Definitely a step in the right direction.

In a move to prevent employee burnout and stress, Bumble will give staff members an additional paid week off. Employees of the dating app shared that they were enjoying holiday time after offices in Austin, London, Moscow and Barcelona closed down. Bumble, which was founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd, has been praised in the past for its work culture and benefits. For example, employees of the London branch receive private health insurance and a wellness package which includes a stipend for gym membership. In the US, employees receive a $100 monthly wellness budget, as well as mental health days off. On top of that, Herd, who is the world's youngest self-made female billionaire, has been vocal about the importance of adequate parental leave. "Now that I myself am pregnant, I understand, just from the basic demands of needing to go to a doctor's appointment on a certain week, that I can't imagine the stress that someone might feel who can't make their own hours," she said in 2019. Over the past year, burnout has increased throughout the world's workforce. In the UK, for instance, employees have reported that their workload has increased by 25% during the pandemic. Additionally, people are working longer hours and clocking off much later than before. Bumble isn't the only company to make moves to address the rise in employee burnout. LinkedIn also gave every full-time employee an additional week off earlier this year. Teuila Hanson, the company's chief people officer, said: "We wanted to make sure we could give them something really valuable, and what we think is most valuable right now is time for all of us to collectively walk away." In recognition of the importance of time away from work, a four day working week pilot scheme will commence in Ireland in January.