Recently, major corporations have radically rethought how they do business by establishing livable wages, developing creative equity plans, offering paid parental leave policies, and even pulling out of an entire state in protest of discrimination. In addition
to sending a strong signal that people come first, these organizations are also making
an economic argument to investors that employee-friendly policies pay dividends in reduced turnover and improved business outcome.
But what about small companies, and what about startups? The playbook aims to answer just that.
Read more: https://medium.com/@sarita/we-don-t-need-more-woman-friendly-companies-27a533b1fb9f#.p5iskl75j
2. Foreword
In April 2015, Luminary Labs convened a
broad cross-section of founders, thinkers,
and doers for a lively discussion on how
employee-favorable policies are shaping
21st century business models.
Recently, major corporations have radically
rethought how they do business by estab-
lishing livable wages, developing creative
equity plans, offering paid parental leave
policies, and even pulling out of an entire
state in protest of discrimination. In addition
to sending a strong signal that people come
first, these organizations are also making
an economic argument to investors that
employee-friendly policies pay dividends in
reduced turnover and improved business
outcome. But what about small companies,
and what about startups?
Over the course of the evening, we discussed
the forces behind this sea change, generated
examples of new and creative business imper-
atives, and together, started writing a guide
for the more human company. Following the
event, we curated examples from a diverse
set of growth companies to form this play-
book. While no single policy or company
is perfect, it is our hope that this compila-
tion will provide practical examples for the
startup community.
We see this playbook as a living document,
and look forward to hearing how your com
pany is meeting this 21st century mandate.
Sara Holoubek
CEO & Founder
Luminary Labs
3. Table of Contents
Compensation 4
Plated: Equity for All..............................5
Offerpop: Have a Stake in Success..........6
Pinterest: Have Options for Your Options....7
Ampush: Savings that Grow....................8
Health and Wellbeing 9
General Assembly: We Have You Covered...10
Squarespace: Keep It Simple................. 11
The Muse: Taking the Pulse................... 12
Luminary Labs: Sick Means Sick............. 13
Etsy: Be Happy................................... 14
Allowing for Life 15
Upworthy: The Value of Downtime......... 16
Traackr: Stay Flexible........................... 17
Chartbeat: It Takes a Village................. 18
Change.org: Leave When You Need It.... 19
Career Trajectory 20
DigitalOcean: Funding Learning............. 21
360i: Doubling Down on Reviews..........22
Next Jump: Choose your Leaders........... 23
Birchbox: Happy Tribatical....................24
SocialCode: Learn the Code.................25
Managed by Q: Everyone Cleans......... 26
Bibliography 27
Thank you 29
4. 4 of 29
For the companies in this section, compensation
is more than a paycheck. Plated and Offerpop
have made it possible for every employee to
have a stake in their success through access
to equity. Pinterest has shown that progressive
equity plans make it easier for team members
to share in the rewards of growth. Ampush
has found that supporting financial goals through
401k savings plans is both feasible and valued
by employees.
Compensation
5. 5 of 29
“Every employee is an integral part of the
Plated Team… we believe our non-exempt,
hourly fulfillment center team members are
our most important resource, as they are
the closest to our customer…they are the
backbone of our company.”
platedEquity for All
THE COMPANY
400 employees, founded in 2012
THE POLICY
Plated offers full-time, non-exempt, hourly
employees in their fulfillment centers the
opportunity to participate in an Equity Stock
Options program, at no cost to them, subject
to a minimum eligibility period.
HOW THEY DO IT
Plated administers this plan themselves, rather
than using outsourcing services. They believe
it’s important to provide a tailored approach
to educating all employees on how the Equity
Stock Option Plan is structured and managed,
and its potential value.
6. 6 of 29
“‘When Offerpop succeeds, we all succeed’
isn’t a just a catchy saying. Each of us has
a real stake in the company.”
OfferpopHave a Stake in Success
THE COMPANY
135 employees, founded in 2005
THE POLICY
Offerpop provides options to every employee
as part of their initial offer. Options vest over
4 years, with 1-year cliff vesting and then
monthly vesting afterwards. The 4-year schedule
rewards employees who stick with the com-
pany for the long haul, in addition to grants
based on tenure or performance.
