While reviewing applications for the Top 100, our team could not help but shine a spotlight on a handful of early-stage companies that are reevaluating and upleveling what it means to care for their employees. Don’t be intimidated. Be inspired! We’ve all got some thinking (and action) to do on unlimited PTO, maternity leave, remote life, healthcare, etc.
"Our VP of People personally has an ongoing "listening tour" of the company, meeting with all employees 1:1. Managers meet 1:1 weekly with reports, and those same managers with leadership. Everyone knows their voice can be heard and that they can be impactful regardless of role, tenure and seniority; this is baked into our culture."
- Formic Technologies
"Every week [we offer] free DoorDash lunch for whoever made the most entertaining mistake... because it's important to celebrate mistakes."
- FruitScout
"We offer unlimited time off with a mandatory minimum to ensure that employees take vacation. We will shut off employees’ emails if they don’t take vacation. Only a note from the CEO can exempt them.”
- Climate.AI
"On top of our flexible remote work policy, unlimited PTO, and flat culture, we also pay employees $2,000 in cash or $10,000 in stock options for taking two weeks of real, sustained time off, away from work."
- Toggle AI
"Annual WFH equipment stipends to be used on whatever makes them feel happier and healthier. [...] Daily coffee/tea/boba stipend to encourage team bonding and cross-functional collaboration."
- Arc
"Most importantly, we celebrate it when people ask hard questions or disagree with someone. For example, as a founder, I have made it a point to publicly recognize Eric Li, our first design hire and now Head of Design, for disagreeing with me on a number of different product decisions. By working together and understanding each other's viewpoints, we've always been able to come up with a product strategy that is better than either of us could have done on our own, and we have so much respect for each other, it's clear that the disagreements are about the problem we're solving, they're not personal."
- Vareto
"Weekly pulse taker - anonymous way to track the team's mood and energy."
- Bttn