“Putting people first” isn’t just a catchy tagline. It’s a mission statement that’s baked into each company policy, diversity initiative, and employee engagement program.
That’s why LiveIntent was named in Inc.’s Best Places to Work in 2022 list.
“We invest heavily in creating a suite of perks and benefits to support people and help them live their best work life,” said Abby Hamilton, chief people officer at LiveIntent. “People want to be seen, heard, and recognized for the work that they do.”
Especially in the wake of a global pandemic and heightened conversations about the importance of diversity and inclusion, LiveIntent makes sure each decision is made with people’s needs and wellbeing in mind.
“From the top down, the company has shown through actions rather than words that our needs as employees matter; that our identities as individuals, our passions, and our goals are just as important to company culture as our bottom line,” said IT director Mike Wallach.
“I am both proud and unsurprised that Inc has recognized LiveIntent as one of the Best Places to Work in 2022,” said Ally Salerno, customer success manager. “Between our flexible hybrid workplace policy, our health and wellness programs to promote healthy work-life balance, and our programs and initiatives to support diversity and growth, LiveIntent has created a workplace culture that truly puts people first. I continuously feel heard, empowered, and appreciated in my day-to-day interactions with coworkers. It all starts with a strong foundation —with LiveIntent’s core values and vision, we’ve built just that.”
From employee resource groups like BlackIntent and PrideIntent to flexible paid time off and comprehensive health coverage, LiveIntent continues to create a workplace culture that puts its people first.
Here’s how.
Treating people like people
LiveIntent supports health and wellness with 100 percent paid health coverage for employees and their families, including medical, dental, and vision insurance. New parents are also granted 12 weeks of paid leave — that includes surrogacy and adoption. Even those beloved pets get insurance, not to mention their own dedicated Slack channel, The-Bark-Side.
LiveIntent also offers flexible paid time off, giving people the autonomy they deserve to make the best decisions for themselves. “We trust that you know what you need to get things done, so if you need a day off, you should take it,” Hamilton said. “We’ve seen a really positive response from people in doing that, in treating them like adults.”
When it comes to mental health resources, employees are given free subscriptions to the Calm app, as well as payment for yoga and workout classes.
Building safe, inclusive spaces
LiveIntent is home to several employee resource groups (ERGs) that foster belonging, inclusion, and diversity. These employee-led communities include BlackIntent, Women with Intent, Parents of LiveIntent, PrideIntent, Juntos, Asian Alliance at LiveIntent, and Neurodiversity at LiveIntent.
“I want to be clear, we didn’t play catch up with this,” Hamilton said. “This was something that started before the murder of George Floyd and was amplified significantly after. Diversity is a top priority for us and a big driver of our success.”
Women with Intent, for example, has hosted a fundraiser for Girls on the Run, a Q&A panel with influential leaders, and multiple book discussions. And to commemorate Black History Month, BlackIntent ran a fundraiser for The Trayvon Martin Foundation and The Black Youth Project, as well as a panel discussion about career growth and development, being Black in tech, and mentorship.
Creating work-life harmony
Work-life balance might’ve been appropriate pre-pandemic. Now that more people are working from home, however, it’s important for them to foster a state of work-life harmony.
“It’s about making sure you can do both — that you can be successful in your work and career and be able to do the things you love with the people you love,” Hamilton said.
To help people navigate this new normal, LiveIntent regularly runs surveys and gathers feedback. “When it came to figuring out, ‘what does the future of an office look like?’ we asked,” Hamilton said. “We used that feedback and listened to make the most informed decisions, but it’s an iterative process. What matters now may not matter in 2023.”
As Hamilton noted, there’s no best practice manual on how to handle a hybrid workforce during a war and potentially an economic recession while still coming out of a pandemic. (Oh, if only there were.) All she knows is that there’s no going backwards.
“You can’t put the genie back in the bottle, so how can we learn from this?” she said. “None of us expected that this was going to happen, but some unique and potentially really special things came out of that time.”
LiveIntent, for example, isn’t mandating a return to the office and has downsized its headquarters in New York City. Instead, the company offers a space where people can come together and collaborate as needed. LiveIntent also gives employees up to $400 for work-from-home expenses and $100 a month to cover other expenses like cell phone and WiFi bills.
Still learning, still growing
Even with this recognition from Inc., LiveIntent hasn’t cracked the case on building the perfect company culture. Because a company that truly puts people first must always be willing to learn and adapt to their ever-changing needs.
“We’re still learning, we’re still growing, and we recognize that we’re not going to get everything right,” Hamilton said. “But I think there’s a realness to that, which people appreciate as well. We’re seeing what sticks and seeing what resonates with our people.”
So, regardless of which new programs, initiatives, and benefits may emerge, LiveIntent will stay true to its guiding mission.
“I hope that we continue to embody ‘putting people first,’ and I hope — not just LiveIntent, but the work world in general — doesn’t lose the insights that we gained during this time,” Hamilton said. “Keep asking, keep being curious, and keep trying new things. If we’re not trying new things, we’re not adapting. So I hope that’s what we continue to do.”
