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Employee Pillars Initiative

Unveiling The Employee Pillars Initiative

WeDiscover's Commitment to a Flourishing Team and a Better World
Kirandeep Purewal

November 10, 2023

Reading time: 5 minutes

At WeDiscover, we’ve always been committed to fostering a workplace that looks beyond just professional growth and aims to also recognise the importance of personal well-being and societal impact. In line with this, earlier this year we released a new initiative: our ‘Employee Pillars’. These are employee-led teams that are dedicated to not only enhancing the work environment within WeDiscover, but also fostering a positive effect on the wider world.

 

The heart of the Employee Pillars initiative lies in empowering team members; providing them with a direct platform to shape the culture and impact of WeDiscover. It is a testament to our belief that the diverse passions and values of our team can be harnessed for meaningful change.

 

There are 4 core Pillars (explored below) each with a number of evolving sub initiatives, as each group sets quarterly objectives, with work either completed or ongoing across a number of project areas.

Diversity & Inclusion

This pillar aims to create a workplace culture that values and respects the unique strengths, perspectives, and experiences of all employees. Initiatives here are designed to foster an environment where all individuals feel welcome, included, and empowered.

 

This year we partnered with social enterprise WYK Digital, who aim to empower young people from a diverse range of backgrounds to begin a career in digital marketing. A number of the WeDiscover team have become mentors for the scheme, and we’ve also partnered with WYK to support with hiring directly from their cohorts, all with the aim of improving access to digital marketing employment.

 

Some of the further projects set to be explored here under this pillar are:

 

  • Hiring frameworks
  • Equal representation
  • Spreading awareness
  • Training & education
  • Fair & inclusive policies

Mental health & well-being

This focuses on initiatives that support the mental health and well-being of our team, recognising that when this is prioritised, folks can be more engaged, creative, productive, and happy. Some initiatives already in place are:

 

  • Flexible working arrangements
  • The recent introduction of ‘duvet days’ now allows all team members to take one day off at work a year to focus on their mental and emotional well-being. This is completely distinct from sick leave, and is a day for anyone to recharge, relax, and take some time for themselves, with no need to give a reason
  • Funding to sign up to a wellness subscription of choice, or invest in personal well-being in other ways such as through counselling, physical therapy etc

Sustainability

This pillar aims to recognise our environmental impact and integrate sustainable practices into our operations, setting the stage for a brighter and more eco-friendly future. As a starting point this year:

 

  • Recycling has been set up within the office
  • We have become a part of the UK cycle scheme
  • For new company merchandise (WeDiscover branded jumpers), we’re working with an ethical B Corp producer based in Portugal. Items are made to order, and worker conditions are excellent

 

Future initiatives will look to explore things such as reducing our carbon impact & travel offsetting.

Charity

This pillar is dedicated to giving back to the community, promoting and supporting volunteer days, and contributing to causes that resonate with our team.

 

  • The introduction of volunteer days is in recognition of the importance of corporate social responsibility
  • Encouraging the use of said volunteer days to donate blood
  • Haircut donations for team members who donate their hair to make wigs for patients with medical conditions causing hair loss
  • Fundraising support for team members when they are raising money for charities through actions like a marathon, Movember etc

Looking forward

The Employee Pillars initiative is not a one-time endeavour; it’s dynamic and evolving. As we grow, we’re excited about the potential for more innovative and impactful initiatives that will not only enrich the lives of our team members but also contribute to making the world a better place.

 

A healthy, happy, and motivated team are the driving force of WeDiscover, so we hope that as our Employee Pillars develop, they become a testament to the incredible things that can happen when passionate individuals come together for common causes.

 

Watch this space!