Pay equity, along with appropriately scaling workloads, creating clear and accessible expectations, and enabling (rather than encouraging) wellness can reduce employee burnout and increase organizational effectiveness.

For organizations, a component of their JEDI planning should include creating opportunities for rest. Following the themes of pay equity and Healing Justice, rest is frequently a luxury for privileged members of the community. Therefore, a commitment to collective care requires a commitment to rest for the entire collective.

There are many opportunities for organizations to deepen their practices in this area. As a starting point, organizations should recognize more Black and Indigenous holidays as paid, holiday observances. In addition to this, introducing floating holidays and allowing staff to “bank” holidays introduces important flexibility for staff of diverse cultural and racial backgrounds.

Reviewing sick leave and bereavement policies is also an important area for reconsideration. Mental health care is health care and should be covered under sick leave. Altering sick leave policies to allow workers to take planned mental health days is a relatively simple switch that enables staff to be proactive in their care. Additionally, many organizations provide limits for what types of relatives are covered under their bereavement leave policies. Expanding this policy to recognize that family structures are diverse and for some staff, may include “chosen families."  

Organizations can also support staff through paid sabbaticals or rest retreats. These longer periods of rest are essential for recovering from burnout, nurturing mental, emotional, and physical health, and promoting healing. There are multiple funders who recognize the importance of sabbaticals, particularly for BIPOC staff, and are willing to fund them. For a list a funders, The Chisholm Legacy Project has consolidated a number of them in their Resource Hub.

Everyone needs rest but this need will manifest differently for different people. Therefore, flexible policies around rest as well as an organizational culture that celebrates rest is so critical to creating an environment that is accessible and inclusive.

Linked Resources

• Chatterjee, Dom. “The Privilege of Getting to Rest: Let’s Shift the Balance.” Rest For Resistance, 24 Dec. 2018, restforresistance.com/zine/the-privilege-of-getting-to-rest-lets-shift-the-balance#:~:text=Who%20Can%20Access%20Self%2DCare%20as%20an%20Act%20of%20Revolution%3F. 
• The Chisholm Legacy Project Resource Hub. Funding Opportunities for sabbaticals. https://thechisholmlegacyproject.org/resource-hub/?_resource_categories=funding-opportunity&_topics=health-healing

Supplemental Resources

• Ngounou, Gislaine N. “Funders, It’s Necessary to Support Healing and Rest.” Medium, 28 June 2021, medium.com/nellie-mae-education-foundation/funders-its-necessary-to-support-healing-and-rest-52051c23e44b. 
• Gray, Sara. “Rest as a Practice of Resistance and Freedom.” National Equity Project, 2 Nov. 2022, www.nationalequityproject.org/blog/rest-as-resistance-and-freedom. 
• Ginwright, Shawn W. “Rest: A Middle Finger to Oppression, a Road Map to Justice.” Non Profit News, 17 Jan. 2023, nonprofitquarterly.org/rest-a-middle-finger-to-oppression-a-road-map-to-justice-by-shawn-ginwright/.

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