Benefits and perks

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Having a flexible work schedule is becoming one of the most sought-after job perks. According to a survey conducted by FlexJobs, 97% of respondents said a job with flexibility would have a positive impact on their overall quality of life.

Here are a few reasons why a flexible work schedule might change your life:

1. It Can Allow You To Do What You Love Outside Of Work

Woman on laptop works a flexible work schedule

Erik Freeman, a benefits advisor representing Aflac, strongly believes today's employees work far more hours than those of past generations. However, he lives by a different credo. "I work to live, not live to work," he explains. "With Aflac, I create my own schedule around my life goals, like raising a family and producing rock albums with my band."

Luis Correa, who is also a benefits advisor representing Aflac, says that working as an independent agent allows him to thrive both at work and outside of work. "It has provided me with the flexibility and financial resources to create my own schedule in a way that allows me to pursue my passions and still be fully committed to servicing my clients," he states.

2. It Can Give You The Opportunity To Focus On Your Health

Happy man on laptop working from home with a flexible work schedule

Freeman believes having time to focus on mental health, wellness, and hobbies is huge, and his opinion is shared by many others. According to the FlexJobs survey, 79% of respondents said a flexible work schedule would make them healthier, and 87% said it would lower their stress levels.

Freeman, who once worked long hours in retail for another company, says he often went home completely exhausted from helping so many people and meeting high expectations. As a result of stress, he ended up gaining weight, losing energy, and developing harmful personal habits to cope with the stress. "If companies really want healthy employees that create efficient results, they need to take a big look at how they're helping their employees stay up with their life goals," he says.

3. It Helps Free Up Time For Family And Friends

Working mom holds her baby while on a flexible work schedule

For Heather Siems, a district sales coordinator representing Aflac, having the flexibility to spend ample amounts of time with her family while still working full time was a huge selling point when she accepted the opportunity with Aflac. "I knew that I wanted the flexibility as I started a family, so I could go to dance practices and soccer games but still work full time," she says.

Having a flexible schedule as well as the ability to work from home has allowed Siems to spend more time with her family and watch her children grow.

4. It Can Give You Time To Travel

Man on laptop with a flexible work schedule works from home

Do you wish you had more time to travel? You're not alone. More than half (58%) of FlexJobs' survey participants said they want a flexible work schedule for that reason.

For Shyla Syverson, an Aflac benefits advisor from Montana, being able to take vacations and trips on her own time is a huge bonus. "I started working as a benefits advisor with Aflac for a variety of reasons, and one of those was for the flexibility that being an entrepreneur can offer," she says. "As a result of really hard work and taking care of my policyholders and clients, I have been able to travel more than I ever imagined possible. I can enjoy the great outdoors of Montana and also travel the world."

5. It Can Make You A More Productive Employee

Woman takes a break while on a flexible work schedule

Working in an office atmosphere 40 hours a week may affect your productivity. Between interruptions from co-workers, a loud atmosphere, and other distractions, it can be hard to focus on your projects. Studies show that having a flexible work schedule can actually make you a more productive employee. Having the ability to work whenever and wherever you want can help you to complete your tasks more efficiently.

Syverson says she believes workplace productivity is enhanced by a healthy time-off policy. "When an employee knows they can take time off without there being backlash or feelings of guilt, they will want to work hard for the company," she explains.

6. It Can Make You Appreciate Your Job More

Man works from home while on a flexible work schedule

A recent study conducted by Leadership IQ revealed that people who work from home are 87% more likely to "love" their job than people who do not.

Being able to spend time with your family, having the ability to travel, and being able to pursue your passions outside of work all contribute to a solid work-life balance. This makes sense because when you are happy outside of work and productive when you are working, you are generally more satisfied.

Do you want a flexible work schedule?

These are just a few of the benefits stemming from a flexible work scheduleâthere are many more. Aflac offers flexible, independent contractor (or agent) roles that can give you the power to do the things YOU want to do. If you are interested in pursuing a career that allows flexibility, check out opportunities with Aflac.

Need help finding a job with a flexible work schedule?

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This post is sponsored by Aflac. Aflac agents are independent agents and are not employees of Aflac. Aflac herein means American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus and American Family Life Assurance Company of New York. This post was originally published at an earlier date.

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6 Reasons A Flexible Work Schedule Will …

4 Things You Should Know About Working At EQRx

EQRx is a new type of pharmaceutical company committed to developing and delivering innovative medicines to patients at radically lower prices. Leveraging cutting-edge science and technology and strategic partnerships with stakeholders from across the healthcare system, EQRx aims to provide innovative, patent-protected medicines more efficiently and cost-effectively than ever before.

EQRx encourages people to take smart risks and cultivate innovative thinking.

