Pinterest – a popular image-sharing platform where users can create pinned boards on topics ranging from fashion to home-decor – is incorporating emotional well-being as a more integral part of their company mission.
Pinterest has announced via their blog that they will promote emotional well-being on their platform in the following ways:
- The company will launch an extended volunteer program to provide employees with five days off every calendar year to support civic and community engagement activities.
- Pinterest will “increase its donation matching program and will match funds to eligible nonprofits, dollar for dollar, up to $1,000 per employee every year”.
- 250,000 shares of stock in grants will also be provided this year – with the grant making targeted at “emotional well-being’ and reducing “inequities and disparities in outcome”.
Moreover, Ben Silbermann – CEO of Pinterest – shares his reasoning behind the expansion of Pinterest’s Social Impact and Philanthropy initiative:
“I’ve always been inspired by the work that employees do outside of Pinterest, donating time to causes and communities they care about. I’m thrilled to work alongside Ari [Head of Social Impact and Philanthropy] to focus our efforts on emotional wellbeing and give employees the tools they need to move quickly whenever they feel inspired to make a difference. With more than 15 years of experience developing and leading programs in the philanthropic sector, Ari approaches this role with passion and a deep understanding of the work ahead”.
Last year, Pinterest also focused on giving its 450 million users increased access to well-being and mental health services. This initiative – which was first launched in the US last year – provided activities to help users “improve their mood if they’re feeling stressed, anxious, or sad”.
Pinterest is where people go to find inspiration, but that isn’t easy when you’re feeling down or in despair. We’ve made updates to improve how we support our Pinners, especially those who might be struggling with emotional well-being. https://t.co/7le7bdGChp
— Pinterest (@Pinterest) October 10, 2019
The initiative was targeted at users who typed anxiety or stress related phrases into Pinterest’s search-box. For example, if a user types “stress relief” – then they will be given a series of suggested activities such as journaling or drawing to help ease their emotions.
Pinterest’s increased focus on mental health and emotional well-being reflects a larger societal interest on mental well-being as a whole: social media – in particular – has become the go-to-place where users can open up about their mental health issues. With many people using online platforms to escape or express dark thoughts and feelings – it is important that company’s like Pinterest take notice and invest in their users mental well-being.