Employee wellbeing should be at the heart of every organisation. When our UK distributor, Jiraffe, returned to a market-leading five-day despatch, we recognised that all of our employees had put a huge amount of effort into this achievement. So, we decided to celebrate!
To match the five-day despatch time we had five days of celebrations, with a new event for each day. This included things like cupcakes, a burger van onsite, ice cream, the gift of an Amazon voucher, and a presentation about the healthcare benefits our employees receive. We thought we’d take the time to pull apart why employee welfare is so important, and what events like our five days of celebrations achieve for Jenx as a company and our employees.
As a company, Jenx holds five values central to its mission; ‘Always Supportive’, ‘Always Caring’, ‘Always Safe’, ‘Always Ethical’, and ‘Always Encouraging’. These values guide our work, but also guide the way we treat employees. For example, to be ‘Always Encouraging’ means to always celebrate the success of our organisation and the individuals who are part of it. Small things, like a section in our internal employee newsletter for nominations of helpful colleagues, to big events, like our five days of celebrations, all contribute to a company culture of care for every member of Jenx!
Holly Jenkins, one of Directors at Jenx, discussed what good employee welfare looks like:
“Good employee welfare is about much more than fulfilling basic requirements. When we think about employee welfare we consider the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of every individual across our company. This means that good employee welfare covers a very broad range of activities from ensuring basic facilities such as enough toilets, to offering opportunities for training and development in all roles and beyond that to the range of benefits offered by a company to their employees… and everything in between!”
This culture has been with us from the very beginning; our founders, Clive and Catherine, used to hold barbecues at the factory for all staff. As we have
grown as a company, these celebrations have evolved into larger events like JenxFest, which involved live music and a huge range of food stalls. Events like this serve to thank staff, but to also to make everyone in Jenx feel connected and get to know one another.
Employee welfare isn’t just about celebrating success, but also taking care of people. Health, both mental and physical, is an extremely important part of anyone’s life. As a workplace, we want to make sure every employee has access to the best healthcare they can. So, for employees who choose to contribute only £5 of their paycheck, Jenx pay the rests of the cost towards the healthcare scheme Westfield health. Westfield can contribute costs towards medical scans, dentalcare, and counselling sessions, as well as much more. To ensure everyone knew how to access this benefit, on our second day of celebrations, a representative from Westfield Health came in to give a talk to anyone who wanted to know more. Our mental health first-aiders also play an important role in ensuring everyone at the company is looked after. Holly went on to discuss the choice to provide this resource, saying:
“It’s something we have chosen as a company to invest in because we know that mental health can have a significant impact on how people are able to do their jobs. To anyone experiencing mental health problems, we can help them stay at work while they are unwell, or return sooner knowing they will be supported without judgement along the way.”
A talk from Westfield Health at Jenx
In healthcare, prevention is better than cure, which is why we make sure we minimise risks to health in the workplace. Our HSQE team don’t just make sure that the equipment we sell is safe, but that our employees work in safe environments and feel empowered to speak up about any concerns they have. This is achieved through regular risk assessment meetings with staff.
Our company values also challenge us to be unafraid to learn and grow. This is why Jenx has an elected learning fund, which allows employees to take any educational or training course to develop their own skills. In the past, staff have used this fund to learn how to make bath bombs, to drive, and to make jewellery! Not only does this learning enrich the lives of our staff, it also means employees can bring unexpected talents into their work at Jenx, meaning we remain open to new ideas.
We are proud to have a people-focused culture. Charity and social activities play an active part in our working lives, and we are proud to be a responsible corporate citizen. Our Charity and Events Committee are responsible for fundraising for our Charity of the Year – this year, CP Teens. We’re currently organising a charity football match, car washes, and participating in a dragon boat race to support CP Teens. Volunteering as part of these fundraising initiatives means employees have a chance to get creative and help our wider community, enriching their social lives.
All the ways we look after employee welfare – whether that be by celebrating employee’s contributions, looking after their health, making sure everyone works in a safe environment, or by encouraging staff to learn new things – contributes to a working environment which is supportive and encouraging. Events like our five days of celebrations are vital to upholding our company values, which encompass the commitment Jenx has made to both customers and every member of the Jenx team. Holly described how employee welfare will always be a priority at Jenx:
“In a company where people are treated well, understand the priorities of the organisation and can see how they fit in to achieving those goals we know that morale, motivation and commitment are higher. At Jenx Ltd this is part of our mission statement: ‘To make a positive difference to our communities by staying true to our vision and values and being an outstanding employer.’ This means that our Board of Directors have recognised employee welfare as a permanent priority and a key consideration in the way the company is run and decisions are made every day.”
To hear more about Jenx’s employee culture, read about long term employees here!
This blog is part of our 40 stories for 40 years’ series, celebrating our partnerships over the years. Click here to read more blogs in this series.
