Arity Dares to Challenge What’s Possible In a Work-From-Home Setting

It’s a weekday afternoon, and Ellen Hacker is savoring the midday sun that warms her duplex patio. The jingle of her dog’s collar twinkles idyllically over outdoor tiling as she waters the green beginnings of her vegetable garden. Ellen’s best friend, Hannah, lobs a cheery greeting from her neighboring unit. 

For Hacker, a digital marketing coordinator at Arity, this isn’t a dream day off — it’s a typical lunch break working from home.

“It might seem mundane, but these small moments are huge,” said Hacker. “It’s something I’ll never take for granted.” 

Hacker found her way to the Allstate subsidiary after outgrowing her former in-person manufacturing role. Once at Arity, she gained the space and confidence to move from Chicago to South Carolina to live with her partner. In her new role, Hacker has embraced her status as a non-morning person, comfortably starting her day at 9 a.m. In short, she’s built a rich personal life beyond work, thanks to Arity’s 100 percent remote model. 

At Arity, flexible work-from-home hours are more than a platitude. They are a core strand of its DNA. Arity affords its employees – from West Coast to East, pet parents to human parents – the power to own their work day.

“It lets me know my company trusts me to get my job done in the way I think it needs to be,” Hacker said.

“It’s also really nice to be able to do laundry in the middle of the day,” she added, laughing. 

‘On a Personal Note’

At Arity, the potential for personal progress has soared far beyond Employee Engagement Lead Consultant Meghan O’Neill’s expectations.

From her start in the Allstate Leadership Development program through her steady climb to the upper echelons of the creative culture team, O’Neill has touched sweeping projects, like an enterprise-wide recognition program. 

“I’ve gotten to do so many things I once would have told you weren’t possible in a remote setting,” O’Neill said. “We’ve embraced a culture wherein we give people opportunities to stretch beyond their day-to-day role.” 

Growth doesn’t always equate to promotion, she noted. Lateral movement can break open a new world of experience. 

“From a career perspective, I really appreciate the ability to contribute to projects that reach beyond the traditional job description,” said O’Neill. 

This perpetual runway for growth lies in Arity’s unconditional trust in its workforce, which is fostered by consistent communication and flexible scheduling. Within the scrum environment, teams work through sprints, touching base daily and conducting biweekly reviews. The hyper-connected culture allows Arity’s employees to create the life they want to live, noted O’Neill.  

I’ve gotten to do so many things I once would have told you weren’t possible in a remote setting.”

For O’Neill, that life includes realizing both career milestones and personal dreams.

When the company announced its permanent transition to remote work, O’Neill began a concerted search for a house in her hometown in Southern Ohio. She found a gem, just ten minutes from her parents: a miniature version of her childhood home, perfectly identical from the hue of the paint to the familiar creak of the front porch.

“On a personal note, I bought my dream home,” O’Neill said, beaming. “Sometimes, my mom will stop by on a random Wednesday for happy hour and a chat.”

“It’s something remote work at Arity has given me,” she added. 

‘People, Not Offices, Make Us Unique’ 

Hailing from finance-based roles in corporate strategy and mergers and acquisitions, Director Dan Regan has always been drawn to the thrill of the unknown that Arity offers. 

“I joined Allstate before Arity was created, and I had the chance to help set up the structure of the company and how it fit within the organization,” he said. “What drove me was the massive industry opportunity we have to transform insurance using data.” 

What Regan didn’t anticipate was the closeness that Arity’s work-from-home model would develop in the aftermath of the pandemic and the remote revolution. From its inception, Arity opened an office in Chicago’s tech hub to attract top talent. With its identity once embedded in its open concept space in the Windy City, Arity has evolved its culture to transcend a home base.

“Arity’s culture has always been its strength — it’s the people, not the space, that make us unique,” he said. 

With this cultural evolution has come the natural expansion to international hiring. Arity has always worked with teams across the globe, in Northern Ireland and India, and being a fully remote company now gives them the opportunity to hire across the U.S. as well. As Arity’s global footprint grows, culture initiatives and a shared sense of purpose have tied the team together.

“You can’t fake caring,” he said. “We take time for recognition, to celebrate new employees, to talk about business and personal accomplishments, to highlight diversity.” 

Within this culture of care, Regan has found opportunities to connect more deeply with his coworkers. 

“We’ve embraced remote tools — like Microsoft Teams or even texts — to make it easier to reach out,” Regan said. “I’ve grown my personal network exponentially in our remote setting.”  

There’s something else Regan has reclaimed in his work-from-home life: time. 

In the 15, 20, 60 minutes Regan has redeemed by cutting his commute to the office and between conference rooms, he has earned the chance to steal moments with his family.

There’s something else Regan has reclaimed in his work-from-home life: time.” 

“The minutes add up,” Regan said. “I get to see my kids as soon as they come home from school.”

“And we were able to adopt a pandemic puppy, Milo,” he added, smiling at his work companion sprawled contentedly on the office couch. 

‘I Feel Cared For’

When Ellen Hacker interviews potential candidates, there’s one aspect of life at Arity she hopes to make clear.

“I feel cared for here,” Hacker said. “As a young woman and member of the LGBTQ+ community, I’ve felt truly welcomed, included and heard.” 

In Hacker’s eyes, care lies in the company’s monthly DEI discussions, transparent discussions with Arity’s VP and the conversations that happen in the quiet moments. 

“Recently, I was walking with a colleague between events at our on-site, and she just let me ramble about my partner and our new home together,” she said, smiling. “It was wonderful.” 

As a culture leader, O’Neill sees this minutia as the crux of building impactful employee relationships. In tandem with her teammates, she is currently in the process of meeting with every member of the company as a means of fostering lasting connections and transparent feedback. 

“When I think of the future, first and foremost, I know we’ll continue to truly hear our employees,” she said.