Gym classes, massages, mood boosting hobbies; it’s no secret that staying “well” can be prohibitively expensive. But not necessarily in Sweden, where many employers offer their workers a “wellness allowance”: up to 5,000 SEK ($460) tax-free a year to spend on pre-approved wellbeing based activities.
First introduced in 1988, the allowance can be used for endeavours ranging from horse riding to smoking cessation programmes, and many employers have increased their offering over the years. But the allowance is just the tip of Sweden’s workplace wellbeing iceberg. In fact, when it comes to ideal countries to be employed in, Sweden sets the pace.
“It’s pretty amazing,” sa id Maja Wessel, acting CEO of Region Stockholm’s Patient Advisory Committee (Patientnämnden) of the wellness allowance. Her or “wellness hour” – 60 minutes to look after their wellbeing during paid working hours.
