We decided it would be interesting to take a look at some of the unique perks that come with working for specific companies. Take a look below to see what these companies are offering, and how some are adapting to better suit their employees in this era of remote work.

---

Here at Quick Base, we’ve expanded our Wellness Benefit program for all employees. This benefit is typically $650 per calendar year and provides reimbursement for anything wellness related, anything from a gym membership to a bike to fishing gear. To help support our employees during the pandemic, we increased the benefit to $850 through the end of 2020, and also encourage employees to use this reimbursement to make working remotely easier. Employees have used the Wellness Benefit for desks, office chairs, even a coffee subscription! We’ve also encouraged employees to take the flexibility they need; we have so many employees balancing work, kids at home, caring for family members (furry family members included!) and we want to ease the stress as much as possible.   

Explore Quick Base's company page

---

Tulip offers a special budget to create employee-led, Bottom-up events! So if an employee has a crazy cocktail hour they want to run for the team, lead a book club, or find teammates who would like to go kayaking on the Charles, they are welcome to organize and utilize the budget to do so!

Explore Tulip's company page

---

Pre-Covid we offered a commuter stipend and have now converted that into a work from home stipend. It goes into your first paycheck of the month for you to use for whatever office supplies you may need. 

Explore Piaggio Fast Forward's company page

---

We cover 100% of health, dental, and vision insurance premiums for both our employees and their families because we truly want to take care of our people.

Explore connectrn's company page

---

Virgin Pulse offers free lunch when you go into the office. 

Explore Virgin Pulse's company page

---

At Yesware we moved from in-person, in-office meditation and yoga classes to virtual versions of both. We're also doing more unique virtual team building events through Thriver, who is offering pretty interesting events. So far we did a trivia night and we're also going to be doing a virtual magic show. But probably the most unique thing we did was through Goat2Meeting, where we paid a donation to an animal sanctuary and farm and got a virtual tour and met a bunch of animals over Zoom!

Explore Yesware's company page

---

While we are also doing the GrubHub giftcard to new employees in place of the first day team lunch they would normally go on, we are ALSO doing a free Headspace membership for all employees. Headspace is a mindfulness app that has workouts, meditations, and more!

Explore everquote's company page

---

We offered employees every 3rd Friday off for a Wellness Day in 2020. This allows staff and their families to disconnect, focus on adapting to our new normal and to generally recharge. In addition,we also have partnered with ModernHealth, an employee wellness platform that offers wellness services for mental health, professional coaching, meditation and more!

Explore edb's company page

---

We have a Monday morning all hands. We used to order breakfast into the office. Now, we have been sending some random breakfast related packages - everything from Tatte gift baskets to Flour Pop-Tart baking kits. We try to always send from local businesses, as we know they are also struggling to adapt to the new normal!

Explore numerated's company page

---

Our of our core values is Meritocracy and when we see great performance, we want to reward it. We spun up the Starburst Swag Store, and managers can issue "All-Star Bucks" (We call our team members All-Stars), and employees can redeem them for cool branded swag. This also helps us welcome new employees with All-Star Bucks so they can get themselves outfitted and ready to represent the company!

Explore starburst's company page

---

Our employees’ mental health has been top of mind throughout the pandemic. To support employees throughout this stressful time, our CEO, David Cancel, spontaneously gave the entire company four extra days off over the summer. We also have started guided yoga and meditation breaks during the workday, and we have provided a subscription to the Headspace meditation app for all employees free of charge. Another unique perk that Drift offers is our sabbatical - after every three years of employment every Drift employee has the opportunity to take a one month sabbatical. We have seen a lot of our three year employees take advantage of this in fun, unique ways, especially during the pandemic.

Explore drift's company page

---

A few of Veeva's unique perks include:

• Veeva Giving: At the beginning of each year, every employee has the equivalent of 1% of their base salary to give to the non-profit or charity of their choice. Our employees are passionate about different causes and this gives them the autonomy and ability to make a donation towards what matters to them most.
• Work Anywhere: Our employees have the choice to work from home or in an office on any given day. We want everyone to work in an environment that is best for their productivity and life needs.
• Veeva Break: Veeva closes its offices around the globe for a week at the end of December. By taking time off together, it allows for all of us to get a better break with family and friends and be recharged for the New Year.

