Swedish Pharmacy Pays Staff 15 Minutes Daily for Friendship

A Swedish pharmacy chain is paying employees to fight loneliness, and it might be the most wholesome workplace policy you'll hear about today.

Apotek Hjärtat, a major pharmacy chain across Sweden, launched a trial program that gives workers 15 minutes each day to step away from their duties and connect with people. Employees can use the time to call a friend, plan an event, meet someone in person, or simply chat with coworkers over coffee.

The company even sweetens the deal with $100 annually to spend on friendship activities. Any activity that builds or strengthens relationships counts under the "Friend Care" benefit.

The program emerged after a sobering government study revealed that 8% of Swedish adults don't have a single close friend. CEO Monica Magnusson had already trained her pharmacists to recognize loneliness in customers, particularly seniors facing social isolation. That initiative sparked a question: was the company doing enough for its own people?

Yasmine Lindberg, one of the program's participants, told the BBC the 15 minutes changed her life. After separating from her partner four years ago, she often arrived home from work too exhausted to maintain friendships. Her teenage kids live with her every other week, leaving her alone more than she'd like.

The daily friendship break gave Lindberg the nudge she needed to put herself out there again. She's now making plans and reconnecting with people instead of collapsing on the couch after every shift.

Swedish psychologist Daniel Ek says the program addresses a unique cultural challenge. "The Swedish mentality is like, you shouldn't disturb others," he explained to the BBC. "We value personal space a lot, and we have a hard time breaking the ice."

Sunny's Take

What makes this story shine is how simple the solution is. Fifteen minutes costs almost nothing, yet it acknowledges something radical: friendship isn't just a nice perk of life. It's essential to our wellbeing, deserving the same workplace support as physical fitness or mental health days.

Apotek Hjärtat cleverly named their benefit "vänvård" (friend care), playing off Sweden's traditional "friskvård" wellness benefits that cover gym memberships and massages. The wordplay makes a powerful point: caring for relationships deserves equal status with caring for our bodies.

Proving that corporations can genuinely care about the whole person, not just the worker, is the real breakthrough here.