Over the past year, the pandemic has brought many changes and challenges to our day-to-day lives. With increased amounts of isolation, blurred lines between work and home life and other added pressures, it’s understandable why many of us are feeling additional anxiety and stress.

To navigate these uncertain times, the Louisville Fleet Management team is championing mental wellbeing.

In March, Enterprise Fleet Management Director Billy S. and his team were among the many Enterprise employees that transitioned to work from home. As a tight knit community, the team was struggling with not being able to see one another in-person and it was evident that employees needed additional support. Channing F., Enterprise Fleet Management Area Sales Manager and a member of Billy’s team, started an initiative to incorporate mental health and wellness practices into their normal work routine.

“Our overall perception was that our colleagues needed an outlet. Mindfulness is an excellent tool that can help to manage stress and anxiety,” says Channing. “To meet our colleagues’ needs, I reached out to the Louisville Mindfulness Center, a local mental health clinic. Together, we partnered to bring employees an hour-long session that outlined the benefits of prioritizing mindfulness and educated employees on what mindfulness practice is.”

The session received an overwhelmingly positive response from Billy’s team. As a result, the one-time session and partnership has evolved into an extensive three-part series with three 30-minute live virtual mindfulness sessions led by a representative from the Louisville Mindfulness Center. They’re also receiving three 10-minute guided meditation audio recordings and three 1-minute mindfulness videos to watch on their own time when they need a mindfulness boost.

“Since our first 30-minute live virtual session in December, we’ve continued to receive great feedback from colleagues; several employees expressed that they’re now starting to incorporate meditation into their daily routines because of what we’re doing as a team,” says Channing. “A mentally healthy individual will perform better in all aspects in their life, and if we can help our colleagues with a tool like this, you can’t put a value to it.”

Billy also gained a deeper appreciation for meditation and how it has helped him to stay focused on the business.

“It’s easy to feel the pressure of trying to meet sales goals. I’ve found that the 10-minute guided audio meditations have helped me to keep these things in perspective,” says Billy. “We want our team to succeed, and mindfulness definitely helps, but more than just that. We want our colleagues to be happy with what they are doing.”

Billy and his team hope that others across Enterprise feel encouraged to talk about mental health with their teams and take action to prioritize their mental wellbeing through meditation and mindfulness practices.

“Taking care of ourselves and each other is critical right now. It’s heartening to see leaders like Billy and Channing make mental health and wellbeing a top priority,” says Enterprise Fleet Management Vice President of Human Resources Kim S.