Why Trumpet Chose Juno: In Conversation with Rory Sadler, Trumpet Co-Founder: Juno Blog

Juno opens up a whole world of wellbeing, with a platform that's designed to be as flexible and inclusive as the workplaces that we find ourselves in today.

No more one-size-fits-all benefits platforms that nobody uses or wasting time and effort trying to accommodate everyone's needs.

Juno empowers individuals to take control of their own wellbeing and spend their personal allowances on exactly what they need to thrive and feel valued.

Hundreds of companies around the world are trusting us to delight their employees, one of which is Trumpet.

We spoke to Rory Sadler, Co-Founder of Trumpet, about employee wellbeing and the importance of using flexible employee benefits that support workplace culture and individuality.

Why is employee wellbeing so important at Trumpet?

Rory:

"Prior to starting Trumpet, I worked at a few companies and you get a different range of perks in terms of value, but also quantity. We're very much a company that always believes in the quality of whatever we do rather than quantity.

I think that applies to the benefits that we offer - it isn't about how many things we offer, it's about the value that they add to each of our employees and their time at Trumpet.

I think also, if we look at the last two or three years (especially due to COVID), everyone's remote digital transformation has accelerated. There's more competition in the world, more access to more data, and we're becoming busier as people and I think having benefits in place that kind of reflect that and address that is important.

I think wellbeing is such a broad topic, whether it's financial, it's emotional, it's social - there are so many different elements of it.

For us, it's important to be aware of that and accommodate that for each of the team that joins Trumpet.

Joining a startup is not easy. No day is the same super busy times roller coaster journey you learn as you go. It can be challenging in terms of wellbeing so I think having something in place was not an if for us, it was a must."

Why did you choose Juno to support your team’s wellbeing?

Rory:

"We're big believers in trust and transparency. Everyone that joins, especially this founding Team, we do not want to micromanage them and tell them how to do X, Y and Z, and handhold them. It's OK to make mistakes we all learn by doing - there is no guidebook to what we're building and we're gonna navigate this journey together and find out things as we go.

Trust and transparency goes both ways, and with that in mind, we don't want to tell them how to look after yourself, how to use their benefits, or control people.

Everyone who joins Trump is an adult, they're super smart people, and we want to learn from them. So, therefore, we trust that they're going to make the best decision in terms of investment in them and their wellbeing.

What Juno offers was aligned with the type of culture we're building and also the mindset of the people joining Trumpet as well."

Was there anything in particular that stood out to you about Juno?

Rory:

"I think, to be super honest, it was the removal of admin and the fact we wouldn't be wasting any budgets.

It’s important for us to know that every penny that we spend on wellbeing goes directly to our team.

As a small business, we didn't have the budget or the need to offer a huge benefits package to every one of our employees. With Juno, we get everything they need, and more - it was a very comprehensive offering.

I like that it was a guided experience that’s comprehensive, but flexible at the same time."

What do you think the impact of using Juno has had on your team?

Rory:

"It’s great seeing the team's response to it, their appreciation for it, and also their excitement and reflection on what it's doing for them.

There was a bit of buzz at first like, “oh, cool, I can go and buy this and you know, that's fine”. But then over time, they start to realise, “oh, actually, I've never really invested in myself in this way, or I've never thought about, you know, my financial wellbeing, for example. and seeing Juno made me think about it, and I then went and did X”.

We love creating an environment at Trumpet where people feel included, where they feel very close to the product, the users, and they’re very involved in this journey.

Making sure that they're enjoying the work they're doing, they're happy, motivated, and feel challenged by all of that also comes with a balance - we need to make sure they’re not leading themselves to burnout.

When the team are proactively sharing with us the gratefulness and excitement for Juno and what it has unlocked for them, that investment in themselves, it’s quite special.

I think, we can’t really take the credit for it because Juno has built an incredible marketplace and offering. But, it's nice to see that something we've consciously thought of, is appreciated by the team."

What are you seeing your team spend their Juno Points (individual wellbeing allowance) on?

Rory:

"It’s super diverse which is great to hear! They share that they have done dance classes, bought a weighted blanket, plants, supplements, subscriptions, fitness equipment, home furnishings, and more.

It's a really interesting mix, which is great to see. Everyone's treating it as a little bit more tailored to them and taking time to think about what wellbeing means to them.

Because there's there is so much choice on there, it’s not telling them what to buy, but it's more inspiring them to see the different directions people are going in with it."

Have you noticed any differences in your team since using Juno?

Rory:

"The team are definitely happier. They're super grateful. The general feedback is always very, very positive around the use of Juno and how the platform is growing and what's on offer.

On months one and two of using it, it was quite a new concept, and most of the team hadn't ever had a budget like this or been opened up to what the broader world of wellbeing actually means.

So I think as they got stuck into the platform, engagement increased - I think we got a 70% increase in engagement on months three and four versus months one and two, which is great.

That wasn't anything off our side either, we didn't do anything to make that happen, it was their use of the platform and the work that you guys do in terms of inspiration and education on the broader topic of wellbeing."

‍What advice would you give to companies in creating a great workplace culture?

Rory:

"Number one is definitely thinking about your team’s wellbeing from as early on as possible. I think also, a lot of founders presume, it's their baby, therefore, everyone in the team is going to care about it as much as they do - that's not the case.

Your team doesn’t have the same stake and ownership of the company that you do. So you need to be aware of that.

Your team’s motivation might not be as high as yours always is, so things that you can do to maintain, encourage and increase that is important.

I think also, I'd say to certain degree, thinking about mindset fit as well as culture fit when hiring and building a team is important. They're two very different things.

In my opinion, I think culture fit is “let's find more of the same people”, which there are certain elements of that do make sense. But, actually having people with the right mindset and attitude is super important.

Overall, I'd recommend being as honest and transparent from early on as possible - we're all human and it's okay to have tough days and say that you're struggling and things are difficult.

Within a founding team, you're all there for each other - this kind of sounds cringe, but it's true - you are this mini family.

You’re in a journey together, so you're going to be supporting each other with wearing lots of different hats, roles changing month to month, etc. So, being aware of that and having good communication with the team is important."