Relay Financial Technologies Inc. is supporting employee well-being and engagement with a range of perks.
The offerings are covered through the financial technology company’s wellness account and include pet insurance, dog-walking and house-cleaning services and meal delivery.
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Jenna Smallfield, Relay’s senior director of people, explains the perks have helped retain and engage employees in a hybrid working environment. Employees currently work onsite three days per week in Relay’s Toronto head office.
“We went hybrid right after the [coronavirus pandemic] shutdowns were done. It was a response to the climate at the time and we believe deeply in being together and maximizing our time together, especially in these early stages, so that we can grow, make decisions faster and really collaborate.
“It ended up becoming another conversation about flexibility, autonomy and employee wellness — we ask a lot of employees when they’re in the office so it’s become a mission of how we can make things easier at home for employees so they bring their full selves to work.”
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Currently, single employees receive $1,150 per year in their wellness account, while couples receive $1,650 and families get $2,400, says Smallfield, noting Relay’s employee demographics skew younger and influence the types of perks and benefits available through the wellness account.
“There are things like orthodontics coverage that we haven’t added yet. We’re going to watch as our employee life cycles change and people start to get married and have kids. . . . I think what allows us to be as supportive as we can be is by understanding the [demographic] trends of our employees and thinking ahead to be able to respond based on what they need.”
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