• pirkx has expanded its offering to include an innovative workplace mental wellbeing platform amongst its benefits package.
• 87% is an innovative digital platform that helps users build mental fitness via a series of clinically validated assessments, regular exercises and reflections.
• 87%’s sophisticated technology gives all members access to personalised guidance on how to make improvements, a library of relevant resources and a range of professional support.
• The partnership complements the existing wellbeing on-demand services of the benefits platform that include counselling and other help and resources.

Wellbeing benefits startup, pirkx, has partnered with an innovative mental wellbeing platform, giving members personalised access to a range of tools that promote mental fitness as part of everyday life.

pirkx, which was founded in 2018 to offer benefits and savings to individuals at organisations of all sizes, including the self-employed and contract workers, has added 87% to its ‘full package’ of deals. The digital platform will greatly enhance pirkx’s health and wellbeing offering by giving members access to clinically-validated assessments that allow individuals and business to build mental fitness.

The inclusion of 87% as part of pirkx’s benefits package complements existing health and wellbeing deals such as discounted gym membership, virtual physiotherapy, counselling and other help and resources. The partnership comes at a time when mental health is in the spotlight, as the workforce deals with changing circumstances at work and pressures in personal lives as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to data from 87%’s thousands of users, tracked confidentially over the course of the pandemic, 35% of workers have felt socially isolated. Feelings of depression and anxiety have also been common in a third of employees. 87% has therefore worked hard to avert a mental health crisis, by supporting the mental wellbeing of the workforce, particularly frontline medical staff.

The 87% platform has offered free wellbeing support to over 45,000 emergency workers throughout the last 18 months, and data shows that wellbeing scores of users rose (indicating improved mental health) by as much as 20% in three months during some of the toughest periods of the pandemic. Partnerships with medical organisations such as the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Air Ambulances UK, NHS Practitioner Health and the College of Paramedics continue this work.

Stella Smith, Founder and CEO of pirkx, says, “We have been looking for an industry-leading service to enhance our health and wellbeing offering and were impressed by how 87% is using technology to make mental health tangible. The platform has been designed by psychologists to produce deep insights into our wellbeing and uses clinical data to guide businesses and individuals on where improvements can be made. It is a revolutionary product that has the power to bring mental health care into the 21st Century, where it belongs, especially at a time of heightened stress and anxiety for us all. We are proud to offer 87% to our members.”

87% uses sophisticated clinical measurements to drive the insights needed for individuals to address areas of their wellbeing that might need focus. Customised tools and content, daily exercises and reflections, and nudge theory techniques promote healthy habits that help users build mental fitness as a part of everyday life. While personalised coaching in a safe environment gives the broader population the means to develop enduring wellbeing techniques, those with low scores, indicating poor mental health, are automatically signposted to support services, such as professional care or relevant charities. Businesses also benefit from deep insights into the wellbeing of staff, via anonymous and aggregated data, so they can identify emotional and behavioural trends, informing targeted, long-term wellbeing strategies.

Andy Bibby, CEO of 87%, said, “We believe that mental health is a basic human right, not an employee benefit, and all workers, from the self-employed to employees of large businesses, should have the ability to make informed decisions about their wellbeing. Our technology is an inclusive product, designed to help the individual as much as the organisation, and this partnership with pirkx allows us to get this in front of sole traders, contractors and more, across a wider field of those who might need support or encouragement to build mental fitness.”