“I struggled with postnatal depression. Getting therapy through work helped me recover.”
Written by
Nausheen Eusuf
Alicia Riley, People & Talent Lead at Ben
Alicia is the kind of person who’s always doing a million things.
She thrives in fast-paced, high-energy environments. As Head of People at edtech startup Arbor, she saw the company headcount triple in size. She was constantly on the go, meeting people, and loving the busy whirlwind that was her life.
So when she went on maternity leave in June 2020, it was hard to switch off. She and her husband were thrilled to be expecting their first child, but the pregnancy itself had been physically and emotionally draining. The pandemic lockdown also added a layer of stress.
“I completely underestimated the feeling of isolation when you go on maternity leave. Work was a massive part of my life. I was constantly connected and in meetings all the time. And then suddenly there’s a cut-off. It’s a really odd switch.”
There was also anxiety at the back of her mind. A prior miscarriage made her very aware of how fragile pregnancy is. She hoped everything would go smoothly this time.
Your best performer hands in their notice — you didn’t see it coming. The quieter tone in meetings, the delayed replies, the subtle signals you missed.
It’s a familiar story for any leader moving fast.
As COO of some of Europe’s fastest-growing companies, I saw this pattern everywhere.
Managers drowning in admin. Reviews that changed nothing. Systems that inadvertently slowed teams down instead of speeding them up.
The problem wasn’t the people. Even the most committed teams can’t thrive inside broken systems. That insight sparked the idea for something new.
That’s why we created Oli — the AI performance partner redefining how teams work, learn, and grow.
Oli lives where work happens — it feels like having a calm, capable co-pilot during chaos, in Slack and Teams. It sends smart prompts and insights that help managers and teams stay aligned, act early, and improve daily.
Think of it as a partner in your corner — part coach, part assistant. Always on, it helps your team work better together.
How Oli helps
Here’s how Oli turns those challenges into results.
---------------------------------------
- Save time on busy work
Automate updates, check-ins, follow-ups, and even draft performance reviews so managers can focus on leading, not chasing. - Spot problems before they explode
Oli sees early signals in communication, projects, and sentiment, surfacing what needs attention before it becomes a blocker. - Turn performance into a daily habit
Help teams give better feedback, align on goals, and grow careers — turning performance management into a daily rhythm of improvement.
---------------------------------------
Together, these make up what we call Performance Enablement, a new way to help teams move faster, with more clarity and less friction.
Why this matters
For years, companies have tried to drive performance through reviews, dashboards, and engagement surveys.
But these systems measure performance — they don’t improve it.
Oli changes that. It builds momentum directly into the way teams work.
No dashboards to fill, no extra meetings to run, no waiting for end-of-quarter feedback.
Just better habits, built every day.
👉 Oli doesn’t measure performance. It improves it.
No leader should find out too late that their best people are struggling.
The future of performance isn’t about pressure or process; it’s about clarity, focus, and small, timely actions that help people do their best work every day.
That’s the future we’re building with Oli — helping teams stay connected and leaders stay ahead.
Welcome to Oli — the AI performance partner for modern teams.
Try our interactive demo →
---
Huw, Cofounder & CEO @ Oli
Still, some things are missing:
- Avatar fallback – we’ll use initials.
- Sidebar loader according to the new changes.
- asdfasdf
I’ll push the changes to staging if you don’t notice any issues.