Market research firm, Savanta, is celebrating 12 months in business as it announces a new policy of unlimited holiday for all of its 286 staff.
The agency also joins The Walt Disney Company and Legal & General as one of the five Employer Initiative Award finalists in the forthcoming Inside Out Mental Health Awards.
Savanta team
“The biggest achievement of our first year has definitely been developing a brilliant team,” said CEO Roger Perowne.
“Our new limitless holiday initiative reflects that. We have an international staff with a shared DNA. Right from the start we’ve ensured mental wellness is at the heart of everything we do.
“We set up a Health & Wellbeing Committee at launch and it’s been active throughout the year.”
Launching in February 2019, the company was one of the first agencies to sign up to the MRS CEO Pledge; Perowne, Dr Nick Baker and Vin DeRobertis all added their names ahead of its April launch.
The Pledges includes publishing pay statistics annually, working towards government targets at all levels and improving recruitment practice.
Shortly after launch, Savanta, which is part of the Next15 group, also introduced its very first Mental Health First Aid scheme and subsequent resources including: self-help assets available to all global employees and a new Employee Assistance Programme with a 24 hour, 7 days a week helpline.
Savanta sponsored two of its employees to become Mental Health First Aiders (Annie Buchanan Kilbey, HR Advisor and James Eldridge, Director, Data Services and Product Operations) who were trained in March 2019.
By April, the firm had launched an organisation-wide campaign to raise awareness.
Wellbeing support
Over the course of the year, Savanta has also launched a number of committees to support the wellbeing of its employees and a great tool for its mental health first aiders.
These include: Health & Wellbeing; Social, Charities & Volunteering and Diversity & Inclusion.
Further initiatives include a Women’s Day, held in conjunction with The Women’s Association; a Pride Awareness Week; a walking initiative which saw 50+ employees get involved, with the top walkers averaging 20,000 steps a day; and a ‘dogs in work’ event, as pets have been proven to reduce stress.