sportswear company Nike gave its office workers  holiday to help them de-stress from life's challenges and worries caused by  COVID-19 pandemic. The clothing giant gave its employees  week-long mental health break. It closed its offices from August  23rd to the 30th so that its employees could "enjoy additional time off to rest and recover". Nike said it wanted to focus on helping to combat "burnout". Nike's senior manager of global marketing science Matt Marrazzo said: "Our senior leaders are all sending  clear message - take  time to unwind, de-stress and spend time with your loved ones. Do not work." Nike's retail stores are still open and store workers are working as usual.
Mr Marrazzo said  company was taking  lead in considering the mental health of its workers. He said: "Taking time for rest and recovery is key to performing well and staying sane. This past year has been rough. We're all human and living through  traumatic event." He added: "I'm hopeful that  empathy and grace we continue to show our team-mates will have  positive impact on  culture of work moving forward." Marrazzo said the week off was " acknowledgment that we can prioritize mental health and still get work done". He said it was important for  company to think about its workers. He wrote: "Support your people. It's good business, but it's also  right thing to do."