As a startup, Wave had big ambitions for its people but only a limited budget. They needed a benefit offering that could do a lot with a little, right from day one. 

“We hardly had any budget at the time... any benefits offer I chose had to be all-encompassing.” — Jane Austin, Director of People and Social Value, Wave 

Wave didn't have the resources to manage multiple suppliers. They needed one platform that could cover discounts, recognition and wider benefits, without stretching a small HR team thin. 

And with the cost-of-living putting pressure on employees, they wanted a way to support people without making assumptions about who needed it. 

Perkbox became Wave’s home for benefits: Perks, Celebration and Wellbeing came first, with Cycle to Work and Home & Electronics added more recently, all through one app and one budget. 

“It helps me to offer so many benefits yet have them all in one place with one budget. Don't underestimate that particularly for smaller organisations. Our people are so lucky to get such superb discounts (it rivals the Blue Light scheme) as well as a wellbeing platform that our people use in their persona life for HIT training videos, meditation and sleep sessions, yoga instruction videos and many more.” — Jane Austin, Director of People and Social Value, Wave 

Switching to Perkbox's Cycle to Work was an easy decision. As a water retailer, environmental responsibility already sits at the heart of Wave's business, so bringing the benefit across just made sense, one less thing to run separately. 

“It's the right thing to offer. It would be crazy really for us not to offer that.” — Jane Austin, Director of People and Social Value, Wave 

 
Adding the Home & Electronics payroll benefit came a bit later, and Jane wasn't sure at first. She worried about the admin, the payroll checks, making sure nobody dropped below minimum wage. But it's turned into one of the platform's best-loved benefits and hasn’t caused any admin burdens. When someone's fridge breaks or the washing machine gives out, they can spread the cost instead of reaching for high-interest credit that would be the only option for some employees. 

“Not everybody has the money to get something when they need it.” 

“It's enabled some of our people to get some bare necessities and enabled others to spread the cost of some home or electronic treats as well.” 

“I can't think of any reason to not go for that scheme. It's liked by our employees and we like it.” — Jane Austin, Director of People and Social Value, Wave 

Building genuine engagement took consistency, not one big push. Wave introduces Perkbox at induction, revisits it again once new starters have settled in, and keeps it front of mind through regular mentions on the company's business update calls and communications. 

“Using Perkbox is not a chore. It's just a habit. You have to be talking about it to your employees all the time.” — Jane Austin 

Jane leads that habit by continually promoting it herself. She shares savings stories on those company calls, like the colleague who saved £100 on a Currys Dyson hoover after Jane flagged a boosted discount, or her own last-minute Pizza Express save with a colleague. 

“I never underestimate the impact that discount vouchers can have on people and it ties into my belief about financial wellbeing” — Jane Austin 

The savings tracker has also played its part, helping employees see small, everyday savings add up into something bigger over time

Perkbox's mission is simple: every employee deserves to feel valued. At Wave, that mission was built into the culture from the very start, and Perkbox has grown alongside it for nearly 10 years, not as a supplier ticking a box, but as a genuine partner in Wave's story. 

“It felt like Perkbox was ours and it mattered. We mattered to you as much as you mattered to us.” — Jane Austin, Director of People and Social Value, Wave 

That partnership keeps evolving. Wave continues to explore new benefits through Perkbox as employee needs change, sharing feedback along the way that helps shape what Perkbox builds next. 

Her top tips for other customers are simple: 

“Get to love Perkbox yourself... you can't sit back and expect other people to join in. You've got to show the benefits.” — Jane Austin 

“Encourage your employees to get that app onto their personal phone... it's your personal phone you have with you when you want to go and do your food shop.” — Jane Austin 

“There are many employee benefit and discount companies in the market but Perkbox is a stand out and having an account manager who cares and has come to know Wave, is the icing on the cake” -Jane Austin