These companies offer forward-looking perks to their teams, and resources to use them

by Alton Zenon III
May 29, 2019

Benefits should not be underestimated — they can make or break an employee’s decision to take a job. 

They also have the power to help staff advance their skill sets and can even give team members peace of mind when they leave work. The ultimate perk, however, is when companies actively work to encourage and help their staff take advantage of their benefits, rather than simply putting them on the table and walking away. We heard from leaders at SilkRoad and Focused Labs about some of the perks they offer that gear staff up for personal triumph, and what they do to make sure teams fully capitalize on them.

 

SilkRoad team in a group photo
image via silkroad technology

SilkRoad helps companies manage their onboarding, training and retention strategies through HR software and services. Chief Financial and People Officer Kate O’Neill said the company recently added a wide variety of new perks for team members to take advantage of.

 

What are some things your company offers that set team members up for future success in their personal lives?

SilkRoad recently added some exciting new benefits to enhance the lives of employees, including taking birthdays off; adding a 10th company-paid holiday; offering a 401(k) match and a new volunteer time off program; and an expanded parental leave. We also offer MilkStork, which helps breastfeeding moms when they need to travel. 

We strongly believe in the value of wellness programs and know these set our employees up for success in their personal and professional lives. One of our health and wellness initiatives is a 100-day, team-based wellness program designed to improve physical and emotional well-being, raise awareness of activity levels, diet and sleep — all while having fun and a little friendly competition with our employees around the globe.

We host monthly lunch-and-learn sessions on various topics that highlight health and financial wellness for employees.”

 

How does your company make sure you understand how to take advantage of these forward-focused benefits?

We educate our new hires about our benefits during the onboarding process. We host monthly lunch-and-learn sessions on various topics that highlight health and financial wellness for employees. Some recent topics have included financial advisors reviewing how to make the most of our 401(k) plan, and an attorney session on the importance of estate planning for every age and income level. We also publish useful information in weekly newsletters, on our internal site and via email campaigns throughout the year.

 

Focused Labs leaders in mHub
image via focused labs

Focused Labs is a software services provider that consults with companies on cloud migration, platform deployment and more. CEO Austin Vance said team members can let their inner handyman or woman out through a variety of crafting opportunities available through mHub – a physical product development innovation center.

 

What are some things your company offers that set team members up for future success in their personal lives?

Along with a 401(k), healthcare and other common benefits, we offer Focused Hours, which is time designed to help clients and teammates realize their own potential. It’s a program where employees accrue 10 percent time to work on personal projects, hobbies, go to conferences or tackle anything they think will improve their skills and craft. By being located in mHub, we offer our employees so much more than software side projects. Team members can leverage Focused Hours to laser cut wedding invitations, take a class and learn to weld, build a shelf, or 3D print and paint a costume for a convention. There are so many options available and everyone can flex those creative muscles that make good engineers and teammates.

Team members can leverage Focused Hours to laser cut wedding invitations, take a class and learn to weld.”

 

How does your company make sure you understand how to take advantage of these forward-focused benefits? 

As a small team, we are constantly talking about how to best use our benefits because we want team members to use them all — that’s why they’re there. When it comes to Focused Hours, that’s no exception. As a team, we love to take time to learn how to program the ShopBot, expand our smart homes and weld some new yard art. We also have dedicated time after you complete a project where you can talk about your experience and what you learned.

 

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