Their mission aspires to make a broad societal impact—to improve access to important new medicines for people who need them most—which attracts the kind of people who think outside the box, who want to do things differently, and who believe there is a better way.

EQRx is assembling a team of top talent from across the pharma/biotech industry, as well as from other industries, who each bring their skills to building a different kind of company from the ground up, with new approaches to tackle tough challenges. If this sounds like you, here's what you should know about working at EQRx...

#BeYouAtEQ

$\u200bEQRx employee works from home.$

EQRx is not looking for just another “culture fit"—they’re looking for a culture ADD. This is why they have an internal philosophy that empowers their team to be themselves—every day and in every way. #BeYouAtEQ encourages the EQRx team to bring their most authentic selves to work, including their big, bold, and out-of-the-box ideas!

#BeYouAtEQ is way more than just a hashtag at EQRx. And the people who are #RemakingMedicine are so much more than their job title. The phrase "Be you at EQ" is a huge part of EQRx's culture and it's been their mantra from the very beginning.

The pharmaceutical company wanted to create and nurture a culture that is about inclusion and diversity of thought. To disrupt an industry, they need people who bring different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. They want their team to feel comfortable asking questions like "why" and "why not?" That's why they've created the space for people to feel the freedom to be 100% themselves.

EQRx's Tapestory

Across EQRx, they are a rich tapestry of individuals, each employee bringing something unique to their team, like the different squares within a patchwork quilt. To celebrate their individuality and the powerful way they come together as one collective community, they have designed, created, and sewn together what they’ve termed a “tapestory.” This tapestory proudly displays their individual stories and the people who are a part of EQRx’s growing history.

EQRx asked their teammates, “If you could think of one object that tells us more about who you are, and a part of your story, what would it be?” This information morphed into a beautifully illustrated and embroidered square within the EQRx Tapestory. Their physical, digital, and e-book “Tapestory” will continue to grow as their team grows, with each new teammate comes new stories, perspectives, and backgrounds. EQRx's physical tapestory is hung in their Cambridge Hub for viewing, and they work with employees to highlight individual stories internally and externally to bring their unique experiences (and EQRx's company culture) to life.

These stories and objects have ranged from everything from a phoenix (representing a woman who dreamed of having a large family, but her life changed forever when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer...she is now a survivor and adopted five children) all the way to a pair of keys (representing the keys to their partner’s house—the fact they're able to tell their coworkers where they’re going with no judgement... #BeYouAtEQ) and so much more in between.

Virtual First

$\u200bEQRx employees meet virtually.$

The EQRx team is geographically spread out, but together, they’ve cultivated a “virtual-first” approach to working, with digital collaboration tools integrated into their day-to-day work, and their virtual “HQ” intranet and virtual forums that help to keep their employees informed and engaged.

EQRx had to address the challenge of working together and building a new company in a remote environment.

EQRx launched in January 2020, just before the world shut down for the pandemic. They have actually built the company virtually through the pandemic, growing from 25 people in March 2020 to now more than 300!

They also created a policy called “T30”—Tuesday, Thursday Time Off—to help combat the Zoom fatigue, where their team has designated time to step away from their computer, run an errand, or have some time for themselves. They trust their team to get their work done—no matter where they are. EQRx also has many fun virtual activities like happy hours, volunteer events, and even some awesome SWAG gifts. They needed to find a way to still achieve those meaningful interactions that are harder to come by in a virtual world, so that’s exactly what they did.

Benefits Of Working At EQRx

EQRx's approach to benefits has been very different from most start-ups. From the very beginning, their founders and leadership team wanted their benefits to truly stand out and to make sure their team had access to great options. The company's benefits allow EQRx-ers to focus on their work and know that they and their families are being taken care of.

Highlights of EQRx's benefits include:

Parental leave
100% covered medical, dental, and vision
Legal & pet insurance
401(k) matching program
Volunteer hours and unlimited vacation
SWAG and many fun team activities
Working for a company that’s trying to help change the world

Interested in working at EQRx? Check out their careers page today!

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4 Things You Should Know About Working …

Backblaze Leans On Its Culture To Thrive After COVID-19

The new workplace reality brought on by COVID-19 has thrown a lot of businesses for a loop. But having a strong business and culture going into the pandemic has helped California-based Backblaze not only adjust to the changing workplace environment, but keep the company moving forward in a positive direction.

Backblaze provides online computer backup and cloud storage for personal computers and businesses. The company, which is usually always hiring, believes that many of the things that it was doing prior to the pandemic has helped to keep it successful.

Employee Perks Take On A New Meaning

Backblaze gives employees an equipment stipend to help them set up their home workstations.

