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Live Conference Recap BY Jessica Swenson | July 09, 2026

Comprehensive Workplace Wellness: Stopping Burnout Before It Starts

Employee burnout can quietly erode engagement, productivity, and performance, especially in high-pressure fields such as investment banking, says Stephanie Chiodi, head of benefits at Moelis & Company. That’s the reason her organization monitors utilization of PTO and protected weekends—to make sure they’re being used. The company also invests heavily in targeted manager training, ensuring that deal teams and staff have the tools they need to build resilience and excel in their roles.Chiodi and a panel of cross-industry leaders discussed tools and benefits that help manage everyday stressors and avoid employee burnout at From Day One’s Manhattan conference. The session was moderated by HR Brew senior reporter Courtney Vinopal.Employers across industries are finding ways to detect burnout warning signs. Serina Pak, SVP of talent and total rewards for Danone, works with her team to use pulse checks, employee resource group insights, and biannual healthcare utilization reviews to understand the mindset of the broader employee population.“What we emphasize is really identifying early warning signs, and we do that by being very connected with our employees, doing pulse checks, and we also believe that a lot of this is about culture,” said Pak. The company focuses on connection and fosters a leader-led culture that empowers employees through a shared accountability model.Modern Workplace Wellness“Ten years ago, walking challenges were what we did for wellness,” said Nicole Wolfe, VP of B2B partnerships at Rula Health. “What an incredible evolution to what we consider wellness now.”Wolfe is seeing companies shift from a check-the-box mentality with regard to mental health to making wellness a foundational part of their employee programs. She identified three main pillars that many employees and employers are prioritizing: timely access to care, with no long lead times; authentic provider connections; and reasonable costs enabled by in-network care.Danone has a layered benefits ecosystem, says Pak, which evaluates every benefit against four pillars: physical, nutritional, mental, and financial health. This influences the company’s decisions not only around medical coverage but also flexible time off, fertility support, childcare leave, and more, to support thousands of employees. “We think about how we support every employee’s mental wellness.”Panelists spoke about "Workplace Wellness When Employees Feel They’re at the Breaking Point" at the Manhattan conferencePanelists also addressed how AI is entering the wellness equation. Sword Health’s AI-assisted care model offers employees 24/7 access to care, enabling care on their timeline while preserving PTO hours for rest and rejuvenation, says Kinsay Conner, doctor of physical therapy and clinical specialist with Sword Health.But AI shouldn’t be working on its own. All of the company’s solutions “pair members with a clinician, whether that’s a PhD psychologist or a doctor of physical therapy. The clinicians are providing 100% of the clinical oversight,” said Conner. “The AI is there for support.”Mental Health Support When It MattersChiodi uncovered a critical access gap at Moelis early in her tenure. Despite having very robust medical plans, employees often ran into 3-4-month wait times for mental health care in the UK and multi-week waits in the United States. Moelis found an organization to partner with that could connect employees with care within one business day, and eliminated barriers to care by completely covering that benefit for employees.“We made a decision as a firm to cover the benefit at 100% so that we were removing really any barrier that someone could come up with to access their own self-guided elements,” she said, “or to graduate into care [with a coach, psychiatrist, or psychologist].”Panelists agreed that the opportunity for genuine disconnection from work is critical to mental wellness, but methods vary between organizations. Wolfe noted a trending practice of normalizing mental healthcare by allowing team members to block out calendar time for therapy appointments.The ROI of Workplace WellnessMeasuring ROI on these comprehensive benefit programs is “an art and a science” said Pak. Danone analyzes not only employee survey data and benefit utilization statistics, but also turnover, leave of absence, and engagement scores to determine the company’s best path forward.Wolfe cautions that utilization alone is not enough—it needs to lead to results. “There’s a balance of ensuring that you can provide care regardless of where people are and what they need, but also they are utilizing it in a way that you can see results,” she said. “Engagement is important, but it’s also ensuring that the right people are using the right benefits at the right time.”Jessica Swenson is a freelance writer and proofreader based in the Midwest. Learn more about her at jmswensonllc.com.(Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)

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Virtual Conference Recap BY Ade Akin | July 08, 2026

