At Ecotone, we are a company that cares deeply for protecting our diverse ecosystems; not just in the greater context of our planet’s biodiversity but our workplace ecosystems too. Our employees are at the heart of our business and their happiness, health and wellbeing is incredibly important to us. This is why amid a global pandemic, climate emergency, and now – a cost-of-living crisis – we’ve taken extra steps to ensure we support our team.

The cost-of-living-crisis is absolutely at the forefront of our minds. And we’re helping our employees in a myriad of ways: from webinars focused on mental health, to financial clinics and team champions who are playing prominent roles in the business.

What we’re doing

We know that with rising inflation affecting everything from energy bills to childcare, people are currently more susceptible to stress and anxiety.

Our internal tool kit is designed to support our team and help them navigate life’s challenges head on. Part of this is our Flourish programme, which offers digital resources and webinars that guide our employees through times of strain. This includes practical tools on how to build resilience and maintain mindfulness. Both for personal issues or job-related problems, our Employee Assistance (EAP) schemes offer further counselling to aid with ongoing stress.

We’ve also held sessions in our offices on how to improve nutrition and sleep to boost wellbeing, in line with our commitment to produce products that are healthier for people and the planet. Holding these sessions face to face has improved benefits and really helps us to connect and come together as a team. This is why we launched our coffee mornings, to bring about a sense of normality and togetherness.

With so many price rises to contend with, it’s also really important to offer solid assistance on how our employees can manage their finances. Sometimes that hands-on guidance is really all they’re looking for in moments of crises, and this is why we decided to start running financial clinics at the start of this year. These sessions are all about providing constructive advice, hints and tips, guidance and creating security.

Why it matters

Feeding and nourishing nature reflects results for biodiversity. And it’s this approach that we take across all elements of our business. It’s part of our ethos to invest in our team not just so we develop and do the best we can, but so that we’re happy and resilient.

We hold regular bi-weekly ‘all-hands’ meetings and together with smaller employee group discussions and departmental meetings we believe we give our staff the opportunity to voice what changes they’d like to see internally to help us better support them. This is also why we unveiled our Health Champions and Mental First Aiders schemes, where members of the team serve as another point of contact for anyone who may be struggling.

Part of Ecotone’s commitments

Ecotone is all about inclusivity – as reflected in our company becoming a Great Place To Work for a second consecutive year this year – and this is a core part of all our of initiatives. We also became one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for Women this year, which marked us on our respect, fairness, and credibility upon ensuring we provide equal opportunities for women.

Beyond our initiatives, systems, and programs, we are fundamentally like a family. We bolster a unique and supportive team culture and work as a collective towards our company goals. It’s through collective action that we believe we can build a better world. As a purpose-driven company and B Corp, that’s what drives us and we’re always searching for ways to improve under strict standards.