Flight Centre Travel Group’s all-encompassing approach to supporting employee mental health landed a win in Benefits Canada’s 2025 Workplace Benefits Awards in the Mental Health Program category for employers with fewer than 1,000 employees.
The organization’s ‘deep health model’ focuses on the intersections of mental, emotional, physical, relational, existential and environmental well-being. In particular, mental health is embedded in its company culture and its importance is communicated to workers on their first day, said Anna Fisher, Flight Centre’s health and wellness director.
“We start right away with our new hires by running an onboarding session. . . . They’re already starting a brand new job, so you might as well add a couple of these strategies that can help them out down the road.”
Read: Flight Centre wins award for mental-health training, efforts to reduce stigma
Its ‘Hour of Power’ program gives employees one paid hour each week to focus on their mental health through activities such as meditation, walking and journaling. Currently, nearly 500 employees regularly taking part in the program.
Flight Centre also hosts an internal podcast series featuring employee stories on topics such as grief, therapy, cancer, addiction, menopause and resilience, towards a goal of building empathy, reducing stigma and encouraging open and honest conversations around mental health.
The organization’s leaders receive mental-health leadership training to better recognize when employees are struggling and how to listen and refer employees to further support.
Read: Flight Centre wins for wide-ranging support of employee well-being
In addition, its five employee resource groups — focusing on accessibility, racial equity, LGBTQ2S+ employees, gender equity and environmental justice — support psychological safety and inclusion by leading monthly educational events and community conversations.
Fisher also leads mental-health sessions geared toward the particular needs of these groups. “They’ve asked me to come along and present different sessions [to these employee groups]. I think that’s really important and we can help these different groups feel like they belong and work on some of the challenges they face.”
In addition, Flight Centre dedicates one month to mental health, including specialized training and activities tied to themes such as mental fitness and learning to unplug and unwind.
The organization also encourages employees to disconnect when needed, set clear boundaries and fully unplug during time off or vacations. To achieve this goal, it offers onsite amenities such as a meditation room at its Toronto-based head office.
Read: How 5 employers are broadening the scope of mental-health support