Aligning Scale and Flexibility in Global Benefits

Akamai shuts down five times a year. Not the internet infrastructure that serves as one of the backbones of global connectivity—the company itself.The company’s culture embraces occasional shutdowns that give employees three day weekends to rest and recharge, says Ken Wechsler, VP of global total rewards. He spoke during a fireside chat at From Day One’s June virtual conference, moderated by Corinne Lestch, journalist and founder of the Off-Site Writing Workshop.Akamai also offers five dedicated wellness days each year, deliberately scheduled around U.S. holidays such as Memorial Day and Labor Day, says Wechsler. Akamai’s commitment to mental health and recharging is part of a deliberate, global philosophy that balances scale with flexibility.Meeting People Where They Live and WorkThe company employs 12,000 people across 35 countries, spanning regions as varied as India, Poland, and Costa Rica. Designing global benefits that resonate across that many cultures and the life stages of each employee is no small job. “We recognize that employees’ needs, legal requirements, and cultural expectations vary across all the regions,” Wechsler said.The company relies heavily on employee feedback, demographics, and utilization data to determine which benefits to retain and which to discontinue. For example, the wellness allowance Akamai offers is available to all employees regardless of the region they work in, but the dollar amount varies. “We try to say, ‘What is the market average around there, and how can we meet people there at that same level?’”That sensitivity to local norms extends to benefits like family planning. For example, employees in India, where multigenerational households are common, increasingly want to include their parents on medical plans. However, those parents make up about 62% of the company’s healthcare costs in India. Akamai is now exploring cost-sharing adjustments to keep the benefit sustainable while remaining competitive. “Our benefit programs help us recruit and retain our employees,” he said. Remote Work as a Strategic AdvantageAkamai has doubled down on providing flexible work options at a time many CEOs are ordering workers back to their desks. Akamai’s employees can work remotely 100% of the time if they choose. “It allows us to differentiate ourselves,” he said. The numbers support Wechsler’s assessment. Attrition rates in the tech industry typically hover around 10 to 14%, but Akamai’s attrition rate is about half of that. Recruiters lead with policy, and tenure is longer. Ken Wechsler of Akamai Technologies spoke with journalist Corinne Lestch (photo by From Day One)Wechsler recognizes that remote work doesn’t work for everyone, though. “We may not be the right place for the right young people who actually really need to be in an office,” he said. His own son works at a financial firm and loves the commute and water‑cooler chats. For Akamai’s more mature workforce, though, the ability to integrate work with family is invaluable. “We always talk about work‑life balance; we really think it's work‑life integration,” he said.Holistic Total RewardsAkamai’s total rewards philosophy doesn’t stop at employee salaries. The company recently introduced a financial fitness center through LearnLux that offers sessions on budgeting, housing costs, retirement planning, stock administration, 401(k) education, and tax planning twice monthly. “We’ve received incredibly high satisfaction from that,” Wechsler said. It has also made family benefits a cornerstone of its global offering. With Carrot, employees have access to fertility treatments, surrogacy, adoption support, and even menopause or low‑T care. The program is inclusive across life stages for anyone building a family in whatever form that takes. Akamai has an aging workforce, so the company ensures that older employees, including those who are eligible for Medicare, can stay on its health plan if they choose to return from retirement, he says.Akamai’s most distinctive innovation is its network of mental health first aiders, says Wechsler. These are 100 trained employees who aren’t professional counselors, but serve as compassionate first-line listeners. The program was launched five years ago and has since expanded to every region of the company. “It’s no longer taboo, but people didn’t know where to get help,” Wechsler said. The first aiders can have that initial conversation and point colleagues to professional resources.Trust in the mental health first aiders has grown organically. Staff members gladly showcase their first aider badges in their email signatures, while word of mouth keeps the program prominent. “We have ongoing seminars a couple times a year just to let people know it exists,” Wechsler said.Additionally, while many employers are scaling back coverage for GLP‑1 drugs, Akamai refuses to budge. “We’re not reducing anything,” Wechsler said. The company covers the drugs for both medically necessary and lifestyle purposes. Akamai’s healthcare costs haven’t spiked as badly as some of its competitors. Wechsler partly credits the company’s wellness culture, which includes gym memberships, wellness days, and a holistic approach to health care, for keeping costs down. Advice for Benefits LeadersModerator Corinne Lestch asked Wechsler for his top advice as the fireside chat came to a close. “Know who you are, focus on your demographics, listen to your employees, try to figure out how to meet people where they are,” he said. He warned against blindly following benchmarks. “Just because everybody else is doing it doesn’t mean it’s right for your culture.”Wechsler also says building a long‑term plan is essential. Akamai is already mapping out 2027 through 2029. “It takes time to get there,” he added. “It’s okay to be different. It’s okay to say this is right for us because here’s how we'll help this population.” That human-first philosophy might be the most consequential product of a company that handles 30% of internet traffic. Ade Akin covers artificial intelligence, workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photo by Parradee Kietsirikul/iStock)

