How ‘Well Works’ by January Digital succeeded in tackling holistic wellbeing
January Digital won at The Drum Awards for Agency Business 2022 in the Best Health and Wellbeing Initiative category for its Well Works program. Here, we find out what makes this holistic wellness program work so well.
January Digital took home our Best Health and Wellness gong for its Well Works program / freestocks via Unsplash
Digital leadership agency January Digital wanted to put improving the lives of its people at the very heart of its company mission. The result is Well Works: a holistic wellness program that covers mental, emotional, social, physical and financial health through a raft of support measures. The result? A thriving team, boosted headcount, and very impressive retention rates.
The brief
The agency was working on a brief of its own making: to evolve support offerings to improve the lives of its people, helping them to navigate times of uncertainty. It decided that it would need to go beyond traditional corporate benefits offerings to make sure that employees were holistically supported.
Working under the assumption that a genuine work-life balance exists at the intersection between purpose and significance, the agency decided to overhaul its finances, benefits, schedules and partnerships under a single program: Well Works.
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The idea
The overall Well Works program, inaugurated in 2020, comprises an array of provisions, attempting to target the holistic wellness of all employees.
Time spent at work was one area of change: the entire team is given unlimited vacation from day one (on average, people take about four weeks per year); each individual is to take off at least three consecutive days each quarter. The company also observes a monthly ‘Wellness Friday’ – a company-wide day off.
Workers also get unlimited time off to volunteer (collectively, they’ve racked up over 1,000 volunteering hours so far) and have access to a PayPal account to assist people they see in need.
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For mental wellness, there’s free access to confidential online therapy and provision for curated learning on resilience and burnout among a wider library of wellness resources. For physical health, meanwhile, health, dental and vision care are all available to all employees, as is an annual $1,500 stipend for mental, physical, emotional or spiritual support.
The results
The agency has doubled in size since 2020, and puts that down to the successes of the Well Works program. 40% of the team used the program in its first month alone; by now, 70% are using its mental health resources. 95% of employees rated the program at 10/10.
The result a team that is fitter, happier and more productive, which is good for the team and good for the company. Headcount, it says, has risen 37%, while employee retention sits at an impressive 80%.
This campaign was a winner at The Drum Awards for Agency Business 2022. You can see all the winners here.
The Drum Awards for Marketing are currently open for entry. Find out how you can enter now.