Ankur Warikoo’s Approach to Employee Wellness: A Generous Reimbursement Model

In a recent LinkedIn post, Ankur Warikoo discusses the innovative approach his company, wariCrew, takes towards employee wellness through a substantial annual reimbursement program. Warikoo highlights how the company moved away from defining ‘wellness’ for its employees, opting instead to provide a significant sum and allow individuals to allocate it towards what personally keeps them well.

“Every team member at wariCrew gets a ₹72,000 wellness reimbursement every year.”

Rethinking Corporate Wellness

Ankur Warikoo explains that the initiative began with reimbursing therapy sessions, acknowledging the importance of mental health support. However, the scope quickly expanded based on employee needs and requests. Warikoo notes the evolution of the program:

“Someone asked if they can use it towards their gym membership. I said yes. Then nutrition supplements. I said yes. So we stopped defining what ‘wellness’ meant for our team.”

This flexible approach, Warikoo argues, has made the wellness reimbursement the most availed ‘perk’ within the company. The program now covers a wide array of services and products, including therapy, gym memberships, spa treatments, supplements, meditation apps, nutritionist consultations, and even fitness gadgets.

The Unmeasurable ROI of Holistic Well-being

A key theme in Warikoo’s post is the idea that the return on investment for such a program isn’t always quantifiable through traditional business metrics. While acknowledging that the benefits aren’t measurable on an Excel sheet, Warikoo emphasizes the qualitative improvements he observes in his team members.

Observing the Impact

According to Ankur Warikoo, the positive effects are visible in the team’s overall demeanor and performance. He elaborates on these impacts:

“But I see it in their quality of thinking. In how they show up to hard conversations. In the patience someone has on a stressful day. A person who is sleeping well, moving their body, and processing their emotions is a different person at work.”

Warikoo posits that investing in the holistic well-being of employees—ensuring they are sleeping well, physically active, and emotionally balanced—leads to a better overall work experience, not necessarily for increased productivity, but because it contributes to their wholeness as individuals.

Prioritizing People Over Processes

The core message from Warikoo’s post is a strong advocacy for prioritizing human capital. He contrasts the extensive effort put into building systems and processes with the potentially higher returns gained from investing directly in the people who operate within those systems. In Ankur Warikoo’s view, this investment is paramount.

“We spend so much time building systems and processes. But the highest ROI is gained by investing in the people inside those systems.”

He concludes by stating that implementing this flexible wellness reimbursement was the best decision the company has made, underscoring the significant value placed on employee well-being as a strategic business decision.