Growing Twitter: Meet Dr. Candice, Global Head of Employee Wellness

Growing Twitter is a content series showcasing the “Tweeps” growing Twitter from the inside out.

My name is Dr. Candice Schaefer (@DoctorSchaefer on Twitter), and I am the Global Head of Employee Wellness at Twitter. My job is to oversee the health and well-being of all of our employees, from events and wellness programs to partnerships and collaborations inside and outside of the company. I am a bit unique because I am also a licensed clinical psychologist, so one of my big focuses at Twitter is on mental health. I am a member of all of our BRGs, but am very passionate about TwitterAble, Twitter Stripes, and Twitter Women.

At Twitter, I am the voice reminding our Tweeps to take care of themselves, educating them on resources available, and creating a workplace culture that encourages each person’s own path to wellness. The problems I work on solving revolve around buffering against occupational burnout and strengthening personal resilience, making wellness programs accessible for Tweeps on a global scale, and anticipating the future wellness needs of our company. Comprehensive employee wellness is important to Twitter because it is our Tweeps that power the public conversation. Our Tweeps are the heart and soul of Twitter, which makes wellness all that more important to us as a company. Health and wellness have always been a passion for me, especially in emphasizing that wellness is not just about physical health, but all forms of well-being, including mental health, social health, existential health, and financial health. Balance in all of these areas helps us continue to be resilient in the face of a year like 2020. 

I came to Twitter because I love the values of the company and the position itself was brand new, allowing me to blaze a new path of employee wellness programming. Before Twitter, I worked as a licensed clinical psychologist for 10 years in a variety of settings, including hospitals, mental health clinics, and my own private practice. Since I have started at Twitter, I’ve been able to learn so much about the world of corporate wellness, as well as giving Twitter a name, face, and strategy for our innovative employee wellness program. 

I have learned SO MUCH here at Twitter about my own abilities in creating something from scratch. I have never been so appreciative of the autonomy and trust given to me by my leaders in creating new and innovative programs. Because of this freedom, I have been able to stretch my own creative limits and bring my authentic self to everything I do. My manager, Kathleen, has been a HUGE influence on my growth at Twitter. I’m still relatively new to the corporate world, and she has been a great mentor in teaching me more about the world of employee benefits, as well as pushing me to try new projects and ideas that I may have been afraid to try. Her belief in me gives me the confidence I need to grow. I hope to grow those around me by empowering them to contribute to their own workplace wellness by leading events, programs, or other initiatives. I have been so incredibly proud of the volunteer team who put together our wellness month for October, and they inspire me to do even more!

Twitter is growing. You can too.

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