Explore veeva's company page

---

Due to COVID-19, Hydrow evaluated its current benefit's offering and made some necessary changes to continue supporting our people across all levels. Here are a few of the perks we are excited to offer: 

• A yearly subscription for all employees to Headspace because we want to put our employee's health and happiness first.
• A Coffee of the Month to foster a shared and connected experience during our daily work-from-home lives as well as maybe widen our coffee tastes by trying encouraging employees to try something new that they've not tasted before (if an employee does not drink coffee they can use the reimbursement for tea, soft drink, etc. - anything non-alcoholic).
• We launched Hydrow’s Parental Program to help our full-time employees with children under the age of 16 with childcare and more. This new benefit, started September 2020 and will run through May 2021, was part of our larger commitment to creating a culture that is awake, aware, and in action when it comes to helping our crew when they need it most.
• And lastly, be understanding and flexible with work schedules by reinforcing internal policies.

Explore Recorded Hydrow's company page

---

Some of the unique perks that Mimecast has to offer include: 

• SitterStream: A virtual, on-demand babysitting (ages 5-9) and tutoring (ages 10+) service offering 30, 60, and 90-minute engaging, fun, and educational sessions for your children.
• Screen Stars: A virtual, on-demand babysitting (ages 4-9), and homework support service (target age range of 10-18). This service will support accountability and planning for homework. Note that this is not tutoring, which SitterStream provides.
• Caregivers Employee Resource Group: The mission of this employee resource group is to provide space for Mimecasters, who are caregivers at home, to share experiences, best-practices, and connect with one another.

Explore Mimecast's company page

---

At TRUX we have been offering exclusive perks including:

• Socially distanced outing for small groups like apple picking or golf (following all the state guidelines).
• We gave employees the tech/tools they need to make an at-home "office away from the office" with wireless keyboards, additional monitors, bookshelves, desks, and more.
• Job sharing and flex-time to help employees balance work/home life.
• We are offering to pay a portion of each employee's internet/wireless bill.

Explore TRUX's company page

---

On top of fantastic Blue Cross Blue Shield medical options, Klaviyo also offers:   

• WFH stipend to set up at home office needs
• Klaviyo University: Klaviyo University was founded in 2019 to provide company-wide learning and development opportunities across the entire company. One of our core values at Klaviyo is that we are curious and we aspire to “always be learning.”
• Training & Learning Allowance: each employee is eligible to spend up to $3,000 per year on training and learning related expenses.
• Fitness reimbursement for in-class and online + new wellness reimbursements coming in January 2021, to include more than just gym memberships and classes.
• Parental leave: All parents are entitled to up to16 weeks fully paid parental leave

Explore Klaviyo's company page

---

Some of the unique perks at Nexthink include:

• Competitive Compensation & Benefits: Nexthink offers 100% healthcare coverage to its employees, as well as dental, vision and life insurance. Employees are offered stock option grants, pension plans, 401K plans, retirement plans, and other great benefits
• Time Off When Needed: Nexthink knows life isn't always work, work, work. It's important for employees to recharge their batteries and take care of their health - especially during these times. The company offers flexible work hours, paid time off, sick days, paid holidays, volunteer time off, sabbatical, bereavement leave, unlimited PTO, and 16 weeks maternity leave and 4 weeks paternity leave.
• Development and Volunteer Opportunities: Nexthink encourages its employees to push their careers where they want to go. Nexthink offers professional development, tuition assistance, apprenticeship programs, job training, diversity programming and more. Nexthink also recently launched the CSR platform - Alaya - globally. The platform allows individual employees to donate time and funds to non-profits of their choice and get company support for initiatives close to their hearts.

Explore nexthink's company page 

---

A few of the unique alterations Rapid7 made to adjust to in this new remote world include:

• Financial allotment for WFH setups
• Global days off to unplug, rest, and recharge
• Daily Lunchtime Trivia in Slack with a $25 (or country equivalent) donation to organization of choice
• Friday Concert Series highlighting guests and our own Moosicians  

Explore Rapid7's company page 

---

We wanted to ensure that our employees were set up for success and felt supported when we first transitioned to working remotely as a company. We have tried to remain as flexible in our hours as possible to balance work and home life for employees and provided additional company-wide days 

One of the benefits we began to offer was a Home Office Stipend. This allows team members to furnish their home workspaces with whatever they may need. We also expanded our monthly Remote Work Stipend to all employees to cover additional electric or internet costs while working from home. 

We have also shared Uber Eats vouchers for the whole company to celebrate monthly birthdays and anniversaries.

Additionally, we were focused on supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our team members by offering a free subscription to the Calm meditation app. This was part of a greater effort of providing resources and information to support our team during a difficult transition and  any personal situations people may have been experiencing. 

