Organisation Type:
Furthr is a not-for-profit organisation supporting Irish startups with advisory and business supports. Furthr offers tailored acceleration and mentorship programmes that guide startups from early-stage ideation to securing venture-backed investment, equipping founders with the tools, expertise, and connections needed for success.
The GEC is a not-for-profit enterprise and incubation centre for startups and scaling businesses based in Dublin 8. Since opening its doors in 2000, the Guinness Enterprise Centre has provided the space, support, and community for founders of innovative enterprises to start and scale their businesses.
Number of Employees: Furthr has 20 employees and the GEC has 11 employees.
Location: Dublin 8 – both companies. Furthr has an office in the GEC. Furthr is one of the founding partners of the GEC (alongside Enterprise Ireland, Dublin City Council, Diageo, and Guinness Workers Party). Furthr is the managing partner of the GEC, providing management services including HR and Finance.
The Process
The process/framework was strong and provided a clear structure to what we already had in place. The assessment element was a key part of the framework. It was also extremely valuable to develop the business case for Health & Wellbeing in the workplace at Step 1 and again at the evaluation stage. This allowed HR to clearly articulate and elevate the importance of Health & Wellbeing as a foundational element for organisations seeking to build productive, successful businesses.
We are currently in the “evaluate and improve” phase and will measure the impact of the changes made in 2025 through our upcoming employee survey and assessment (July 2026).
It was noted during a feedback session I attended that having previous participant organisations (at various sizes/types of companies) return to share their experience and approach to the framework would be a very valuable addition to the supports provided.
Challenges
Allocating sufficient time for the online sessions and submission work was a key challenge. While the programme supported the communication of Health & Wellbeing as a key pillar and strengthened the business case for high-performing organisations, there was still a challenge in consistently communicating and embedding the key messages.
In particular, ensuring a clear understanding of the importance and interconnectivity of the Health & Wellbeing Programme, as a foundation for building a resilient and productive organisation, across all stakeholders, from Board level to employees, required ongoing focus and effort.
Cost
We remained within our annual budget for People Experience initiatives. A team of two in HR provides the dedicated resources, with much of the execution delivered by the HR team (alongside the ideation and committee support from the Culture Forum — our employee resource group).
As not-for-profit organisations, we focus on achieving value for money and actively seek pro bono opportunities or partnerships with Irish providers and advisors to support our objectives and deliver the Health & Wellbeing Programme.
Outcomes
The programme provided a clear structure. We have implemented a number of achievable new initiatives, including a monthly office walk and a company volunteer day, as well as people manager support and training to strengthen capability and consistency across teams. We also introduced a multi-channel approach to employee communications, increasing visibility and engagement with the programme.
We also had the opportunity to assess and celebrate our existing offerings, with employees feeling heard and acknowledged throughout the process. Early feedback indicates increased awareness and engagement with Health & Wellbeing supports.
Furthr and the GEC were proud to achieve accreditation, which is helping to drive us forward in reinforcing and strengthening our Health & Wellbeing activities.
We are now celebrating and recognising what we have achieved, as well as the culture that both organisations actively promote.
We are reviewing how we can leverage our organisational expertise in creating and promoting Health & Wellbeing in the workplace to support our startup clients. This is fully aligned with our corporate strategy of educating and advising ambitious Irish founders on how to start and grow a successful, resilient, and healthy business.
Key Learnings / Tips
Start the programme knowing that you may already be somewhere within the framework, based on your current status as a company. You can join the framework at any point, it is not linear for all companies.
For example, we had a Culture Forum/Health & Wellbeing Committee in place, with annual plans and resources assigned. However, it was still very useful to apply the framework and work through each step. The assessment was a crucial part of the framework, asking the right questions, collecting key feedback and insights, and then putting into action what was suitable, appropriate, and feasible.
The process of asking employees what they need from their employer to support Health & Wellbeing, following through, and being transparent about what we can and cannot do reinforced and strengthened the culture.
Avail of the consultations with RealNation, the online resources, and peer group learnings — everyone is so committed, knowledgeable, and invested, and there is so much to tap into. Importantly, if you are leading the project, ensure your line manager and senior management recognise it as a KPI of your performance, (this is Step 1 -securing leadership buy-in), as it is time-consuming and the submissions require focus and dedicated effort.