One of the more unique benefits offered by Backblaze is the employee equipment perk. Employees that work at the company's San Mateo headquarters are provided with an ergonomically supported workstation and then given a stipend to help customize that workstation to meet their needs.

In some cases, employees will use the stipend to purchase equipment, like a secondary workstation to have at home, or other high-efficiency tools such as iPads or smartwatches, according to Ramya Ramamoorthy, Marketing Recruitment Coordinator at Backblaze.

Ramamoorthy said the goal of the stipend is for employees to buy what they need to be comfortable and productive. The perk has taken on added importance recently when COVID-19 forced the Backblaze workforce to work from home.

"During COVID a lot of our employees have been using their employee equipment perk to purchase things like a desk and chair, computer monitor, or anything they need to set up their workstation because a lot of people didn't have that prior to COVID because most people were working in the office," Ramamoorthy says.

Backblaze has also been flexible with the stipend based on an individual's need for their home office. For example, the company has approved portable A/C units, ellipticals for under the desk, and even a coffee maker, because the company believes all these items can keep health, comfort, and productivity up while employees are working from home.

Backblaze also provides a monthly stipend to employees who are now required to work from home, but may need help upgrading their internet connection.

Ramamoorthy says the company offered work from home flexibility prior to the pandemic, and even had some employees that worked remotely full time. "I think the fact that we all at some point, even if it was only for a day or two, worked from home was really helpful in the transition," Ramamoorthy says.

Another perk that has taken on an added importance is the Employee Assistance Plan (EAP), which allows employees unlimited phone consultations. Ramamoorthy says the company wants its employees to have access to confidential counseling services to help them through any challenges relating to work, family, stress, finances, and other personal issues.

"COVID is such a challenging time. We want our employees to be happy and talk to anyone if they need to," Ramamoorthy says.

Keeping The Workplace Connected

Employees from Backblaze take part in a video meeting.

Workplace culture has always been a sense of pride for Backblaze. When employees were in the office, the company's "Fun Committee" would often plan social events to bring the workforce together. These events included happy hours, milestone celebrations, and Family Fun Days, to name a few events.

These events have gone virtual since the COVID-19 pandemic, but that hasn't stopped the Fun Committee from getting creative, according to Ramamoorthy. The committee recently held storytime events for the children of employees, where actors playing Disney characters read and sang.

The company has also been holding virtual happy hours and wellness classes, including yoga, meditation, and Zumba classes.

Prior to shelter-in-place, Backblaze offered fully stocked micro-kitchens with free snacks in the office as well as free breakfast and lunch twice a week, and pets were allowed at the office.

Ramamoorthy says company leadership is constantly reassessing when going back to the office might be feasible and safe for employees. When employees do return to the office, the company will look to resume as many workplace traditions as possible.

Consistent & Steady Leadership

All five of Backblaze's founders still work at the company, and in normal circumstances, it was fairly common for company leaders to walk around the office and chat with employees on a regular basis, according to Ramamoorthy. Managers would also take their employees on "walk-and-talk" meetings.

Video conferencing is being used by management to stay connected to the workforce during COVID-19. Company co-founder Brian Wilson has virtual office hours every week where he goes over interesting facts about the company and answers any questions that employees may have.

"Although these gestures may seem simple, our founders are bridging the gap between themselves and the rest of the employees by encouraging conversations and getting to know team members," Ramamoorthy says.

Other Interesting Facts About Working At Backblaze

The Backblaze data center in Sacramento, California.

Here are some benefits and perks at Backblaze:

The company offers 100% healthcare coverage, 401K retirement plans, and paid maternity/paternity leave
The company offers an unlimited vacation policy
The company employs over 160 employees
In addition to its headquarters in San Mateo, Backblaze has data centers in Sacramento, Phoenix, and Amsterdam

Career Opportunities At Backblaze

Backblaze is currently hiring for multiple positions.

Backblaze is hiring!

Ramamoorthy says the pandemic has not impacted Backblaze's staffing, and that the company is usually always on the lookout for more people to join the team.

"We're very lucky that during this time people are still using our services, and I think it's because our service is almost essential," Ramamoorthy says. "We're very fortunate to be in this situation."

The interview process is entirely remote, and there's a coding exercise for those applying for engineering positions.

Does your business have a unique story to tell? Consider being featured by Work It Daily! Work It Daily has an engaged audience of individuals either looking for a job or are focused on career growth—the perfect audience to get your company in front of.

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Backblaze Leans On Its Culture To Thrive …

Dropbox Is Adding To Its Changing Workforce

In a fast-paced world, it can be hard to get organized. For many, Dropbox's products help them with those efforts. But have you ever wondered what it's like behind the scenes at Dropbox? Perhaps even considered working there?

How Dropbox Wants To Change The Workforce

Dropbox employees collaborate together on a project.

