The idea of tech companies and their perks can sometimes border on cliche: open-concept offices, beer on tap, vibrant color schemes and other choices that buck what’s considered “traditional.”
While this environment can be appealing, some companies have benefits that go far beyond design choices. A stocked kitchen is nice, but things like generous parental leave and substantive professional development opportunities impact workforces in a more profound, meaningful way.
DTLA-based InStride offers benefits that go beyond the norm. The edtech company applies its mission to connect employers with continuing education paths for their employees to its own team, covering 100 percent of tuition upfront.
“We are fortunate to have access to thousands of classes from providers who have proven success educating adult learners who are balancing school, work and family obligations,” Stephen Chu, chief legal and people officer, said. “It starts on day one, and there’s nothing to pay back, even if you leave the company.”
Linktree is also dedicated to its employees’ personal and professional development, offering benefits that allow employees to excel in and out of their workplace. “We provide Linkers with $6,000 AUD annually to help them thrive at and outside of work,” Emily Moore, senior director of people and culture, explained. “In 2023, this will be updated to $7,500 AUD.”
Built In LA chatted with Chu and Moore to learn more about their company’s education and development benefits and their impact on team members.
Edtech company InStride aims to transform workforces by designing and providing employers with continuing education programs for their employees. The DTLA-based company was named one of Built In’s Best Places to Work in LA in 2022.
Describe a unique benefit InStride offers. What is it, when did you roll it out, and how does it work?
InStride provides continuing education opportunities, which is not something many companies offer or even think about. InStriders can participate in the Step Forward program to enroll in online courses and learn new skills, sharpen their knowledge, or even earn a degree, and InStride covers 100 percent of our tuition upfront. We are fortunate to have access to thousands of classes from providers who have proven success educating adult learners who are balancing school, work and family obligations. It starts on day one and there’s nothing to pay back, even if you leave the company.
Step Forward has been a part of the fabric of InStride since 2019. Our mission is to design workforce education programs with corporations, so it follows that we would sponsor a similar program for our own employees. Everyone in the company is eligible to participate, and there’s no waiting period; you can enroll in a course on your first day here. It’s a unique work perk that we hope will catch on as organizations understand all the ways this kind of investment in their people pays off.
Why did InStride pursue this benefit? Are there any stats or data that supported this decision?
InStride’s mission is to enable corporations to offer their employees life-changing education at no cost to the employee. In the past, companies have offered tuition assistance or even tuition reimbursement, but that puts a big burden on prospective learners to pay for their schooling upfront, which is a significant barrier to entry for many people. It’s a shame because the people who would most benefit from additional education, like front-line customer service jobs across industries like retail, hospitality, healthcare, banking and restaurants, are those who can least afford to pay upfront or take out student loans in order to advance their careers. InStride flips the script on a bad situation, leading to much higher participation in our programs as compared to traditional tuition reimbursement programs.
Companies that have strategic workforce education programs like Step Forward reap many benefits, like significant improvement in employee engagement and retention, and it helps get people in the door. InStride’s partners have seen that 20 percent of their job applicants cite their education program as their reason for applying.
The response to Step Forward has been overwhelmingly positive. At first, people are in disbelief that they can get 100 percent tuition coverage for higher education.”
What has the employee response been to this benefit?
The response to Step Forward has been overwhelmingly positive. At first, people are in disbelief that they can get 100 percent tuition coverage for higher education. Once they’ve confirmed that InStride really will pay for them to go to school in whatever field they choose, they’re excited to look at all the courses available to them. InStride’s Step Forward program has more than 2,300 courses, from short-term skills courses on things like Excel and PhotoShop to graduate degrees. InStriders who participate are able to advance their careers, and we’ve had several employees earn a master’s degree.
Our corporate partners have seen similar positive responses. We routinely send out surveys to our partners and to their learners, and we’ve been pleased to find that our Net Promoter Score, which is a measure of satisfaction with a brand, is +71 for our enrolled learners. That’s on a scale of -100 to 100!
Linktree gives creators a way to connect their disparate social networks and connect audiences to their favorite creators — wherever they may be.
Describe a unique benefit Linktree offers. What is it, when did you roll it out, and how does it work?
In January 2022, we launched the Total Rewards Program, a world-class benefits package that takes a holistic and flexible approach to the employee experience.
Alongside existing benefits, above-market remuneration and an employee stock ownership plan for employees at all levels, we provide Linkers with $6,000 AUD annually to help them thrive at and outside of work. In 2023, this will be updated to $7,500 AUD.
As part of their flex benefits, individuals can choose how they’d like to use the money across four pillars: Wellness, growth — both personal and professional — and lifestyle and impact.
We created the most flexible program we could think of, enabling Linkers to make their own decisions about how to increase their well-being.”
Why did Linktree pursue this benefit? Are there any stats or data that supported this decision?
Data from our monthly engagement surveys indicated that our people felt burned out and needed something to encourage well-being. We also did subsequent surveys with our teams to understand what would be meaningful to them in supporting their well-being, and found that well-being meant different things to everyone at Linktree. Seeing this, we created the most flexible program we could think of, enabling Linkers to make their own decisions about how to increase their well-being.
What are the tangible outcomes you’ve seen from this benefit?
Following the launch of our Flex Benefits, eNPS for Linktree drastically increased. We also found that 60 percent of our talent candidates raised the flex benefits policy as the benefit they were most interested in hearing about.
With a 100 percent participation rate in the program, the team at Linktree loves it — it has been voted our best benefit unanimously by our people.
