In the new world of remote working, IZEA has continued working to improve the experience for employees and keep them connected — even when working apart.
“With the shift to a remote working environment, employee needs have changed, and we have changed the way we support team members,” says Melissia Bruehl, senior director, talent acquisition at IZEA. This includes providing team members with the technology and tools needed to perform their best at work — such as laptops, a monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc., — to give them the optimal work-from-home experience. But IZEA recognizes that tools are only a small part of creating a positive work experience; the company prides itself on providing best-in-class options for benefits as well as a top-notch environment.
IZEA perks and benefits help employees thrive
Creating a positive environment
“We believe our company culture is one of the best perks of being a part of Team IZEA,” says Kaila Kowalski, who was recently hired as manager of workplace culture and communications. Kowalski is responsible for ensuring each team member feels like a valued and vital part of #TeamIZEA and, according to recent internal Comparably surveys, it’s working. Survey results show that 100% of IZEA employees are proud to be a part of their company and that same percentage consider the workplace to be positive.
“We believe in supporting our team members and creating an environment where they can bring their authentic self to the workplace,” she says.
Building teams and ensuring a positive work experience has changed as remote working became more prevalent, but Bruehl says that has only led to finding more creative ways for teams to interact. Employees who are motivated and excited by the challenges and opportunities of their work are likely to be more productive and will reach their goals, so IZEA seeks to implement fun and creativity into every facet of their jobs.
This can include such activities as happy hour trivia, humorous polls on Slack, and even structured chats. Interacting in such fun ways helps team members connect, find commonalities and, ultimately, reinforces a team-oriented mindset. And IZEA also encourages team members to use the remote work environment to their benefit.
“We encourage our team members to take advantage of the freedom of being away from a structured office and work from an environment that allows them to flourish,” Kowalski says.
The added benefits of IZEA
The rewards of working at IZEA go beyond its culture; there are financial benefits as well. Bruehl says this includes offering a fitness reimbursement to encourage employees to live an active, balanced lifestyle. The company also promotes professional development by contributing up to $1,000 per employee to compensate for pre-approved professional license renewals or education and courses related to their work.
While those perks provide immediate rewards for workers, IZEA also thinks long-term, with a 401(k) program that matches up to 50% of employee contributions, up to 8% of their salary. “We highly encourage participation in this plan and urge all employees to save for the future,” says Bruehl.
There’s also an Employee Stock Purchase program that allows employees to purchase stock at a discounted price. And, most recently, it introduced a new program that awards grants of restricted stock units to eligible full-time workers on a quarterly basis based on their tenure and salary.
“We’ve also increased our companywide holidays, including adding four floating holidays so our team members can celebrate important personal milestones or holidays,” Kowalski said. “We believe one of the most critical components for success is a positive employee experience, so we work hard to ensure that.”
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