&us is an independent innovation and transformation practice that helps organisations build adaptable teams and breakthrough products and services. Based in London, with a hybrid team, they aim to create an environment where every employee feels valued and supported, which is one of the reasons they chose to partner with Bippit.

Can employees truly innovate if they’re not happy?

“I don't think they can,” says Alex Matthews-Sisan, People and Talent Manager at &us.

As the second employee at &us, Alex remembers having conversations with the company’s founders - Paul and Rob - about work-life balance and how they all wanted to prioritise wellbeing within the team. 

“From day one, Paul and Rob emphasised that building an organisation we can all be proud of and enjoy working at is a top priority. They wanted to create a workplace with appealing benefits and a culture that they themselves were excited about. After all, if they don’t want to work here, why should anyone else?”

To create the best culture and employee experience, &us run a 'People Pulse' survey every six months to gauge how employees thoughts and attitudes towards their work and the overall environment. Having previously focused on employee mental and physical wellbeing, the results of that survey - coupled with a number of external factors - saw Alex keen to investigate what &us could offer to support employees’ financial wellbeing.

Rethinking financial wellbeing amidst the cost of living crisis

Beyond the employee feedback, there were three external factors that led &us to look deeper into financial wellbeing: the cost of living crisis, a recognition that financial wellbeing is an integral part of overall wellbeing, and the company’s journey towards B Corp status. Alex explains…

“As a company we’ve always considered the interconnectedness of personal and professional life, with the pandemic highlighting how much one's personal life affects their work life, and vice versa. Part of the B Corp framework involves looking at how we can support the financial wellbeing of our people. It's probably unfair to say that organisations don't think about financial wellbeing because they do. They pay employees on time and aim to prevent debt. However, there's often a lack of training or support beyond just providing a salary.”

The ongoing cost of living crisis prompted &us to ask: how can we best support our team through this? Unlike other competitors who might have offered significant raises or bonuses thanks to the backing of a large parent company, the team at &us had to rely on more than just monetary factors.

“As a small, independent business we weren't in a position to throw lots of money at the problem. But more importantly, we sensed there could be a way to help that would have more of a long term benefit”, Alex says. “From our conversations and personal experiences, it became clear that having access to someone to talk to and get information from was invaluable.”

The reassurance of a one-to-one financial coach

Companies may provide various financial schemes such as health cash plans and pensions, but often people need a sense-making layer above that all that helps them understand how that cash plan can help them save money against their budget, or how that pension scheme can grow in the long term.

In one year alone, there are hundreds of moments across an entire workforce where someone needs financial support and, as a relatively young organisation, many of the &us team are facing those major moments like buying their first home, getting married, or having children. These are significant financial events and knowing how to navigate them is crucial - both at an employee level and a company level.

Alex continues: “Sometimes you just need reassurance to feel confident and secure. Whether it's having a few conversations for some quick tips or more extensive guidance during tricky patches, we want people to know that &us is there to help.”

“Personally, I've found Bippit really useful. Having a chat with someone qualified, who talks to different people about money, can be really comforting. Bippit’s financial coaches can tell you if you're on the right track and suggest improvements.”

Having had good uptake in employees using Bippit, Alex has seen the team increasingly ask about their pensions and other benefits like life insurance.

“These are questions we didn't get much before, which I think is great. It's a positive sign that people are becoming more engaged with their financial wellbeing and the benefits we offer.”

Improving diversity and inclusion through financial wellbeing

While many organisations focus on diversity, equity and inclusion in terms of hiring practices, pay equity and employee resource groups, &us understands that financial wellbeing is also a critical component in an inclusive workplace.

“As an innovation consultancy, fostering a diverse workforce is essential to our success,” explains Alex. “Diverse perspectives fuel creativity and enable us to innovate groundbreaking products and services.”

“We recognise that financial stress and wellbeing are unique to each individual. With tools like Bippit, we aim to provide all our employees with equal opportunities to achieve financial stability alongside their mental and physical health.”

How benefits like Bippit help with employee retention

Benefits like Bippit are a key part of &us’ company culture, as Alex explains… 

“I see retention as hinging on four main factors: enjoying the work you do day-to-day, enjoying the company of your colleagues and the workplace culture, feeling connected to the company’s purpose, and feeling adequately compensated and supported by benefits. To retain employees, you need to address all four areas.”

There's a baseline of benefits that people expect, but Alex and the team at &us aim to go above and beyond that baseline, offering great benefits that include financial wellbeing support alongside a paid sabbatical, an employee assistance loan and one-to-one counselling sessions.

“We believe that Bippit will positively impact our employees' mental health, especially given the current cost of living crisis as financial wellbeing is closely tied to mental wellbeing. The personalised guidance from a financial coach has already provided reassurance, helping employees understand that their current knowledge is sound and that minor adjustments can lead to substantial improvements.”

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Click here if you’d like to find out more about &us, and how they can help your organisation accelerate growth across strategy, design or transformation. Or, if you’d like to join the team, check out their open roles here.