Mississauga’s Walmart Canada announced plans Tuesday to help build resilience in its base of associate workers and customers through a new strategic partnership with a major U.S. tech company.
The retail giant and Thrive Global, the behaviour change technology company founded by Arianna Huffington, will team to help deliver Thriver’s behaviour change capabilities, IP and digital products to help achieve greater long-term impact for its workers and customers.
Huffington recently joined Nabeela Ixtab Alan, Executive Vice President, People and Corporate Affairs at Walmart Canada, to launch the Thrive Wellbeing Journey experience for the retail king’s employees. The new program is aimed at equipping corporate leaders and associates across the organization with the tools to lead with emotional intelligence and leverage the connection between wellbeing and productivity.
“The pandemic has brought a magnifying glass to the mental health crisis. It’s real and Walmart is taking it very seriously,” Ixtab Alan said last week. “Our goal is to evolve the narrative and experience of workplace wellbeing and contribute to a societal movement that changes the expectations and norms for everyone… as we continue along our wellbeing journey, providing our associates with the best resources and engaging platforms is vital.
Together, we will make a difference.” “This pandemic represents an unprecedented opportunity to redefine how we work. At Thrive Global, we’ve responded by enriching and scaling our behaviour change technology platform – aimed at helping people reduce stress and build mental resilience – to hundreds of thousands of people around the world,” said Huffington. “It is imperative to prioritize the mental health and wellbeing of their associates, who have been stepping forward and providing a critical lifeline to their communities this year.”
Additionally, thrive will launch the Thrive ZP app to Walmart Canada associates. The app will connect participants to a community where they can share their stories, support each other, and celebrate success. It also provides incentives to encourage participants as they build long-lasting healthier habits. The launch marks Thrive ZP’s first international expansion, the company said in a statement Tuesday. The initiative focuses on small daily challenges, rather than big long-term outcomes, built on the belief that every individual has the power to transform their life through better choices and peer-to-peer inspiration.
