Bark Case Study: Boosting Retention with Flexible Wellness Benefits

A flexible benefit employees actually use, with minimal HR admin

Background

Bark.comis a digital services marketplace meaning they are always competing for top talent. With rising expectations from employees for wellbeing benefits, Bark’s benefits strategy aims to support employee happiness inside and outside of work, recognising the direct link between positive wellbeing & engagement and reduction in sickness absence, and retention.

As part of that strategy, Bark offers a broad set of benefits spanning health, wellbeing and support services. The missing piece was a wellness solution that works for different lifestyles and locations and is easy to implement through payroll.

The Challenge for HR

Bark prioritised medical cover and mental health support, with a clear focus on putting employees first. When it came to wellness solutions, however, the company was unsure how to offer something that was truly sustainable over time.

Traditional schemes often limit choice, which can reduce engagement. At the same time, the admin and tax considerations can add complexity. The objective was to design a comprehensive wellbeing offering that supports employees holistically, no matter where they are.

For HR this initiative needed to:

Saving Costs

Bark provides employees with Wellhub’s Bronze plan, giving them access to over 2,000 wellbeing partners at no direct cost. For employees accessing more premium options, the subsidy from Bark makes this even more affordable.

Better yet, the payroll-processed taxable benefit often equates to only a few pounds per month - this is thanks to the ‘aggregated buying power’ of Wellhub’s membership structures compared to standalone gym memberships.

The way we calculate the taxable benefit, based on the reduced headcount and the discount we were able to secure, has meant a lower taxable benefit is processed through payroll per person each month. That’s been really well received too.

—  Senior Payroll & Benefits Manager

The Wellhub access I have is a company benefit, so I’m on the Bronze plan and it doesn’t cost me anything. My gym would normally be about £22 or £23 a month, so it’s saving me £22 to £23 a month, which is pretty good. That’s roughly £240 a year.

— Brian McNestry, Senior Front-End Engineer

Improve employer branding

Wellhub complements Bark’s wider benefits strategy by sitting alongside more traditional support area such as medical cover, creating a more complete proposition for employees and serves as a powerful differentiator in the competitive landscape for talent.

From a strategy perspective, it really comes down to competitiveness. We’re trying to position ourselves well in the market and think about what else we can offer staff... we try to look at the full picture of what we’re offering. A big part of that is overall wellbeing.

— Senior Payroll & Benefits Manager

The best benefit. Why? Because, honestly, there have been times I’ve thought about leaving but then I think, why would I leave when I have Wellhub? It might sound like I’m over-praising it, but it’s true. As far as I know, no other company I’d join would offer the same benefit, so it doesn’t feel worth the risk. The reason I stay at my job.

—  Martin Lambe, SME Sales Lead

Straightforward & payroll-friendly

For Bark’s Senior Payroll and Benefits Manager, the day today admin is simple and fits neatly into existing monthly payroll. This is supported by speedy-
onboarding processes. 

• Leavers are easy to manage: leavers are marked in the portal on a monthly cadence as part of routine admin.
• Payroll processing is supported: reports can be downloaded to help ensure the correct taxable benefit value is processed through payroll.

This matters because benefits only scale when they can be run consistently without creating extra administrative burden. Bark’s experience is that Wellhub remains operationally light while still delivering a high-value employee benefit.

There’s really nothing I’d improve from an admin perspective, it’s straightforward.

— Senior Payroll & Benefits Manager

Once someone passes probation, we give them the option to opt into the benefits, and Wellhub is one of those. The information Wellhub needs is minimal, really just the employee email address. I also like that you can send employees a link so they can skip the first step of sign-up. It’s a really good process.

— Senior Payroll & Benefits Manager

Why Wellhub for employees?

Making variety a reality

A major differentiator was the ability for employees to use multiple gyms and fitness options rather than being locked into a single option. A flexible platform is critical when employees have different commutes, home locations, routines, and preferences.

I only started going to the gym last year. Having Wellhub meant I could try lots of cool gyms in my area, free or at reduced cost, and find something I liked. I was quite intimidated about going into a gym, but having a big range of choices made it easier. If one place felt too daunting or too busy, I could just try another.

— Brian McNestry, Senior Front-End Engineer

Results

Bark’s Senior Payroll and Benefits Manager, reports consistently positive feedback from employees and minimal opt-out once enrolled,with 64% enrollment across eligible staff.

Two elements appear to drive that:

• Diversity of choice (different options to suit different needs)
• The cost barrier being removed thanks to Bark’s investment

At Bark, Wellhub delivers high employee uptake and satisfaction, with minimal HR effort to administer. The flexibility provides a true one stop shop wellness solution for employees, and delivers savings in both access and taxes.

The result is a wellness offering that moves the needle for employer branding, but more importantly makes a difference in employees real life routines. Wellhub enables Bark’s employees to take better care of themselves, and ultimately acts as a reason for why people choose to stay.

Ultimately, we’re trying to place ourselves well in the market to retain our staff and keep them as happy and healthy as we can. And one of the ways we do that is by offering Wellhub.

— Senior Payroll & Benefits Manager