Why ASOS rewarded staff with a ‘Wellbeing Day’

Last Friday (January 28) ASOS shared on LinkedIn that the workforce would be enjoying a company-wide ‘Wellbeing Day’.

To thank staff for their efforts, the online retailer shared that they wanted to give employees an extra day off to do “whatever they wish”.

In the post, ASOS explained: “Tomorrow is our ASOS-wide Wellbeing Day, which means we’re giving all our ASOSers an extra day off on us to do whatever they wish.

“It’s a small gesture to show our thanks for everything they do.”

The initiative was met with positivity as members of LinkedIn shared praise for the extra day of leave.

For example, Steven Randell, technical operations at Smart DCC, wrote: “Nice touch, business is built from the bottom up, always give back.”

Meanwhile, Arantxa Ravettino, senior trend specialist at WGSN, said: “Brilliant initiative ASOS.com.”

Employees at the firm shared snaps from their day off too, thanking the employer for rewarding them with a day to focus on their wellbeing.

Michael N., engineering manager based at ASOS Northern Ireland, shared that he cannot “thank ASOS.com enough for our org wide #wellbeing day”.

Software engineering manager at the firm, Joel Delane, also praised ASOS for the day, as he shared he was able to take his children to school, spend time with his wife and enjoy a massage. He added: “Thank you #ASOS for a superbly awesome day.”

Similarly, Priyanka Gaddam, lead QA engineer at ASOS, thanked the business for the day, as she was able to spend quality time with her family.

One user asked in the comments whether teams in the warehouses would also get to experience the ‘Wellbeing Day’.

ASOS replied enthusing that while many workers in the warehouses are employed by third parties and may not have access, “for those ASOSers that do work on those sites and in our Customer Care centres, we’ll be running a skeleton crew. These ASOSers will still be able to enjoy their Wellbeing Day next week”.

Rewarding ASOSers

Speaking to Reward Strategy, a spokesperson for ASOS shared that the ’Wellbeing Day’ was essential to show staff that they are supported and rewarded for the “amazing things they do”.

The spokesperson continued: “We believe when our people are both supported at work and rewarded for all the amazing things they do, we’ll achieve amazing things as a company.

“That’s why we focus on building a working environment and culture which helps them thrive. Our Wellbeing Day, where every permanent and FTC ASOSer received an additional day off on ASOS to do whatever they wish, is just one of the ways we’ve shown our appreciation for their hard work and dedication.”

Find out why ASOS wants to be more accountable for D&I in an exclusive interview with its head of belonging and engagement here.