As part of our series on CEO mental health and ‘duvet days’, ROW sat down with One NZ CEO Jason Paris to get his take on workplace wellbeing and why mental health matters at all levels of an organisation.
Would he take a duvet day? “I absolutely would. And I would have no problems at all telling my team, telling the organisation and telling my board.”
Jason Paris, CEO of One New Zealand, is a living example of how wellbeing is not just a buzzword but essential for business performance. And he would “absolutely” take a duvet day if needed.
For Paris, mental health isn’t just a trend – it’s a key factor in how business operates.
“If you’re not good at home, you can’t be good at work,” he says. “Empowering your people, celebrating their diversity, and ensuring they are mentally and physically well leads to better business outcomes.”
And while he admits that he doesn’t always get it right, he’s a strong advocate for work-life integration. Paris recently chose to attend his daughter’s year six graduation over meeting Elon Musk and watching a SpaceX rocket launch.
“As soon as she said that I was like, there’s just no choice, you know, like, of course I’m going to,” he recalls.
Paris recognises what’s important is different for different people, and this is part of his approach. He meets every new hire on day one and shares three key messages: Celebrate your uniqueness, challenge outdated processes, and remember there’s no such thing as work-life balance – only work-life choice.
By normalising mental health days and advocating for self-care as part of business life, Paris is challenging the stigma around mental health at work.
“All of us have busy, stressful lives. I think it’s a fantastic investment,” he says.
Watch the video now for the full interview.