Employee benefits at Basecamp (m.signalvnoise.com)
over 7 years ago from Dominik Porada, Designer
over 7 years ago from Dominik Porada, Designer
It's great to see a company who treat their employees well in a concrete rather than a superficial way (e.g. "We have ping-pong tables!").
Yeah. Basecamp, at basically every opportunity I've seen, have shown they are an amazing company to work for.
I used to take classes in their office in Chicago. They also have ping-pong tables.
A lot of these benefits (or better versions like 52 weeks of paid parental leave and 5 weeks of vacation) are standard by law here in Denmark. It's really great to see a company like Basecamp doing a lot for its employers, but is the standard really that much worse in other companies in the U.S.? Asking as a non-U.S. citizen
This is the biggest argument for myself to not work in the US. I want to live, not work! #SpoliedSwede
The increase in compensation more than makes up for it.
Is it that much higher? Every time I see a salary comparison the pay is 50-70% higher here in Denmark than in the U.S.
Absolutely. At my company, here's the paid maternity leave policy:
up to 1yr - 0 weeks
more 1 but less than 2 yrs - 3 weeks
more than 2 but less than 3 yrs - 4 weeks
more than 3 yrs - 5 weeks.
In addition, we can take up to 12 weeks unpaid leave (federal law, only applies to employees who have worked at a company with more than 50 employees at least a year)
I get about 12 days weeks vacation per year (at most, I could get 15 days/yr here)
Let's say I use all time off available to me for my pregnancy/maternity leave. I could have job security for 19 weeks (almost 5 months), only 7 of which would be paid. Hopefully Christmas is during this time, otherwise it'll be a bit lonely: I'd be working in a nearly empty office (because everyone else is using their vacation) and depending on how far away my family is, may or may not be able to travel to see them for the holidays.
If I cannot afford to take unpaid leave but take all my vacation time, I can be home for almost 2 months. All of this is less if I had to go on bedrest or had some issue before giving birth that forced me to start leave early or want to take any other days off for any reason.
Every time I read anything written by either Jason or David I feel like I'm wasting my life, I need to do something to get control of my life.
wait what. since when is signalvnoise on medium?
Making use of Medium as a distribution channel.
These benefits seem pretty standard for "corporate" design gigs in the US. No vision benefit though (come one). I know they offer several different types of jobs, but the design / dev / ux team needs a vision benefit. That is basically a slap in the face to anyone who has to use their eyes all day staring at a monitor.
For some reason, you seem to be feeling very entitled. This benefit package is excellent, and I would wager significantly more than most folks get (which is a partially-subsidized healthcare plan and a 401k, if they're lucky). I think you overestimate the generosity of employers and I seriously doubt this stuff is as "standard" as you say.
I've never worked professionally for anything other than a large corporation, so these benefits are "standard" to me (apologies if I seem entitled, I just have no clue what is offered outside the corporate sector).
I do applaud Basecamp for following suit with a corporate benefits package though. It really does make their employees feel appreciated I'm sure.
"Vision Benefits" are a must though, IMO.
My company has better benefits than this...I feel like I won a prize because people seem to think these are really good? Idk.
I mean I get $500 per month for office space, full health (vision, dental, health) completely 100% paid, unlimited PTO, 6 months fully paid paternity, $3000 per year for education/conferences, $150 for "healthy perks" - so stuff like gym membership, etc.
All of my friends at different companies have very similar benefits. I don't really see the big deal.
I'd say unlimited PTO is their next step incentive wise. Most corporate design shops are moving in that direction.
What company is this?
So much respect for this company. Amazing to watch them grow and change throughout the years.
I second this! It's especially exciting to watch a remote team doing so well. More remote jobs in the future! (hopefully)
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