A recent survey by Fractl published in the Harvard Business Review shows that more vacation time is one of the most desired perks by employees in the United States — so much so that over two-thirds of respondents said they would consider a lower-paying job with unlimited vacation.
Luckily, many employers are taking note and starting to incorporate unlimited PTO into their benefits packages. We caught up with three local tech companies where unlimited time off is baked into the culture and asked how they designed such enviable vacation policies.
Michelle Berman, ezCater’s director of marketing communications, said the business catering platform offers a unique take on vacation plan for employees to make room for work-life balance.
What vacation policies/perks does your company offer employees? How did you choose these perks?
When it comes to time off, ezCater offers an “all-you-can-eat” vacation plan. We empower employees to use their best judgement in everything they do, from handling customer requests to taking time off.
How do these policies reflect your company's culture?
Being insanely helpful is core to ezCater's culture. It drives everything we do and how we interact with customers, partners and each other. Strict policies around vacation aren't helpful to anyone, so we offer a huge amount of flexibility around time off and work-life balance. Have people in your life — of any age — who always, often or sometimes need your help? We make room for that. Have a bad thing or a good thing happen to you? We make room for that, too.
LevelUp Talent Recruiter Patrick Morey said the mobile payment platform offers unlimited vacation because it’s a policy that empowers employees and can fit any lifestyle.
What vacation policies/perks does your company offer employees? How did you choose these perks?
LevelUp employees are entitled to completely unlimited paid time off — for vacation, sick or personal time. When building out our vacation policy, we wanted something in place that reflected our culture of freedom and flexibility and empowered our employees to structure their work-life balance in a way that makes the most sense for each individual.
How do these policies reflect your company's culture?
LevelUp thrives off of our unique, dynamic team that comes from all walks of life, so we instituted a flexible policy that can fit any lifestyle. Team members have taken a couple of weeks off to travel the world, or just days here and there as needed. We know that any team member that comes on board understands and respects the responsibility that comes along with such a policy, which has allowed the policy to survive as we've grown from a tiny team to over 200 employees. Here at LevelUp, our focus is always on the work, results and growth we all strive for — as long as those pieces are in place, take as much time as you need to relax and recharge.
Kristen Tronsky, director of human resources at CloudHealth Technologies, said the company offers flexible PTO so that employees can enjoy more autonomy and focus less on the clock.
What vacation policies/perks does your company offer employees? How did you choose these perks?
Our flexible PTO policy was implemented in 2016 as a way to increase the autonomy of our employees and shift the focus from the clock to their actual contributions. We wanted to emphasize the importance of making a business impact, versus how much time team members spend in the office. Our employees invest a lot of time both in and outside of the office as they solve tough challenges and make contributions at CloudHealth that they can be proud of. When it comes to work-life balance, we trust people to find the right mix for themselves while keeping deliverables on the right track.
We believe in the power of transparency to drive collaboration and innovation, so we hold monthly meetings called CHiT CHaTs to review progress, recognize achievement and highlight different areas of the business over drinks and snacks. This allows for candid discussions with the executive team, where people can ask pretty much any question. We also offer great health benefits, generous maternity leave, service days, free food and other fun things to keep everyone's batteries charged and to foster a sense of community and camaraderie.
How do these policies reflect your company's culture?
We're committed to creating the best possible employee experience for our people as we scale, so we'll consider anything that sets employees up for success or improves our culture. Our cultural tenets champion the need to make an impact and innovate to serve our growing customer base. So internally, we're constantly reviewing the intent, business impact and practicality of our policies, programs and perks so that we can make updates or additions that will be more impactful for our people and mission. Our CEO recently wrote a blog post about how “culture” is about more than just having a pet-friendly office or free beer on tap — it’s about having a belief system that’s embodied by your employees.