Since we are an audio tech company we thought this aligned well with how we work since Calm offers music, meditation, stories, peaceful background sounds, and even offers things for children!   

Explore iZotope's company page

---

I had a chance to round up some of our awesome benefits that were introduced once we went remote. Here they are:

• Generous home office and telecommute stipend
• Virtual Fitness Classes
• Virtual Open Mic Nights
• Loaner laptop program for parents with children doing virtual learning
• The Kinda Guide, a weekly resource for parents with tips and tricks for navigating remote learning, in partnership with EdNavigator 
• Expanded care benefits to help employees who are balancing caring for others while working remotely 

Explore toast's company page

Carbon Black is committed to investing in diversity and inclusion and views this as a critical source to our long-term success. To help us improve, drive change, and foster our people’s professional development, we found Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) can play a significant role in creating a better workplace. If you're an organization considering ways to enhance your company culture, consider ERGs.

What is an Employee Resource Group?

ERGs are employee-led, self-directed volunteer groups that investigate and share opportunities to network, foster mentoring and career development, and attract diverse talent.

Why are ERGs Important?

ERGs not only create inclusive communities where employees can feel supported, but they also enrich your overall company culture. Here are some things they can do:

• Serve as champions for diversity and inclusion at your organization and help identify opportunities to become more inclusive.

• Identify best practices and communicate broadly for others to consider using.

• Benefit personally and professionally through networking, professional development, and learning opportunities.

• Share knowledge, raise cultural awareness, and enhance your company’s cultural competence and links to the community.

• Work as an employee support system, providing coaching, education, personal growth, best practices, and idea sharing.

• Help with recruitment and retention efforts.

How Does it Work?

Internal employees sign up to serve as ERG leaders. These leaders will fully run and manage all events and communication for their ERG group, with support and guidance from your HR or Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) team. A D&I Project Manager (PM) will host quarterly check-ins to ensure progress is made toward initiatives and money is allocated efficiently.

How Can Your Company Support the ERGs?

You'll need to work with your finance team to determine an annual budget and share this with ERG leaders at the time the ERG is formed.

In establishing the ERG, you need to appoint someone who can manage the expenses for accounting purposes. They need to understand how to forecast and budget so expenses don’t exceed available funds.

Recommended Positions for ERGs

The following are the recommended positions when forming Employee Resource Groups. However, individuals can take on more than one role if interested or needed.

ERG Chair

The overall lead for the ERG will manage the group and is responsible for communications, activities, and frequency of meetings. Groups will meet quarterly (in-person or virtually) at a minimum. This person will respond to employee inquiries that can be tied to the group’s mission.

As your ERG forms and grows, you may need to customize and add roles that align with your group.

ERG Bookkeeper

This ERG member will be responsible for managing the annual budget. The bookkeeper is accountable for providing the accounting of their expenses to HR at quarterly check-ins.

ERG PR/Events Chair(s)

This ERG member will be responsible for managing the ERG’s communication channels.

For events, ERG groups can host internal and external discussions and events (depending on available resources). Should they chose to host, promote, or attend an event outside of your organization, have the ERG work with the D&I PM to ensure leadership and/or PR is aware of how and when your company’s logo and name will be utilized in a public-facing manner.

ERG Advisor

This is a member of your senior leadership team who is a supporter and advocate for the group, providing strategic guidance and serving as a liaison to other leaders within the ERG and HR. He/She acts as a mentor to the ERG Chair. This role is recommended for those ERG Chairs who have not managed a team or been part of a highly cross-functional team but is not required.

Employee Resource Groups are invaluable in an organization’s mission to become a more inclusive employer where all employees feel like they can bring their true self to work. Building these and supporting them will not only help your company culture, but they will also be a wonderful resource while improving diversity and inclusion.

---

Coworking. It’s a style of work where people who regularly work from home, freelancers, and remote workers can come together at a centralized location. Coworking spaces will provide desks, Wi-Fi, food and beverages, and other amenities that corporate offices offer.

Coworking spaces are also growing in presence around the country and Boston is no different. Last week, we took a deep dive into what coworking is and how it benefits Boston’s innovation community and ecosystem. In that feature story, we showcased WeWork, Workbar, and Cambridge Innovation Center.

However, there are more than just three coworking spaces in Boston. Below is a slideshow we’ve compiled featuring over 20 coworking spaces in the city that have their unique features. If you’re curious about joining one of them, a link is on each slide.

---