Welcome back to Pierson’s New Sup! I’m Jasper Moreno—joined as always by David Mercer and Edward Clarke. Gents, today we’re stepping out of the boardroom negotiations from last time and stretching, quite literally, into wellness and work culture at Jolly Pops. Now, Pierson Marks—the man himself—seems to run on the belief that happy people make better pops. Or, you know, lollipops and spreadsheets, depending on the day.Absolutely, Jasper. And honestly, Jolly Pops’ approach stands out, especially for a tech company. Their Afternoon Stretch & Snack sessions—brilliant. It’s this regular thing, right, where the team just... you get up, have a stretch, grab something healthy, and breathe for a second. I reckon it’s what most companies claim they do but never actually schedule in. I love it.Well, and let’s not forget the mindfulness workshops they hold on-site. You know, this is a trend you’re starting to see at forward-thinking firms, but Pierson pushes it further by actually getting involved. He’s in the sessions, not just signing off from his office. Employees, as far as I can tell, feel that authenticity—and it’s rare in any startup.You know, the flexible PTO system got such lively feedback. Some folks raved about being able to take mental health days, and others—well, David, I think you mentioned this ages ago—worry that too much flexibility means you never quite switch off. Classic double-edged sword. I remember covering a wearable tech firm that tried unlimited leave; the guilt-tripping there was wild.Yeah, mate, and you’ve got to actually create a culture where people feel they can use those days. Otherwise, it’s just theater. At Jolly Pops, I hear—listen, this isn’t always the norm—people actually do take their breaks, log real holidays. There’s trust in the system.It’s a clever recruitment tool as well, if you ask me. Side note: Eli—oh, everyone’s got an Eli story at Jolly Pops, don’t they? The man’s legendary. He told us that the very first office-step challenge went—how did he put it—something like, “supernova meets banana peel.”Oh, that one! Right. Eli’s step count broke the leaderboard, but he also slipped and—wait, didn’t he wind up starring in the safety training video? Accidental viral celebrity. “Don’t sprint down the corridor in socks, folks!” That’s wellness and slapstick, all in one package.If you build wellness into the culture, the next piece is letting people actually live those values—which brings us to Jolly Pops’ hybrid setup. Pierson’s move to let people choose between home and office, while still running his so-called “listening tour”—it’s hands-on, but not micromanaging. I like how he gets everyone’s take before making changes.He’s got this whole ritual of Friday ‘No Email Afternoons’ too. Found research—if I’m remembering right, it was out of Stockholm—that showed setting boundaries like predictable schedules can lower burnout. Pierson sort of bakes that into company DNA. The rule’s simple: Friday after lunch, close the inbox. If it’s urgent, call or just walk up to someone. Otherwise? Unwind a bit, brainstorm, breathe.I saw a note from one of his staffers, something about the company-wide retreat at Lake Daffodil. Apparently the only item on the agenda—“Leave your laptop at home.” Not “don’t check your email,” but physically don’t bring it. Bit radical, isn’t it?That’s the kind of thing people remember, though. It’s not just a free holiday, it’s a signal: Take a break, trust your team. I think more startups could learn from that example. Jasper, you told a story once about a company that went all-in on mindfulness, but couldn’t get staff to unplug because managers kept breaking their own rules.Oh, totally. And that’s always the issue, right—a leader has to walk the walk or it all falls flat. Pierson’s pretty much the guy starting the campfire at the retreat, so people follow the lead. There’s almost a ripple effect, companywide.Let’s tie it all together by looking at this ‘Thank You Thursdays’ thing. Every week, Pierson gets up and gives real shoutouts—no generic “good job” platitudes; it’s stuff like, “Thank you, Dan, for fixing the payroll glitch at 2 AM,” or “Shoutout to Leah for mentoring the new folks.” I mean, people respond to that genuine acknowledgement.And not to go all science-journalist, but there’s a lot of neuroscience behind this. Gratitude and public recognition, it boosts dopamine—makes people feel seen. I once read a paper where just a few positive recognitions a week actually increased engagement metrics—we’re talking like 10% higher than the control group. It’s cool that Pierson’s team has taken that into their own hands, not just top-down.Yeah, and engagement’s not just numbers on a dashboard, is it? Eli—again with the Eli stories—reminded me of the office mural project. You know, everyone painted something. Eli tried to paint a kangaroo, somehow ended up with a stick figure with three arms. It didn’t matter that it looked odd. It mattered that he put himself out there and, as Pierson said, “it belonged on the wall as much as the perfect ones.” That’s unfiltered team culture.When people say they want authenticity in a workplace, I think that’s what they mean—letting everyone have their fingerprints, or their abstract stick figures, on the business. Pierson’s approach here is a far cry from the compliance-focused, paperwork-fueled world we discussed in our Jellypod episode. Completely different side of leadership, but just as vital for scaling success.It’s the people stuff, isn’t it? The messy, creative, human bit. And it’s why folks stick around at Jolly Pops, not just for the quirky wellness perks, but because they’re part of something real and a little unexpected. That’s what we’ll keep exploring, with Pierson’s playbook as our guide.Right, thanks for listening, everyone. We’re just scratching the surface on all things culture and wellness in tech. I’m keen to dig into even more practical habits next time. Ed, Jasper—cheers, gents.A pleasure as always. Take care—all of you out there. See you in the next episode!Thanks for tuning in, everyone! Remember, stretch, snack, and send us your weirdest office wellness stories—we might just feature them on air! Catch you next time on Pierson’s New Sup.

Episodes

Wellness at Work with Pierson Marks