In today’s competitive job market, retaining top talent is crucial for success. Adriana Cisneros Basulto, co-founder, CEO, and CHRO of Maxwell, recognized the importance of a healthy life-work balance in enhancing job satisfaction. Maxwell offers a range of solutions tailored to workplaces of all sizes and across industries. At its core, Maxwell is a technology platform that delivers balance, joy, and a compelling employee value proposition to keep teams intact.
“The reason we exist is to make employees feel valued by their employer,” Cisneros Basulto said. In 2023, Maxwell took home the Most Innovative HR Tech Award from the Society of HR Management, also receiving funding from industry giants like Google and Techstars.
Through Maxwell, employers can access a suite of tools that simplify benefits administration and foster a culture of appreciation. From instant rewards to personalized life-work solutions, Maxwell ensures that all employees feel supported in their professional environment.
Cisneros Basulto’s journey to founding Maxwell was rooted in her own experiences, having spent over a decade in Human Resources. Being a working mother added another layer of insight on individuals juggling work responsibilities with familial obligations.
“Adriana’s upbringing and background make her uniquely suited to provide that care to each human we support through Maxwell,” her co-founder, Stephen Enke, said. “She has a poise and sincerity that makes you want to follow her. [It’s] crucial to making our mission a success.”
Together, Cisneros Basulto and Enke identified an opportunity to address the specific needs of healthcare workers, a sector to which they both have connections—Cisneros Basulto hails from a family of healthcare workers in Mexico, while Enke’s father is a physician and his mother served as an ER nurse.
“We saw the purpose and hardships that come with working in healthcare,” Enke said. “The amount of burnout is unsustainable. It’s a significant risk to the lifesaving care that everyone will surely need at one point.”
Maxwell is also dedicated to supporting women in the workforce, recognizing that women often shoulder primary caregiving responsibilities, especially in healthcare.
“Healthcare is deeply human—everyone in the healthcare industry focuses on the humans receiving care,” Enke added. “But who is there to care for those caring for us?”
The Maxwell app functions primarily in two ways: employers can allocate a lifestyle spending budget and provide instant rewards and recognition to employees. With funds stored on their in-app Maxwell card, powered by Visa, employees can browse through the life-work marketplace to access solutions like mental health subscriptions, childcare services, and fitness programs. Alternatively, they can download the card to their Apple or Google Wallet for use at any point of sale, or online.
“Employees can also use their budget to pay it forward and reward their peers, similar to Venmo,” Cisneros Basulto said. “It might be something like, ‘Thank you for covering my shift, coffee is on me today!’”
Maxwell’s digital approach ensures accessibility and convenience, particularly for frontline workers. Yet, Maxwell’s services extend across diverse industries, spanning rehabilitation centers, legal firms, startups, coffee shops, and more.
“The employees receiving these benefits are as diverse as their workplaces; someone may save up for a big purchase, and someone else might pay for gas or groceries,” Cisneros Basulto said. In essence, she explained, Maxwell is for any forward-thinking company that prioritizes their workforce’s well-being.
“The number one reason employees across industries say they would leave their workplace is if they feel undervalued,” Cisneros Basulto said. Most employees yearn for a clearer balance between their work and personal life, she added, a desire accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The expectation that employees have today is, ‘I’m happy to work, but I want to have a life outside of work,’” Cisneros Basulto explained. “People think it’s a Gen-Z or millennial thing, but we’ve found that expectation across the board.
“At Maxwell, we believe that work is part of a fulfilling life, but there’s also more to life. While it’s a key component of our existence, work should never feel like we’re running on a treadmill.”
For more information, visit maxwell.app
This article originally appeared in the June/July 2024 issue of B2B Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
