"Apotek Hjärtat, one of Sweden's largest pharmaceutical chains, is trialing a "friendcare" program ("vänvård" in Swedish), where staff are allotted one hour per month, or 15 minutes every week during working hours, to connect with old or new friends. The year-long scheme was first launched last April, according to reporting from BBC. Volunteers could register for the initiative if they were lonely, or simply wanted to get closer to people struggling with isolation-just 11 out of 4,000 employees opted in."
"All participants are paid 1,000 kronor (around $100) to cover activities with their companions. But the "friendship hour" doesn't have to be spent dining out for lunch, or biking around town; staffers can use the time for the simplest relationship pastimes, such as chatting on the phone or catching up over text. Improving workers' wellbeing is actually a tax benefit for the company."
"Monica Magnusson, the CEO of Apotek Hjärtat, told BBC the "friendship hour" scheme came about out of genuine curiosity: the company wanted to see if this allotted employee time would improve staff wellbeing. "We try and see what the effects are from having the opportunity to spend a bit of time every week on safeguarding your relationships," Magnusson told the BBC."
A major Swedish pharmacy chain piloted a year-long paid "friendcare" program giving staff one hour per month (or 15 minutes weekly) during work to connect with friends. The scheme allowed volunteers feeling lonely or wanting to support others to register, though only 11 of 4,000 employees opted in. Participants receive 1,000 kronor to cover social activities, which can include simple acts like phone calls or texts. The program models Sweden's tax-exempt wellness benefit and aims to test whether dedicated paid time for relationships improves employee wellbeing while offering tax advantages to the employer.
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