Staff at Nike’s US corporate head office have been told to ignore all their work responsibilities for the next week ‘to aid their mental health’.

The sportswear retailer said workers at its headquarters in Oregan would be ‘powering down’ for a week until Friday.

Senior manager Matt Marrazzo said in a LinkedIn Post: ‘Take the time to unwind, destress and spend time with your loved ones. Do not work.

‘In a year (or two) unlike any other, taking time for rest and recovery is key to performing well and staying sane.’

Mr Marrazzo said it was not just a week off for the team but ‘an acknowledgment that we can prioritize mental health and still get work done’.

It follows similar moves from Bumble and LinkedIn.

Bumble, the dating app where women make the first move, gave its entire global workforce a paid week off in June so they could focus on themselves

One senior executive revealed on Twitter that founder Whitney Wolfe Herd had made the move ‘having correctly intuited our collective burnout’.

LinkedIn also surprised its workers with a paid week off in April, while Citi Group said in March it would have ‘Zoom-free Fridays’ to combat pandemic fatigue.

Psychologists have reported a rise in ‘pandemic burnout’ with people finding it more difficult to switch off as remote working continues.

Research in February showed UK workers increased their hours by 25% a week.

Mr Marrazzo said he hoped the move by Nike ‘will have a positive impact on the culture of work moving forward’.

He wrote: ”This past year has been rough – we’re all human! and living through a traumatic event! – but I’m hopeful that the empathy and grace we continue to show our teammates will have a positive impact on the culture of work moving forward.

‘Support your people. It’s good business but it’s also the right thing to do.’

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