A Jersey team have developed a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution to tackle the detrimental impact poor workforce wellbeing is having on people and businesses.
The aim of ‘Anova’ is to change how businesses listen to the employee voice. Through Anova’s digital surveys, pulse checks and wellbeing interventions, businesses will be able to improve retention, engagement, productivity, and resilience and in turn reduce absenteeism, presenteeism and stress in their workforce.
Anova will be headquartered in Jersey and marketed globally. The new company is spearheaded by Leonie McCrann and Jenny Winspear and backed by Change Management firm Marbral Advisory. The team has worked with two innovative local firms to bring Anova to reality – Codentia for software development, and Potting Shed for brand and asset creation. The team say that they believe Anova will ‘set the bar’ in terms of wellbeing software and measurement and help make Jersey a leading jurisdiction for wellbeing technology.
The post-pandemic workforce and economy is different from that of two years ago and Anova has been developed to meet the demands of this new era. Businesses all over the world are struggling to understand, rectify and measure workplace wellbeing and this has led to what is now being termed ‘The gGreat resignation’.
A recent Microsoft survey found that more than half (52%) of Gen Z and millennials may change jobs in the year ahead. Gen Z and Gen Y already make up nearly half of the workforce, and that number will increase by 2025. Research by Gallop shows that above all else, the number one thing Gen Z and Y want from their employer is that the organisation cares about employees’ wellbeing.
Jenny Winspear, COO, Anova, says: “Wellbeing conversations have finally reached the boardroom. We have endured massive amounts of change due to factors outside of our control. We’ve suffered a global pandemic and now we’re faced with the Great Resignation. The good that has come from this is the movement to a world where wellbeing is more important than it has ever been before. This is why we’ve created Anova.”
Employers have a significant duty of care to their employees and investment is needed to ensure the future health and wellbeing of people. Concurrently, wellbeing also makes good business sense. The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand found that organisations that prioritise wellbeing and engagement outperform the industry average by approximately 10% on the Financial Times Stock Exchange.
Anova intends to help companies build healthier, happier teams and create a desirable culture for staff attraction and retention. Programmes will be underpinned by an objective to reduce health care costs and absenteeism and increase productivity to ensure optimal business performance.
Leonie McCrann, CEO, Anova, says: “An authentic wellbeing at work approach has impact. It helps businesses retain their employees. It helps attract talent in a competitive market. It enables a more productive and engaged workforce and it ensures better customer service and loyalty.
“Businesses that take responsibility for wellbeing at work also have a huge impact at a human level. They have an impact on the community. They have an impact on the individual, teams, and the organisation, and they demonstrate an ethical duty of care. Wellbeing just makes good business sense.”
Anova clients will have a choice of ready-to-use benchmarkable surveys or surveys tailored and configured to their organisation. Anova gathers anonymous and confidential employee feedback, analyses the data instantaneously, delivers real-time results through a reporting dashboard and provides actionable and integrated advice to managers. Users will be able to compare historic data to track progress and get the support of Anova’s wellbeing experts.
The main picture shows Leonie McCrann (left) and Jenny Winspear (right).
