Tank has created a new wellness department and appointed Sophie Gaudet, a longtime member of its management team, to lead it as VP of wellness and communications.
“The wellbeing of our employees has always been a core priority for us, and even more so now because of everything going on – because we’re virtual and going into a hybrid working model,” says Gaudet, who was previously VP of client services for the agency. “We want to make sure our employees are happy, and when we say happy, we mean happy in their work.”
In her new role, Gaudet will oversee initiatives launched at Tank in recent months, including weekly virtual yoga, fitness and guided meditation sessions; monthly conferences on wellness with topics including work, sleep and ergonomics; celebrations and social activities; a monthly newsletter on wellness and team-building sports exercises.
She oversees many of these activities through her supervision of various committees that help to organize and run the initiatives, including the social, wellbeing and collective committees, Gaudet says.
The pandemic has motivated many companies to rethink the way their employees work. And given the degree to which it has blurred the lines of work-life balance, that has come with new approaches to company culture even after staff returns to the office.
Though Tank has been running these initiatives, Gaudet says that her appointment signals a clear, longer-term commitment to them and to employee wellness as a whole.
“It’s proof that we’re walking the talk by putting someone in charge of it,” she says. “With me in charge, we have the opportunity to take bold action to make sure our employees are really doing well.”
In addition to her other duties, Gaudet will also be overseeing the development and rollout of the new hybrid working model at Tank. The agency is be allowing its employees to return to the office on July 5.
“Not everyone relates to the coming back to ‘normal’ equally. Some are happy, but some are stressed and not ready,” says Gaudet. “There’s no rule. For now, if people want to come to the office, they can. And if they don’t want to, they don’t have to.”
Some of Tank’s initiatives have been drawn from the health and pharma client the agency works with, she adds. But the agency aims to “be leaders in our industry” and wants to set an example for its clients, as well.
“They have best practices. We’re looking at what they’re doing and getting inspired, and they’re doing the same thing,” says Gaudet.
Ultimately, the goal is to promote a sense of fulfillment and happiness among Tank’s employees.
“We know that people are now looking for work that has purpose and relates to their values, and having a place where you feel that you belong and feel comfortable and happy doing your work and are in the right mindset, all of that contributes to wellbeing,” Gaudet says.
