Last week we were honoured to find out that we had made the shortlist for the GamesIndustry.biz Health and Wellbeing awards, alongside a few other remarkably awesome game studios.
So what better time to highlight (aka brag about) some of the employee perks that we pride ourselves on providing to the team here. The health of any employee is paramount to the health of the company and their creative output, so it’s something we actively nourish and encourage as much as we can here.
Below are some of the things that we think make FuturLab a wonderful place to spend your days.
Physical health is the obvious aspect you might think of first when you hear about health in the workplace, and rightly so, it’s an especially important consideration in an industry like video game development. We try our best to make sure the team have their needs – and beyond – met with the best initiatives available to us.
We’re proud to provide employees access to Vitality, a health and insurance service that goes the extra mile itself by rewarding those who strive to live a healthier lifestyle. Through Vitality, Team FuturLab can get access to quick and easy consultations with doctors, and log their daily fitness activity to earn perks like free coffees and cinema tickets. You can even get an Apple Watch through the service to take your fitness to the next level, and pay off the cost of the device through calories burnt via the on-device tracking.
When a new employee joins us here, Posture People visit for a workplace assessment, making sure that your office space is set up for good posture and comfort – especially important in an industry where being at a desk makes up a large chunk of your average day. Any special equipment needed is provided so that no back-aches or crooked necks develop. When you need a break from your desk – which we encourage- we have a large break room with comfortable couches, a big TV and access to a private outside balcony space. Still feeling cooped up? The beach and lush green parks are right outside. Feeling peckish? The kitchen is always stocked with fresh fruit, locally ground coffee beans, a range of teas and Brita-filtered water.
We have a private weekly Pilates class available for anyone that wants to participate, which happens on a Thursday evening after work where the team are encouraged to stretch out their limbs and gain flexibility (shout-out to the wonderful instructor Fiona – hi!).
Along with physical health, taking care of mental health in the workplace is incredibly important and often undervalued by businesses. We’re proud to offer several ‘Duvet Days’ a year to each member of staff, to use on those mornings where you just can’t find the strength to get out of a warm bed or need a day at home to relax.
We also insist on a no-crunch culture. Our working day ends at 5pm and everyone is encouraged to leave at 5, no matter what. A good work-life balance is crucial to health, nobody should feel pressured to stay late or burn themselves out, ever. And to make sure that everyone feels confident in their roles and that their development is being supported, we schedule regular one-to-one meetings with the studio owners so that problem areas and achievements can be discussed.
Nourishing both physical and mental health aspects are our famous staff days out! We try to plan a fun day out of office semi-regularly for the team to blow off steam and deepen bonds. In the past year alone we’ve tried our hands (and legs etc) at kart racing, clay-pigeon shooting, we have danced at the Christmas party, painted pottery, bowled, ran around like headless chickens at Lazer Quest, been on a voyage out to sea and more – not to mention all of the staff lunches to celebrate milestones.
If you work for any business worth their salt, it should be their responsibility and privilege to provide you with exceptional support for both your mental and physical health so that you can be the best you that you can be, and in turn collaborate better and grow faster alongside the business that meets and nourishes your needs. FuturLab is lucky to be made up of some of the UK’s best talent in the video game industry, so it’s only right to keep everybody in the best health they can be in. We’re thrilled to be acknowledged for our hard work in this area, especially as these awards are derived from confidential surveys that are carried out anonymously by our employees, and we will continue to look into new ways to support their health and wellbeing here at the ‘Lab.
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If this all sounds great to you, why not check out our Jobs page, we’d love to have you on the team.