Inside Beyondly’s Approach to Building a Culture of Wellbeing
Wellbeing at work is defined as a holistic approach that encompasses the physical, mental, and emotional health of employees. To support this, organisations like Beyondly implement structured wellbeing strategies that embed these principles into everyday working practices.
A successful wellbeing strategy helps to build a happier company culture, create opportunities for fun, teamwork, and connection, and improve work-life balance. According to Employment Hero’s 2024 thought leadership report ‘The State of Wellbeing at Work’, ‘There’s never been a stronger need for positive workplace cultural change – encouraging a shift from a reactive to proactive approach to wellbeing.’ The report also emphasises that ‘Employers would do well to assess both the physical and mental health of employees on a regular basis.’ Ultimately, at Beyondly, taking a proactive and holistic approach to wellbeing enables us to build a resilient, engaged team and a culture where both our people and performance can truly thrive.
Beyondly’s health and wellbeing strategy outlines that the company aims to create a culture of wellness which promotes and encourage healthy lifestyles. It also discourages any work-related behaviours that could impact on positive wellbeing, such as sickness presenteeism, high workloads, and burnout. We place a strong emphasis on looking after our mental and physical health and wellbeing both in and outside of work, and they have always been important factors to consider in shaping the culture at Beyondly. This is evident in the long-standing health and wellbeing programme which has been in place for colleagues since 2017.
Mindful Employer
Mindful Employer is a national initiative supporting employers to take a positive approach towards mental health at work. As an employer, we recognise that in the UK, people experiencing mental ill health continue to report stigma and discrimination at work. Having signed the ‘Charter for Employers Positive about Mental Health’, we are committed to creating a supportive and open culture, where colleagues feel able to talk about mental health confidently, and aspire to appropriately support the mental wellbeing of all staff.
Wellbeing Champions
At Beyondly, we have a passionate team of Wellbeing Champions that act as an ambassador for the company’s wellbeing strategy, signposting colleagues to additional organisations that can support them with health and wellbeing and arranging a variety of mindful activities throughout the year. The Wellbeing Champions Team was established in 2022, and we now have a record 15 Beyondly volunteers!
Throughout 2025, the Wellbeing Champions helped to raise the profile and awareness of wellbeing within the company, motivating colleagues to get involved in organised or ad-hoc activities and initiatives. The initiatives are designed to be as inclusive as possible; however, attendance is never forced and the decision to take part is down to the employee.
One aspect of our health and wellbeing strategy is celebrating national awareness days. The following activities were arranged by the Wellbeing Champions in 2025, in line with the theme of each day:
- An after-work walk around the Broughton Hall Estate, followed by pizza and drinks for Fun at Work Day
- A relaxing Pilates session for International Self-Care Day
- A team breakfast for World Kindness Day
- Hot chocolates and an hour of flexi time for Blue Monday
- Interactive quizzes for International Men’s Day and National Love Your Pet Day
Other examples of wellbeing activities hosted included:
- 15-minute massages with Truly Essential Secret Spa during busy periods
- Regular ‘Tea & Talk’ sessions to pause and check in with each other over tea and cake
- Christmas crafts with festive snacks and songs
- External talks in relevant subjects such as cancer prevention from Yorkshire Cancer Research, nutritional courses from Hälsa Wellbeing, and finance tips from The Money Charity.
Together, these initiatives have helped to create a more connected, supported, and positive working environment, where colleagues feel encouraged to prioritise their wellbeing.
Wellbeing and resilience sessions
Wellity Global are an internationally recognised provider of mental health and wellbeing training. After receiving positive feedback from Beyondly colleagues in 2024, we continued working with them into 2025.
The training webinars we participated in were:
- From Distress to De-Stress: Helped us gain insights into stress triggers and their impact on health and identify early stress indicators in ourselves and others.
- Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: Sexual harassment often goes unchallenged and under-reported, and the session aimed to empower us to break that silence.
- Rise and Thrive: Unleashing the Resilience from Within: Enabled us to acquire the essential tools and mindset needed to navigate challenges, bounce back from setbacks, and demonstrate a flexible mindset.
- Empowering Women in the Workplace: Raised awareness about gender inequality and its impact on women in the workplace, and equipped Beyondly’s female employees with the necessary skills and confidence to overcome barriers and assert themselves professionally.
- Men's Mental Health Matters: Become an Agent for Change: Encouraged opening up important conversations around men’s wellbeing and support.
These sessions have strengthened our collective understanding of key wellbeing and resilience topics, equipping colleagues with the knowledge and confidence to better support themselves and others at Beyondly.
