I'm sure that at this point, you don't need me to tell you that this year has been a tough one. Everybody across the globe has been affected by something, in some way and a lot has happened. There's the ongoing global pandemic, the wildfires that have ravaged different areas of the planet and the fight against systemic racism and injustice that is shaping America, to name but a few. While it's been tough, Pokemon GO developer Niantic is offering staff a little bit of a respite.

Announced via a blog post, Niantic is giving all staff an extra week off, starting from next week. The extra time off comes at a time when Pokemon GO is adapting to the current climate but still smashing its own records. It's designed to help staff "recharge, disconnect, and take time to care for themselves and loved ones."

The post by Maria Weaver, Chief People Officer at Niantic outlines their plans saying:

"Through this period, we also recognize the importance of the health and well-being of our employees. This is a challenging situation for a lot of people, and it’s more important than ever to invest in our mental health and wellness. To that end, we’re giving our employees the week of September 7 off to recharge, disconnect, and take time to care for themselves and loved ones. Taking this extra time off will help our teams rest and reset, and bring everyone more great experiences upon our return."

Although the majority of staff will be off, Niantic will have a skeleton team still working to ensure the company continues to tick over. These staff will be given an equivalent week off towards the end of this year.

The break comes at a time when Niantic is facing a little bit of scrutiny for how they've handled the release of Mega Evolutions within Pokemon GO. Over on the r/TheSilphRoad, one of the most active Pokemon GO Subreddits, players have critiqued the implementation saying it very much pushes a pay-to-win agenda with very little reward. This has prompted Niantic to release multiple statements on both Twitter and Reddit on how they plan to address the issues.

Those issues aside, good on Niantic for recognising the importance of their staff's mental health and wellbeing by offering them this time off.