Wickes Supports Staff With New Healthcare Partnership

Home improvement retailer Wickes, has announced it’s providing all colleagues with a new healthcare benefit when they become parents through provider Peppy. Wickes joins employers from investment banking, law, media and insurers, and is the first national retailer to provide each colleague with expert-led private medical level support through employee benefits. 

This launch comes after great work and feedback from two of the brand’s colleague-led Inclusive Workstreams - Wellbeing and Balance for Better. Tapping into the ethos of ‘Let’s Care for Each Other’, both groups recognised that there was an opportunity to support new parents with more tailored and personalised support. 

Available to those going through the parenthood journey, Peppy provides life-changing support by bringing employers, employees and experts together in the moments that matter. Wickes colleagues, and their partners, will have easy access to expert healthcare relating to pregnancy and becoming a new parent. 

The Peppy app, which is available to colleagues, includes one-on-one confidential personalised chat with an expert pre and postnatal practitioner, video consultations with lactation and baby sleep consultants, together with specialist pre and postnatal mental health support. Plus there is peer support through small group chats, virtual seminars and online exercise classes, designed especially for pre and postnatal women. 

Sonia Astill, Chief People Officer at Wickes said: ‘This new employee benefit is really exciting, we’re committed to creating a workplace that puts family health high on the agenda as we know that becoming a parent is often a stressful and emotional experience. The wellbeing of our colleagues is our number one priority and our partnership with Peppy will help them feel more supported as they embark on one of life’s biggest adventures.   

In addition to this amazing service, we’ve updated our family leave policy, providing colleagues with better support for those big, important and often personal moments in our lives. We believe our most important assets are our people and I am so pleased that we can further support our team.” 

Gary Kibble, CMDO* at Wickes, and Balance for Better Board Sponsor added: ‘I’m so proud that the hard work of the individuals within our inclusive workstreams has created such a positive impact for our colleagues - making us a better place to work. Equality will only happen when all people are given the same access to support and recent changes ensure we lead the way when it comes to family benefit”. 

Mridula Pore, CEO & Co-Founder of Peppy comments: “Having a baby is one of life’s biggest transitions. Of course it is exciting and incredibly rewarding, but it can also be hugely challenging for parents. We are thrilled to be working with Wickes and to be able to give their entire UK workforce access to expert parental support that they can access any time, anywhere. This year has been particularly tough for expectant and new parents, so to see Wickes become the first UK retailer to offer support of this kind as a standard employee benefit is phenomenal.”

Source : Wickes

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