Werk

Werk emerged as an enterprise SaaS platform from New York City, co-founded in 2016 by Anna Auerbach and Annie Dean to address the structural challenges of workplace flexibility. The founders connected over their shared experiences as working mothers in demanding careers—Auerbach as a Harvard Business School graduate and former McKinsey consultant, and Dean as a corporate real estate attorney. Their collaboration began after just two phone calls, quickly leading to a business model and the company's incorporation. Initially, Werk operated as a job marketplace, connecting women with pre-vetted, high-level flexible roles at companies like HBO and Deloitte.

The company's business model evolved from a job board to a data-driven SaaS platform. This platform uses behavioral science and predictive analytics to provide companies with insights into the specific flexibility needs of their workforce. It identifies gaps in a company's current offerings and recommends targeted investments to improve productivity, retention, and engagement. The service operates on a B2B model, selling its analytics and solutions directly to enterprises seeking to implement effective flexibility programs. The platform was designed to move beyond generic perks by offering a structured, data-based framework for what the founders termed "mass customization" of work arrangements.

Werk successfully raised approximately $4 million in seed funding from investors including Rethink Impact, Halogen Ventures, and Precursor Ventures. This capital fueled its growth and product development. In March 2020, The Mom Project, a digital talent marketplace focused on female talent, acquired Werk. Following the acquisition, Werk's people analytics platform was integrated into The Mom Project's insights division, which was then rebranded as WerkLabs. This new entity expanded its focus to serve all employees and build better workplaces for everyone, not just women, offering tools like an Employee Experience Index and a Remote Experience Index to corporate clients.

Keywords: workplace flexibility, employee experience, SaaS, people analytics, behavioral science, predictive analytics, future of work, employee retention, employee engagement, workforce analytics, HR technology, Anna Auerbach, Annie Dean, The Mom Project, WerkLabs, remote work solutions, hybrid work, corporate flexibility, data-driven HR, employee needs analysis, flexible work arrangements, job marketplace, talent retention