HOW THEY DO IT
Offerpop uses Anvil to automate their stock
option administration process. They offer
sessions for new hires explaining what an
option is, with a focus on making employees
comfortable asking options-related questions.
7. 7 of 29
“We’ve just made it much easier for
team members to leave in one of the
most competitive recruiting environments
of all time. But that’s a trade-off we got
comfortable with.”
PinterestHave Options for Your Options
THE COMPANY
700 employees, founded in 2010
THE POLICY
People who have worked at Pinterest for at
least 2 years and decide to leave for any
reason are given 7 years to exercise their
options instead of the usual 90 days.
HOW THEY DO IT
Pinterest started by gaining alignment on their
philosophy around retention and equity. They
offer some questions other companies should
ask themselves: Do you believe that equity
is part of annual compensation and that your
team should have access to it early? Or do
you believe that it’s intended to be a reward
only if and when the company goes public
or gets acquired? This philosophy will drive
the decision.
8. 8 of 29
“Ampush cares about the wellbeing of our
employees, and we want to provide helpful
tools for them to reach their long-term goals.
Providing a 401k plan is a huge benefit in
itself, and adding a matching component is
icing on the cake.”
AmpushSavings that Grow
THE COMPANY
150 employees, founded in 2009
THE POLICY
Ampush offers both traditional and Roth 401k
options for full-time employees, and Ampush
matches $0.50 per $1.00 up to 4% of the
employee’s base annual salary with an auto-
increase of the deferral percentage by 1%
each year (100% vested).
HOW THEY DO IT
Their plan began in 2014 with balance of
$0, and they grew it by implementing auto-
enrollment and providing an employer match
structured so that employees would be incen-
tivised to contribute more. They’ve also part-
nered with advisors to offer informational
sessions and webinars, and distributed help-
ful resources from their 401k partners.
9. 9 of 29
Health & Wellbeing
The companies in this section believe that healthy
companies need healthy employees — meaning
they shouldn’t have to worry about paying
for a doctor’s visit or losing pay when they’re
ill. General Assembly, Squarespace, and
The Muse prioritize insurance coverage. At
Luminary Labs sick means sick, and Etsy uses
employee happiness as a measurement for
overall health.
10. 10 of 29
“Ping pong tables and beer kegs can be fun,
but we’ve found candidates and employees
most appreciate practical considerations like
affordable monthly health benefits costs,
eliminating their monthly phone bill, and the
ability to take our classes for free.”
General
AssemblyWe Have You Covered
THE COMPANY
400 employees, founded in 2011
THE POLICY
General Assembly covers 90% of health
insurance premium costs for every one of
its U.S. employees.
HOW THEY DO IT
GA was an early adopter of Sherpaa, the
healthcare concierge service that provides
employees with a dashboard to access physi-
cians, insurance information, and more. This
has helped the company provide better rates
(and reduced employee contributions), and
also means GA employees have in-a-moment
access to medical advice and resources.
11. 11 of 29
“One of the company’s core values is to
simplify, and this extends to our health
insurance policy. By ensuring all employees
remain healthy and happy, we’re enabling
them to be productive in the workplace.”
SquarespaceKeep It Simple
THE COMPANY
508 employees, founded in 2004
THE POLICY
Squarespace covers 100% of the premium
for employees and their dependents, begin-
ning the first of the month following their hire
date. They cover both in- and out-of-network
expenses, and provide global medical insur-
ance to all employees for personal travel.
HOW THEY DO IT
Squarespace recommends finding a health
insurance program that is easy to setup and
maintain. They strive to offer a fantastic policy
to all employees, while keeping the sign-up
process as streamlined as possible. They
prioritize administrative efficiencies to ensure
the program is sustainable and can scale with
the company’s growth.
12. 12 of 29
“It’s important for us as a company that our
team is healthy and has good coverage;
we certainly don’t want them opting out of
insurance because it’s expensive.”
The MuseTaking the Pulse
THE COMPANY
51 employees, founded in 2011
THE POLICY
The Muse covers 100% of medical insurance
and 80% of dental insurance for its employees.
HOW THEY DO IT
The Muse decided to focus on health insurance
after surveying its employees to understand
which benefits, social activities, and ideas
they care about most. It’s important to manage
ment that the team has a voice in decisions
that impact them, and every time they’re
asked, they give great feedback that allows
The Muse to keep improving.
