Arianna Huffington, co-founder of the online news site Huffington Post, announced she will be stepping down as editor-in-chief to focus on and launch her new health-and-wellness corporate venture, Thrive Global. With the goal to essentially “change the way we work and live” by reducing burnout in the workplace, Huffington’s well-being and productivity platform will provide training, seminars, e-learning courses, coaching and support to sustain a healthy lifestyle, decrease stress and increase retention.
Thrive Global has already started testing its services with Accenture, a leading global performance services company, to develop training programs and workshops that deliver the necessary tools to be successful in today’s fast-paced, innovative and ultracompetitive business environment.
“Change is desperately needed if another generation is to avoid the burnout that all too often comes with success today,” said Huffington in a press release, author of “Thrive” and “The Sleep Revolution.” “That’s why I’m filled with excitement at the prospect of devoting the rest of my life to accelerating the culture shift away from merely surviving and succeeding to thriving.”
Huffington hopes Thrive Global will help organizations improve the well-being of their employees and make health and wellness a priority in the workplace. According to the press release, stress and burnout are a global pandemic, costing $300 billion in the U.S. alone. A 2015 report released by WorkplaceTrends.com and Staples Advantage revealed more than half (53%) stated they are overworked and burned out from working long hours. As a result, employee productivity and satisfaction decreases.
Huffington has always been keenly aware of what drives today’s corporate culture and how that has affected how we function and do business. Oftentimes, the attention spent keeping pace with an ever-changing marketplace and our need to be connected to our devices 24/7 has a negative impact on our health and well-being.
“Huffington says that today’s culture has glamorized how much we sacrifice our health, many of us brag about only getting three hours of sleep,” said Rachel Gillett, in a Fast Company article on Huffington’s thoughts on the work-life balance struggle. “She compares this to congratulating someone for coming to work drunk.”
In addition to an unhealthy lifestyle, Huffington understands the consequences of what stress and burnout in the workplace does to an organization’s bottom line. A 12-week study of Aetna employees who practiced mindfulness techniques to reduce stress saw a 7 percent decrease in health care costs and over an hour per day gain in productivity, according to the article. Although the idea of mindfulness training is not a new concept, learning leaders are starting to incorporate the practice of cultivating a work environment that fosters situational awareness of our thoughts, emotions and actions.
Huffington’s belief in creating a work environment that embraces health and wellness, mindfulness and a well-rounded work/life balance is the driving force behind Thrive Global.
According to Business Insider, Thrive Global secured series A funding last week, valuing the company at $33 million.
Expected to officially launch in November after the election, Huffington has decided to devote her undivided attention to her new venture, but keep her ties with the Huffington Post.
“Not only is there no trade-off between living a well-rounded life and high performance, but performance is actually improved when we prioritize our health and well-being,” said Huffington on ThriveGlobal.com. “It’s time to move from know what to do to actually doing it.”
