9 start-ups leading the way with employee benefits

From £500 wellness bonuses to free dinners from Deliveroo, and healthcare cash plans to free gym membership… these ambitious UK start-ups are providing a wonderful and varied package of employee benefits to their growing teams.

If you’re in the process of setting up your own company benefits scheme – or looking to improve the one you already have – you’re sure to find inspiration from these forward-thinking companies.

Read on and take notes!

Need free hands-on support and price comparisons? Contact our experts to launch or review your benefit scheme!

1. accuRx

accuRx is a software developer which offers various products and communication solutions in the healthcare industry. The majority of their most popular products are centred around support and solutions for GPs, as well as secondary health care workers.

Some of the most enticing employee benefits offered by this start-up include:

• Private medical cover
• Health Cash Plan (for everyday health needs)
• Life Insurance
• Breakfast and lunch provided in the office
• Flexible working options
• Electric car and cycle schemes
• Enhanced pension schemes
• Advanced parental leave
• Share buying options

2. Bark

Bark is a leading services marketplace with over 5 million customers internationally. Bark works with businesses of many varying sizes, in order to help expand their existing customer bases, as well as offer advice and strategies on how they can manage them more efficiently.

A few of their most interesting benefits include:

• Private health insurance
• Access to Oliva’s mental wellbeing platform, including six therapy sessions
• Skills development budget
• Cycle-to-Work scheme
• Hybrid working
• Family planning support
• Work From Abroad policy – allowing 20 days working abroad
• Flexible Bank Holidays’ – take them when you need them
• Wellbeing initiatives, including health subscriptions and a range of fitness classes
• Company pension

Like these ideas, but need help packaging them together? Get in touch with the friendly team of experts at Hooray Health & Protection. We make employee benefits simple.

3. Curve

Curve is a payment card company that consolidates all of your debit and credit accounts into a single card, in order to simplify the management of your finances. Their app helps customers to modernise their existing bank accounts, with the option to integrate them with contactless payments from your phone, as well as with other services, such as Apple Pay.

Curve’s most striking benefits include:

• Health care cash plan.
• Extra days off for learning and development, mental wellbeing, birthday, house moving & Christmas
• Working abroad policy (up to 60 calendar days per year)
• Pension funds contribution
• Life insurance
• Medical health insurance for 820 Euro (with a free limit of 650 euro)
• Free Curve subscription for employee and one other

4. Elvie

Elvie is a London based manufacturer and retailer of medical technologies, who specialise in developing innovative, ergonomic products for women. Their designs are primarily intended to improve the lives of women all around the world, by integrating smarter technology with products that improve general health and wellbeing.

Among the employee benefits provided by this UK start-up include:

• Medical, optical and dental cash plans.
• Generous employee referral bonuses.
• Annual personal development allowance
• Unlimited access to learning and development platforms.
• Employee assistance program that can include family.

5. Marshmallow

Marshmallow is a UK car insurance provider, who offer much more inclusive and eco-friendly policies than most others in the industry. With a diverse range of customers, Marshmallow is setting a great example by actively encouraging environmentally sustainable solutions, such as carbon neutral driving.

Some of Marshmallow’s most impressive employee benefits include:

• Partnership with Self Space to offer mental health workshops and personal therapy.
• Budgets for books and training courses related to your job.
• Free equipment provided for employees who are working from home.
• 2 extra days of annual leave intended for self development.
• Cycle to work scheme.

6. Moneybox

Moneybox is an award winning finance app that allows customers to easily establish and manage a savings or investment account, from a number of different mobile devices. Existing bank accounts can also be integrated with the app, to make managing finances simpler for their customers.

Some of their most prominent staff benefits include:

• Perkbox – Access to a variety of rewards and bonuses of your choosing.
• Free birthday lunches for all employees.
• Monthly outings for various events and activities.
• Free access to industry conferences.
• Weekly drinks with the team.

If want to deliver a great value employee benefits package to your team, then contact our super-friendly team of advisors. We offer independent advice to the UK start-up community.

7. Omnea

Omnea is an AI platform that speeds up the procurement process for businesses – improving the buying experience!

They have pulled out the stops for their workers with a clever blend of benefits:

• £250/month cash allowance for private healthcare or other health & wellness benefits.
• 32 days/year [aid holiday leave – and an extra day for every year of service
• Pension scheme
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• 20% off boxing gym membership
• Equity options (allowing employees to receive shares and directly benefit from the company’s growth)
• Mental health support via video therapy sessions, self-help tools and 24/7 crisis support
• Volunteering days – up to 5 a year
• Enhanced paid sick leave
• And much more!

8. Revolut

Revolut is a renowned banking app that facilitates international money transfer and exchanges. The app is designed to help users to budget, spend, save and invest their finances, all from a unified platform that is simple to manage and easy to keep track of.

Some of their more unique benefits include:

• Biannual performance bonuses.
• Free dinners with Deliveroo.
• Option to work from home once a week.
• Free fruit and cereals.
• Free Revolut Metal subscription.

9. Unmind

Unmind is a UK based mental health service that offers a number of digital tools to help employees with improving their mental wellbeing. Many different programmes are provided for a variety of different areas, including managing anxiety, reducing stress and improving relationships.

A few of Unmind’s most noteworthy employee benefits include:

• Private health insurance (covering partner and children)
• Life insurance
• Pension plan
• £50 eye health spending allowance
• Regular company wellbeing initiatives
• Early Friday finishes during the summer months!
• Two celebration days/year
• Cycle-to-Work scheme
• Regular company-wide social events to help colleagues to connect
• Access to Unmind’s platform – of course!

How will you launch your employee benefits scheme?

Choosing the right employee benefits can be a difficult task, especially for smaller companies. But these examples show that it’s possible. Hopefully, you’re now feeling inspired!

The tough part is piecing it all together and dealing with the complexities involved. Hooray Health & Protection can help; our team possesses a wide range of knowledge and professional experience of securing employee benefits for small businesses across the UK.

Whether you’re interested in hiring an insurance broker to help with the process, or simply looking for professional advice, Hooray are happy to help.