13. 13 of 29
“We’re constantly surprised by how many
new employees come from environments
where sick means ‘power through it.’ We
encourage them to take the time they need
to recuperate, so we can all stay healthy.”
Luminary Labssick means sick
THE COMPANY
14 employees, founded in 2009
THE POLICY
Luminary Labs provides employees with 8
paid sick days a year, and strictly enforces
a “stay home, get better” rule when team
members feel under the weather. At the first
sign of illness, sniffling employees are often
sent home to rest and recuperate.
HOW THEY DO IT
Luminary Labs puts recuperation first, and
knows that it’s important for employees to
recover quickly so they can bring their A-game
to work and life. Keeping these values at
the forefront, other team members work
nimbly to pick up the slack and prioritize
pending deliverables.
14. 14 of 29
“What’s missing from so many employee
surveys is the personal element. Instead of
retrofitting a standard measurement system,
we began by figuring out what we value
most as a company and worked backwards
towards how we measure those values.”
EtsyBe Happy
THE COMPANY
757 employees, founded in 2005
THE POLICY
Inspired by the country of Bhutan, Etsy pub-
lishes an annual Happiness Report based
on an employee survey which over 90% of
employees typically respond to. Etsy then
anonymizes responses and makes them avai
lable to the entire company, in addition to
releasing a summary report to the public.
HOW THEY DO IT
Etsy partnered with University of Pennsylvania’s
Positive Psychology Center to use the PERMA
framework, a model to study happiness with
core elements of psychological well-being. The
survey evaluates employee sentiment about
life outside of work, their colleagues, and Etsy
as a company.
15. 15 of 29
The following employers support fulfilling careers
by empowering the non-work activities that
enrich their employees’ lives. Importance is
placed on working to live, not the other way
around. They believe that parents, regardless
of gender, should spend time with the recent
additions to their families. Upworthy incentivizes
vacation and Traackr maintains flexible remote
work environments, while Chartbeat and
Change.org make sure parents get the time
they need with their children.
allowing for life
16. 16 of 29
“We strongly believe that taking time
away from work is important for our staff’s
well-being as well as their work.”
UpworthyThe Value of Downtime
THE COMPANY
80 employees, founded in 2012
THE POLICY
After 3 months of full-time employment, Upworthy
provides an employee with a yearly $1,000
vacation stipend to reimburse staff members
for vacation-related expenses. Staff members
can use the full amount at once or can submit
partial requests for expenses for different trips.
HOW THEY DO IT
Everyone at Upworthy has unlimited time off
— the company enforces a minimum, not a
maximum. And to make sure folks are actually
recharging, they offer the vacation bonus and
require that the time be used for taking a
actual “phone-off, not-checking-in” vacations.
17. 17 of 29
“Chartbeat genuinely believes in creating an
inclusive workplace, and that means building
a company with policies that cater to every
one from our interns to seasoned employees.”
ChartbeatIt Takes a Village
THE COMPANY
98 employees, founded in 2009
THE POLICY
Chartbeat provides primary caregivers with
12 weeks of paid maternal or paternal leave,
plus 4 weeks of transitional flex time at 100%
salary. Secondary caregivers are eligible for
6 weeks paid leave at 100% salary.
HOW THEY DO IT
Chartbeat suggests other small companies
survey teams to ask them to prioritize benefits
and perks. Employee opinions matter and
it’s up to leadership teams to craft a policy,
like maternal and paternal leave, that makes
sense for their company culture.
18. 18 of 29
“Generous, paid parental leave eliminates
the financial hardship of unpaid leave and
ensures that all families are able to spend
important time with new children. The result
is that employees are less stressed, more
engaged, and more productive when they
come back to work.”
Change.orgLeave When You Need It
THE COMPANY
300 employees, founded in 2007
THE POLICY
Change.org provides 18 weeks of fully paid
parental leave for every new parent globally
— regardless of gender, or whether the child
is biological or adopted. Leave can be taken
non-consecutively, within one year of the
child’s arrival.
HOW THEY DO IT
Change.org conducted a robust cost-benefit
analysis. They believe building the right cul-
ture of support, and attracting and retaining
top talent, far exceeds the policy’s cost.
