Case Study: Vertex improves employee mental health and engagement with Headspace

With Headspace, Vertex employees have access to a variety of on-demand meditation, focus, and sleep content to help them manage stress and be more mindful

Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a global biotechnology leader with a workforce of about 3,700, faced rising stress and shifting needs across a diverse, international staff during the pandemic. To provide an inclusive, personalized, evidence-based mental health offering that could reach employees anywhere, Vertex partnered with Headspace, deploying both the Headspace app and Headspace Care to meet employees at different stages of their mental health journeys.

Headspace delivered on-demand meditation, focus, and sleep content plus Headspace Care’s chat-based coaching, virtual therapy & psychiatry, and guided self-care, supported by a “surround system” of postcards, surveys, seminars, and lunch-and-learns to drive engagement. The program generated measurable impact: nearly 700,000 minutes spent in six months and a 15% average monthly engagement rate; 19% of employees registered for Headspace Care, with 88% of members who screened positive for depression and 75% who screened positive for anxiety seeing symptom reduction, plus high clinician and coach ratings (5/5 and 4.8/5). Vertex also reported an 82% approval rating for its benefits program and a 22% increase in hiring.

Vertex