so we introduced training in 2023 to help them navigate that responsibility. Mental health is a delicate topic, and we want to equip and encourage Leaders to foster an environment of trust where Employees feel they can share when they are struggling. That kind of transparency helps Leaders connect Employees with valuable resources in a supportive and appropriate way.

The health and strength of our Company is directly related to the health and wellbeing of our Employees. It really is that simple!