19. 19 of 29
“Our vacation and remote work policies
reflect that although we work hard and
are committed to our jobs, we recognize
everyone has lives outside of work.”
TraackrStay Flexible
THE COMPANY
30 employees, founded in 2009
THE POLICY
Traackr blends an unlimited vacation policy
with a remote workforce to give employees
maximum work/life flexibility. With a team
spread over the U.S. and Canada, employ-
ees work with their managers to customize
daily work schedules and enable extended
trips abroad.
HOW THEY DO IT
As a company without a full-time HR depart-
ment, implementation was very organic and
based on employee needs. Internally they
use communications solutions like Slack and
weekly all-hands meetings that promote trans
parency and cross-departmental collaboration,
so remote employees are just as dialed in as
those on site.
20. 20 of 29
The companies in this section believe that an
investment in their employees’ growth leads to
better retention, leadership, and results. Digital
Ocean promotes learning through books and
conference attendance, while 360i and Next
Jump focus on fostering leaders through man-
ager and peer reviews. Meanwhile, Birchbox
celebrates career longevity with “stay interviews,”
and SocialCode steeps newbies in the company’s
learning culture. At Managed by Q, senior
leaders mop floors to understand what it takes
for their team of cleaners to thrive.
career trajectory
21. 21 of 29
“Because our mission is to create an amaz
ing experience for developers, we want
to create an amazing experience for our
employees too.”
DigitalOceanFunding Learning
THE COMPANY
170 employees, founded in 2012
THE POLICY
DigitalOcean gives each employee a Kindle
loaded with books that have influenced the
founders, and also funds attendance to at
least one conference per year related to an
employee’s career growth or personal devel-
opment. All managers attend a 6-week inter-
active learning bootcamp on managerial skills.
HOW THEY DO IT
DigitalOcean believes that as part of a rapidly
growing company, every employee deserves
the opportunity to grow and develop with them.
They have discovered that developing and
supporting team member growth drives the
innovation the company needs to build the best
and simplest cloud infrastructure experience.
22. 22 of 29
“Our guiding principle is simple. We believe
that alignment on three things is the most
important: What do our employees want?
What does our company need? What do our
clients need?”
360iDoubling Down on Reviews
THE COMPANY
800 employees, founded in 2004
THE POLICY
Rather than annual performance reviews, 360i
has twice-a-year reviews focused on person-
alized development in order to create career
ownership. 360i also ensures cross-functional
knowledge sharing at a capabilities day
where teams teach one another about agency
offerings and highlight the best work in every
practice area.
why THEY DO IT
Instead of top-down management, 360i uses
a “team of teams” approach. Aligning on goals
on the individual and team levels provides the
accountability and business context for the
agency to thrive.
23. 23 of 29
“Our mantra is ‘Better Me + Better You =
Better Us.’ We believe that in order to make
the world a better place, we each need
to focus on bettering ourselves physically,
emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.”
Next JumpChoose your Leaders
THE COMPANY
200 employees, founded in 1994
THE POLICY
At Next Jump, the leadership team is an ann
ually peer-voted group of 21 individuals
named MV21. The team reflects and rewards
the employee growth process; 70% of the
group are “home grown” leaders who started
in entry-level positions and developed into
company leaders.
HOW THEY DO IT
Each year, the entire company votes on 21
individuals they want to see as leaders. The
staff considers who takes ownership, deter-
mining which team members are role models
in their focus on personal development and
deliberate growth, in giving back by coaching
other Next Jumpers, and in showing empathy
for clients and users.
24. 24 of 29
“We want to remind long-term employees
how much we truly value them and their
contributions to the company and support
them in thinking about what’s next.”
BirchboxHappy Tribatical
THE COMPANY
400 employees, founded in 2010
THE POLICY
On their third anniversary, Birchbox employ-
ees receive an increase in equity, 3 consecu-
tive weeks of vacation with a travel stipend,
an invitation to dinner with the CEO, and
a “3 Years & Beyond Stay Interview” with
their manager.
HOW THEY DO IT
Birchbox uses the performance management
tool Namely to implement the Stay Interview.
They’ve developed questions by searching
through Stay Interview literature and adapting
practices to match Birchbox’s culture and val-
ues. Development Opportunity is one of their
top-rated engagement factors, and Birchbox
actively cultivates a continued culture of learn-
ing and growth through its various programs.