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What Our Attendees are Saying

Jordan Baker(Attendee) profile picture

“The panels were phenomenal. The breakout sessions were incredibly insightful. I got the opportunity to speak with countless HR leaders who are dedicated to improving people’s lives. I walked away feeling excited about my own future in the business world, knowing that many of today’s people leaders are striving for a more diverse, engaged, and inclusive workforce.”

– Jordan Baker, Emplify
Desiree Booker(Attendee) profile picture

“Thank you, From Day One, for such an important conversation on diversity and inclusion, employee engagement and social impact.”

– Desiree Booker, ColorVizion Lab
Kim Vu(Attendee) profile picture

“Timely and much needed convo about the importance of removing the stigma and providing accessible mental health resources for all employees.”

– Kim Vu, Remitly
Florangela Davila(Attendee) profile picture

“Great discussion about leadership, accountability, transparency and equity. Thanks for having me, From Day One.”

– Florangela Davila, KNKX 88.5 FM
Cory Hewett(Attendee) profile picture

“De-stigmatizing mental health illnesses, engaging stakeholders, arriving at mutually defined definitions for equity, and preventing burnout—these are important topics that I’m delighted are being discussed at the From Day One conference.”

– Cory Hewett, Gimme Vending Inc.
Trisha Stezzi(Attendee) profile picture

“Thank you for bringing speakers and influencers into one space so we can all continue our work scaling up the impact we make in our organizations and in the world!”

– Trisha Stezzi, Significance LLC
Vivian Greentree(Attendee) profile picture

“From Day One provided a full day of phenomenal learning opportunities and best practices in creating & nurturing corporate values while building purposeful relationships with employees, clients, & communities.”

– Vivian Greentree, Fiserv
Chip Maxwell(Attendee) profile picture

“We always enjoy and are impressed by your events, and this was no exception.”

– Chip Maxwell, Emplify
Katy Romero(Attendee) profile picture

“We really enjoyed the event yesterday— such an engaged group of attendees and the content was excellent. I'm feeling great about our decision to partner with FD1 this year.”

– Katy Romero, One Medical
Kayleen Perkins(Attendee) profile picture

“The From Day One Conference in Seattle was filled with people who want to make a positive impact in their company, and build an inclusive culture around diversity and inclusion. Thank you to all the panelists and speakers for sharing their expertise and insights. I'm looking forward to next year's event!”

– Kayleen Perkins, Seattle Children's
Michaela Ayers(Attendee) profile picture

“I had the pleasure of attending From Day One. My favorite session, Getting Bias Out of Our Systems, was such a powerful conversation between local thought leaders.”

– Michaela Ayers, Nourish Events
Sarah J. Rodehorst(Attendee) profile picture

“Inspiring speakers and powerful conversations. Loved meeting so many talented people driving change in their organizations. Thank you From Day One! I look forward to next year’s event!”

– Sarah J. Rodehorst, ePerkz
Angela Prater(Attendee) profile picture

“I had the distinct pleasure of attending From Day One Seattle. The Getting Bias Out of Our Systems discussion was inspirational and eye-opening.”

– Angela Prater, Confluence Health
Joel Stupka(Attendee) profile picture

“From Day One did an amazing job of providing an exceptional experience for both the attendees and vendors. I mean, we had whale sharks and giant manta rays gracefully swimming by on the other side of the hall from our booth!”

– Joel Stupka, SkillCycle
Alexis Hauk(Attendee) profile picture

“Last week I had the honor of moderating a panel on healthy work environments at the From Day One conference in Atlanta. I was so inspired by what these experts had to say about the timely and important topics of mental health in the workplace and the value of nurturing a culture of psychological safety.”

– Alexis Hauk, Emory University