Balancing work and life in a fast-paced tech company is never easy, but it becomes especially challenging once you throw kids (yes, even furry ones) into the mix. As companies — and their employees — mature and conversations around gender equity evolve, it’s become increasingly important for business perks to evolve too, particularly when it comes to parents.
See what these four local companies have to say about the family-friendly perks, designed to support employees inside and outside of the office.
Through its online platform, OpenTable connects people to the restaurants they know and love — as well as the ones they’ve yet to discover. They’re also big on connecting employees who have families with the resources and support they need to bring their best selves to work every day. Benefits Manager Varun Rai shed some light on OpenTable’s robust offerings of family-friendly perks.
What are some of the family-friendly perks you offer to employees?
At OpenTable, we aim to create an environment where you can truly bring your full self to work. For a lot of our people, that means being a parent. In addition to supporting a culture where we encourage employees to be open about their life outside of work, we also have a range of benefits to support parents and families.
For new parents — including those who adopt — we offer up to 10 weeks of paid leave. When an employee returns to work, we welcome them back with a “back to work gift box.” For new moms who are breastfeeding, we have wellness rooms with hospital-grade pumps, and we offer Milk Stork, a service that makes it easy to ship breast milk home during business travel. We also recently started offering LUCY, a service that provides one-on-one coaching for new and expecting parents to support their transition back to work.
How did these policies come about?
We have continued to build out our family-friendly benefits over time to ensure we’re competitive with others in the industry. We also always listen to employee feedback on our policies and for new ideas. An employee recommended Milk Stork last year, so we took a deeper look into that benefit and ultimately made the decision to add that to our offerings.
We think our people do their best work when they can truly be themselves, and that means supporting work-life balance for parents and families.”
Why are these policies important to your company and how do they reflect your overall company culture?
We think our people do their best work when they can truly be themselves, and that means supporting work-life balance for parents and families. We strive to go beyond paid time off to create a well-rounded set of policies and benefits that support all kinds of families. We are proud to share our family-friendly workplace policies earned us a “Healthy Mothers Workplace Award” in 2017.
Alteryx provides a self-service platform that enables analysts to harness the power of their data and extract insights fast from one platform. As a fast-growing company, the company has had to adapt to the evolving needs of its people — including those with growing families. Three Alteryx employees explained how those perks have developed over time.
What are some of the family-friendly perks you offer to employees?
Kellie Morante, senior human resources business partner: Alteryx recently adopted a generous parental leave program in which associates receive 100 percent of their pay with salary continuation for six weeks following the birth, adoption or placement of a child," said "In addition, a birth mother is eligible for maternity disability leave, which provides an additional six weeks of paid leave for the purposes of pregnancy disability and childbirth. And for our associates who consider their furry friends their family, we offer a pet insurance program to help keep our pets healthy and happy.
Anna Roberson, executive assistant: Alteryx Kidz are invited to come hang out with us several times a year. We host “Bring your Sons and Daughters to Work Day” here in Broomfield every April. We showcase each department by setting up expo-like booths in which children participate in fun, interactive activities.
Our Broomfield summer event is also a family affair. Last year we booked a spot at the Boulder Reservoir and had tons of fun activities for the kiddos. The year before, we booked a theme park in Denver and it was fun for the whole family. As the holidays roll around, we host a holiday party complete with Christmas movies and decorating holiday cookies. Of course, we invite Santa and Mrs. Clause to Alteryx to join the festivities.
How did these policies come about?
Angie Marin, human resources associate: We partner closely with our broker to ensure we’re keeping up with the latest trends in the high-tech industry in an effort to enrich our benefits and perks. We noticed a rise in the number of leaves taken for baby bonding and wanted to provide a way for our associates to take the time off without having to worry about income.
While we expect the best work out of employees, we also believe in taking care of them in return.”
Why are these policies important to your company and how do they reflect your overall company culture?
Marin: At Alteryx, we live by the 'work hard, play hard' motto. While we expect the best work out of employees, we also believe in taking care of them in return and helping provide a work-life balance.
Billtrust’s software automates and streamlines every step of the payment process from invoicing to cash flow management. One of the company’s core values is “family first,” and they’ve gone to great lengths to prove it. Talent Acquisition Manager Suzanne Helmold shared some of the many benefits they offer to their employees and their families.
What are some of the family-friendly perks you offer to employees?
We offer parental leave up to 12 weeks, 100-percent paid, based on years of service as well as adoption assistance, fully equipped wellness rooms for nursing in our two largest locations, and work-life balance. We also offer things like open PTO, “Take Your Child to Work Day” events, FSA programs for dependent care with pre-tax discounts for childcare, disability pay and unique insurance options like cancer insurance to cover extra expenses so families can feel protected in the event of an unexpected illness or accident. We also offer domestic partnership benefits and have a financial advisor who comes on-site to help families plan for college, retirement and other life events. Additionally, we have a discount program on cell phones, Dell computers and entertainment tickets.
How did these policies come about?
We decided to be an employer of choice and support our employees at different stages of their lives.
We stay true to our core value of family first.”
Why are these policies important to your company and how do they reflect your overall company culture?
These policies increase employee satisfaction, allow us to recruit top talent and enforce our values. We stay true to our core value of family first.
OnDeck online loan platform helps small businesses get the loans and credit they need to grow, and they show that same kind of dedication to their team. Max Miller, senior account manager team lead, explained why OnDeck’s family-friendly perks have been especially important to him and his growing family.
What are some of the family-friendly perks you offer to employees?
OnDeck has a very generous parental leave program, allowing employees paid time off for up to 10 weeks, depending on the length of service. The leave program was so important to my wife and I as we adjusted to life as new parents.
How did these policies come about?
OnDeck realizes work-life balance is critical in today’s world. I am proud to say I work for a great company that takes my well-being into consideration inside and out of the office.
Why are these policies important to your company and how do they reflect your overall company culture?
Our culture is what sets us apart from other companies and is why I love working here. PTO, work-from-home days, parental leave and full benefits are just a few of the reasons OnDeck is a great place to work.