25. 25 of 29
“This program gives employees the landscape
to understand the impact they can and
will have at the larger company and team
level. Its larger reason for being is that
we are a learning culture and this program
is all about offering an open book to
understanding SocialCode.”
SocialCodeLearn the Code
THE COMPANY
196 employees, founded in 2010
THE POLICY
Every 8 weeks, SocialCode requires all new
employees to attend a 3-day training that
delves into the ins and outs of the company
and industry. Each cohort graduates from the
program with an understanding of how they
fit into the big picture. The session culminates
in a “forget the code” happy hour with the
local office so new employees get to know
their hosting office as well.
HOW THEY DO IT
The program is led by SocialCode’s training
team. Their advice: don’t aim to make your
grassroots training program perfect, get it
started and iterate. Employees are hungry and
engaged, so feed them with your mission,
vision and know-how.
26. 26 of 29
“It is critically important that everyone in the
organization understand what goes into
making our clients happy to keep us aligned
as an organization and empathetic to the
needs of our colleagues who work in the field.”
Managed by QEveryone Cleans
THE COMPANY
400 employees, founded in 2013
THE POLICY
At Managed by Q, everybody cleans. Whether
joining as a software engineer or an office
cleaner, the first week on the job begins with
learning how to clean an office late into the
night. This policy ensures that the entire com
pany, regardless of position, stays aligned
and acutely aware of the hard work required
of their field operators for Q to succeed.
HOW THEY DO IT
Management has embraced this policy as
central to the company culture. They also put
a big focus on promoting from within: all
of Managed by Q’s supervisors have been
promoted from entry-level roles, and it’s not
unusual for cleaners to move up the ranks.
27. Bibliography
Benefits Design
“How Google weighs all of its crazy-
awesome perks,” Business Insider. Jillian
D’Onfro, 04/07/15
Allowing for Life
“The Return of the nine-to-five,” The Economist,
11/10/14
“Silicon Valley: Perks for some employees,
struggles for parents,” New York Times,
Claire Cain Miller, 04/04/15
“An unusual new policy for working mothers,”
Washington Post, Jena McGregor, 03/06/15
“Work Hard, Live Well,” Medium, Dustin
Moskovitz, Dustin Moskovitz, 08/20/15
“A Toxic Work World,” New York Times,
Anne-Marie Slaughter, 09/18/15
“How our Small Startup Affords to Offer
Paid Maternity Leave,” Mary Ellen Slater,
03/18/15
“Beyond doing half the Parenting,” Anil Dash,
09/28/15
“The Great Divide in Workplace Benefits,”
New York Times, 09/23/15
“Getting Creative About Benefits for Parents
with Midweek ‘Playdates,’” David Zax,
10/02/15
27 of 29
28. Bibliography(cont’d)
Diversity
“Managing unconscious bias.” Facebook
Managing Bias.
“Silicon Valley leaders, new to social issues,
come together over Indiana law,” New York
Times, Nick Wingfield, 03/31/15
Career Trajectory
“Why Top Fund Managers Want Better HR,”
WSJ, Lauren Weber, 09/08/15
“Digital Taylorism,” The Economist,
09/12/15
Compensation
“Pinterest removes golden handcuffs,”
Business Insider, Jillian D’Onfro, 04/02/15
“Starbucks to revise policies for its 130,000
baristas,” New York Times, Jodi Kantor,
08/14/14
“Behind the hype over Aetna’s minimum wage
boost,” Fortune, Barbara Dyer, 01/20/15
“Corporate America strikes a liberal note on
wages,” Politico, Brian Mahoney, 04/02/15
28 of 29
29. thank you
partners
We’d like to thank the individuals and com-
panies who made The Human Company
Playbook, v1.0 possible, as well as our
partners NY Tech Meetup and The Muse.
photo and design
Thank you to the artists below, who provided
the images for the book under the Creative
Commons License on Flickr:
Loren Kerns, flickr.com/photos/lorenkerns
Jonathan Rieke, flickr.com/photos/jonathanrieke
highlights6, flickr.com/photos/highlights6
Design by Dorothea Lee, farthermore.com
29 of 29
Interested in contributing to v2.0?
Write us: humancompany@luminary-labs.com | #humanco