By introducing more flexibility, Hi Marley doubled its employee utilization of wellness benefits

Hi Marley is taking the insurance technology market by storm with a modern communications platform that enables insurance carriers to provide delightful experiences for policyholders. Along with reimagining insurance for the 21st century, the company is also reinventing its approach to employee experience.

Historically, the Boston-based company focused on in-person team building and wellness events to reinforce its culture. At the onset of the pandemic, the company shifted to virtual events but found employee participation lacking.

“We’re in the pandemic, we’re all experiencing burnout, and I searched for something that was flexible enough to reach everyone,” says Stefanie Bishop, Hi Marley’s Head of People. “Truly, we strived to help as many people as possible.”

Hi Marley shifted to JOON’s platform to administer flexible wellness benefits to its rapidly growing workforce.

“I was attracted to JOON because of the optionality for our folks. I loved that we could offer something that would truly satisfy everyone’s needs no matter what wellness meant to them,” says Bishop.

In addition to making Health & Wellness categories eligible, the company also reimburses eligible purchases toward Family Care through JOON.

“We wanted a way to provide extra support for parents and caregivers during the pandemic,” Bishop says. “While some could use their JOON benefit to go to the gym, for a lot of people, help with caregiving is what adds to their wellness.”

Almost overnight, employee participation jumped from 30% to 60%, which the company attributes to JOON’s ability to meet diverse needs.

“Hi Marley is growing, and our goal is to continue to build a culture that we’re really proud of,” says Bishop. “The changing landscape of work is the top challenge facing HR teams right now. It’s important that we listen to our employees and create a workplace that offers the flexibility and balance that they prefer.”

The feedback from employees has been overwhelmingly positive, which is important for a company like Hi Marley, which depends heavily on employee referrals to fill open roles.

“We value our employees’ health, and this benefit enables our people to prioritize wellness and make purchases they wouldn’t have made otherwise,” says Bishop. “We’re proud to invest in something that improves the lives of our workforce.”