Coupang News

When it comes to employee health and safety in Korea, the focus remains predominantly on bodily injuries and illnesses, with mental healthcare often being neglected or even stigmatized in the corporate world and society at large. 

At Coupang, however, we recognize that “body” is only half the equation for employee well-being. In addition to support programs for physical health such as Coupang Care, paid healthcare leave, and Coupang’s musculoskeletal centers, we strive to lead the industry in taking care of employees’ mental health as well, such as by launching the Coupang Rest Center in 2018.

Coupang Rest, or “Courest” as it is known among employees, is staffed by counseling psychologists and therapists who provide counseling services, as well as one-to-one and group coaching sessions to help manage stress and practice mindfulness. Based on the overwhelmingly positive response from employees, Coupang expanded these centers in June 2021 to Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS), the subsidiary responsible for managing the company’s fulfillment and logistics centers.

To learn more about Coupang Rest CFS, the Coupang Newsroom team spoke with three mindfulness coaches working at our various fulfillment centers in Korea.

From left: Icheon 2 FC Counselor Min-seon Jeong, Dongtan FC Counselor Sang-soo Kim, and Bucheon 2 FC Counselor Eun-young Ryu

Is it typical to have a mindfulness center at a logistics site?

Society is paying more and more attention to mindfulness and mental care. Considering this trend, it is very special that Coupang fulfillment centers are running mindfulness centers for the well-being of its employees. Now that Coupang has gotten the ball rolling, we expect this to have a positive impact on the overall logistics industry.

In addition to counseling, are there any other programs that Coupang Rest is running at FCs?

We offer both one-on-one sessions and group sessions where employees can engage with their peers. We also have support counseling for employees who have switched FC work locations, teamwork improvement programs for team members to express their appreciation for each other and build solidarity, and a body and mind recharging program, in which employees are guided to lie down, relax, and learn to control their stress.

How does mindfulness coaching help individuals?

It helps in three broad aspects. First, it helps people discover positives about themselves. They learn to be okay with themselves even if they don’t look exactly how they want or fit into other people’s standards. Second, they develop the courage to live true to themselves. It helps people live the life they want by identifying their own traits and personality, and helping them express their true selves to others appropriately. Finally, they can discover what they truly want and learn how to achieve that on their own. And if it’s hard to do alone, we can help them find it.

Who can receive counseling from Coupang Rest CFS?

We offer counseling to everyone who works at a Coupang logistics center. Anyone can sign up by email or phone, and sessions can be done once or up to six months. We also visit the logistics centers in each region, and we even conduct online consultations, so please feel free to knock on our doors at any time.

Employees at Coupang’s Dongtan FC participate in the “Body and Mind Recharging Program”

What are your goals at Coupang Rest CFS?

We want Coupang Rest to become the “resting place for the mind” for employees. We provide the time and space for employees to rest their minds for a while and take care of their inner selves.