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Over the past decade, 64 Million Artists have emerged as a unique force in the UK, championing creativity. But through their work with creativity, they’ve slowly been carving out an innovative approach to work-life balance that not only excited their staff but also set a new standard in the industry, demonstrating a real commitment to the well-being and creativity of their team.
As a non-profit social enterprise with an annual turnover of £850K, it reinvests profits into free public programmes and support for its dedicated team.
Their organisation offers programmes in:
- Leadership: where they work with clients to embed cultures of creativity in their workforce
- Partnerships: where they collaborate with clients to deliver creative, community-generated strategy solutions
- Free Public Programmes: with year-round activities to encourage everyone to be creative and discover their inner artist
“Curiosity and expressing ourselves run through everything we do. We actively search for and acknowledge barriers to access. Everyone should feel a sense of belonging and community, and it’s a massive part of what drives our team.” – Jo Hunter, Founder and CEO of 64 Million Artists
64 Million Artists are pioneers of the Four-Day Week and actively campaign on the theme of ‘rest being a radical act’. In 2022, they trialled giving all staff August off at full pay in addition to their standard 25-day holiday allowance and Four-Day work week.
Damian Hebron, Executive Director, says, “While we acknowledge the privileges that enable us to take this radical approach to work, it is also intrinsic to good work.”
In addition to the Four-Day Week and Augustoff, 64 offers every employee an annual personal development budget of £1000 to support their growth and learning however they see fit. Some receive coaching, some learn to drive, and others learn new creative skills, such as basket-making, songwriting, stand-up comedy, scriptwriting, and even clowning! Yashoda Rodgers, Public Programmes Manager, says, “Having the extra day over the weekend is brilliant. I can spend more time on my creativity – for example, last year, I took a dressmaking course on Fridays! Feeling supported at work and taking more time for yourself is wonderful. When Monday comes around, I can incorporate the creativity I have nurtured into my work.“
“The company benefits give us more time to nurture and nourish ourselves. Whether through creativity, rest, spending time with loved ones, or just going about life solo! It’s cold hard proof that social norms can be challenged and rewritten as we work towards making the workplace (and maybe even the world!) more inclusive and accessible for all.” – Zara Veerapen-Padayachy, Team Administrator
A key component of the organisation’s approach to care is its efforts around inclusivity and equity. Recruitment processes are anonymised, and the whole team scrutinises approaches to new job roles. Each time a job advert goes live for a role within the team, they receive more than 200 applications, and it’s easy to see why.
They want people to feel as comfortable as possible during the job application process, so they pay applicants to attend interviews and send all interview questions in advance. They’re actively promoting their working opportunities through diverse partnerships and channels because they’re committed to inclusive hiring, which means they diversify their pool of applicants before blind screening every application.
“We’re so excited to be shortlisted for Most Innovative Culture. Tomorrow, we’re holding an away day with the team and exploring how we might be even more courageous in our work together!” – Jo Hunter.
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