Physical wellbeing
Beyondly invests in colleagues’ physical wellbeing by offering a monthly reimbursement for activities that support a healthier lifestyle. The initiative is designed to boost productivity, motivation, and job satisfaction, while giving employees the flexibility to choose what works best for them – whether that’s a gym or leisure membership, fitness classes, app subscriptions, or home workout equipment.
By supporting a wide range of wellbeing choices, Beyondly helps colleagues prioritise their health in a way that fits their individual needs and routines.
Wellbeing awards and accreditations
Award wins and shortlists
We are thrilled to say that Beyondly’s wellbeing initiatives received external recognition in 2025 and 2026.
Great British Workplace Wellbeing Awards
- Winner: Best Physical Wellbeing Initiative – Recognised our Physical Wellbeing Initiative’s significant improvements to employees’ physical health and wellbeing.
- Shortlisted: Wellbeing Team of the Year – Honours a small but mighty team making a big impact on wellbeing within an SME.
- Shortlisted: Best Wellbeing Initiative for Business Culture – Recognises organisations that have meaningfully advanced employee health and wellbeing, strengthening engagement, resilience and business culture as a result.
- Highly Commended: Best CSR/Corporate Sustainability Initiative category for 2025 – Open to companies who had put CSR, Sustainability, or ESG priorities at the heart of how they operate and seen outstanding results.
Inspiring Workplaces Awards UK & Ireland
- Finalist: The winners will be announced on 21st May 2026. These awards celebrate organisations that put people first and demonstrate excellence in culture, leadership, wellbeing, inclusion and employee experience.
Accreditations
Our accreditations are testament to our culture. We love celebrating them as they remind us of the important work we are doing for our people and planet.
Investors in People is the UK's leading accreditation for business improvement through people management and provides a wealth of resources for businesses to innovate, improve, and grow, with a focus on good people making great business. In 2025, we received the prestigious Investors in People Platinum and Investors in Wellbeing Platinum accreditations, a significant milestone for Beyondly. Only 7% of IIP accredited businesses have attained the Platinum standard. You can read more about this in our news story here.
Business impact
In return for supporting a culture of wellbeing, we see our employee’s commitment to the company, their high-performance behaviour, and engagement in their work thrive at Beyondly. Employment Hero’s ‘The State of Wellbeing at Work’ report argues that ‘Employee retention and productivity are particularly critical for SMEs which make up 99% of all businesses and employ 70% of the workforce.’ Our people really are the backbone of Beyondly, and we are proud to have built a culture that puts them and their wellbeing first, so they can be the best they can be in all areas of their life.
What our Beyondly staff say...
"Beyondly's wellbeing initiatives have been integral to ensuring I can consistently perform my best. Flexible working enables me to sort out life admin with minimum hassle so I can stay focused on my role when at work, the physical wellbeing allowance motivates me to keep consistent with exercise so I can feel my most energised each day, and the training opportunities have been incredible, allowing me to hone my skills to deliver impactful work at a strategic level."
Cherry Whittaker, Brand Marketing Manager
“I have received incredible menopause support from Beyondly, including the flexibility to work from home when needed. The company understands menopause isn’t an easy transition and believes that, with the right support, things can get better. I have felt comfortable discussing my symptoms with the Talent & Culture Team, as they always provide a listening ear and a safe, judgement-free space for me to speak openly. I also really value the Beyondly Women’s Health Group meetings, as they’re a great opportunity for me and my colleagues to share our stories, challenges, solutions, and simply be supported by others going through the same experience.”
Mel Tomkins, Business Development Executive
“As a recent new starter at Beyondly, it has been excellent to see how embedded and valued wellbeing is within everyday life here. We are actively encouraged to take two 15-minute walks each day, outside of our lunch break, to get away from our screens and enjoy the landscape on our doorstep. I really enjoy my daily walks; not only does it give me time to step away from my desk and come back to my work refreshed, but it has been a really great way for me to get to know my teammates in my first few weeks – away from the pressure of a formal meeting! Walking twice a day has improved my performance, as I come back feeling energised and ready to focus.”
Isobel McClurg, Partner & Marketing Coordinator
"As a busy working mum, I really value Beyondly’s focus on health and wellbeing. Flexible working allows me to stay productive, balance my work and family commitments, and even make time for the gym, which makes such a difference to my overall wellbeing and the energy I bring to work."
Hayley Whitehead, Learning & Development Leader
"For me, wellbeing isn’t a ‘nice to have’, it’s fundamental to employee performance and engagement, both with their role and with their company. As Talent & Culture Manager, I see every day how a genuine culture of wellbeing affects how people come to work; when people feel supported as individuals, not just employees or treated as a number, they bring more energy, ideas, are more driven to make positive change and are encouraged to stay, contribute and help the organisation grow."
Lucy Boyes, Talent & Culture Manager