Dropbox is a file-hosting service and its online platform allows users to upload and transfer their files to personal cloud storage that they can access and share from anywhere with an account.

When Dropbox started in 2007, the company's mission was to give people a simpler way to keep files in sync. Through the years, the company's focus has shifted slightly and today its mission is to build the world's first smart workforce by designing products that reduce busywork and allow its users to focus on work that matters.

For Dropbox, creating a smart workforce means eliminating the need for teams to switch between platforms, apps, and content types, and creating one central digital environment that brings all of their content together for collaboration.

As one can imagine, creating a smart workforce in an environment that's constantly changing can come with its challenges, and while Dropbox's workforce is over 2,000 employees deep, the company is usually on the lookout for more talent that can help it accomplish its mission.

What Dropbox Is Looking For In An Employee

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Dropbox is a global workforce with hundreds of remote jobs available.

Career opportunities at Dropbox are broken down into the following teams:

Building a product - design, engineering, and product
Grow a business - business strategy & operations, communications, finance, legal, marketing, business development team, sales & channel, and customer experience
Empower people - administrative team, office, and recruiting & people
Start a career - university graduates & interns

4 Things To Know About Dropbox

Dropbox employees work on virtual teams as part of the company's virtual first approach.

Dropbox is a virtual-first company.

Anyone who has taken a virtual tour of Dropbox's San Francisco office space knows that Dropbox puts a great emphasis on creative workspaces where co-workers can collaborate, so shifting to a remote workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic was certainly a culture shift for the company.

But despite some challenges along the way, Dropbox continued to deliver on its mission during the shift to remote work, and a majority of employees enjoyed the shift and felt more focused.

Understanding that the workforce is changing, Dropbox decided to become a virtual-first company. This means that remote work will be the primary experience for all employees, while the company works on strategies for future in-person collaboration and team gathering either through the company's existing offices or other collaborative spaces that will be called Dropbox Studios and be located where Dropbox currently has offices (San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, and Dublin to start).

The company admits that building a virtual-first company is an ongoing process that will have many steps along the way.

Dropbox is committed to veterans and others with diverse backgrounds.

Dropbox is an equal opportunity employer that welcomes employees from all kinds of backgrounds.

One particular area of growth is employees with past military experience. In late 2020, the company launched a recruitment program targeted at career opportunities for veterans. The company also identified specific roles for which veteran applicants would be especially well-qualified. The focus on recruiting veterans was spearheaded by the company's employee resource group (ERG) Vets at Dropbox.

"At Dropbox, we're always looking to hire talented people with integrity and grit — characteristics core to military veterans. It's important to Dropbox that we're intentional about building an inclusive culture, and we should all care about ensuring our veterans go on to great careers after their service," Dropbox co-founder and CEO Drew Houston said in a statement on the company's website.

While veterans are a recent example, the company has other ERGs focused on similar initiatives to diversify Dropbox's workforce. Those groups include Asians at Dropbox, BlackDropboxers, Latinx, Pridebox (LGBTQ), Women at Dropbox, ATX Diversity, and the Dropbox Empowerment Network.

Dropbox is hopeful that the shift to a virtual-first workplace will only enhance these efforts.

Dropbox's benefits and perks are focused on employee well-being.

Dropbox offers competitive medical, dental, vision, life, and disability plans, and 401(k) matching, but is also aware that some employees' needs are different than others. Since the workforce is now remote, the company is focused on offering wellness challenges and other activities to help keeps its workforce fit and connected. The company also offers a wellness reimbursement that can be used towards expenses such as gym memberships, massages, fitness equipment, and more.

The company also provides employees with options for assistance in setting up their home offices, along with generous time-off policies.

Dropbox provides a world of knowledge.

Whether you're a Dropbox employee, a potential employee, or just an avid Dropbox user, the company's blog is a great place to gain insights into the changing workplace, professional growth, company culture, and industry trends. The blog includes posts from Dropbox employees and guests.

Dropbox's blog currently has a lot of content around remote work and remote work practices, including Dropbox's Virtual First Toolkit, a guide to help its employees with the shift to remote work.

The Dropbox blog is not only a great resource for its own employees but for anyone.

Career Opportunities At Dropbox

Dropbox onboards a new batch of employees.

If you're interested in working at Dropbox, visit the company's careers page to learn more.

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Dropbox Is Adding To Its Changing Workforce

3 Things To Know About Working At Articulate

Are you looking for a remote work opportunity with ultimate flexibility? Articulate may be a company worth exploring.

Here's a snapshot of what it's like to work at Articulate.

What Is Articulate?

Articulate develops e-learning software, content, and resources that change the way the world learns. More than 106,000 organizations worldwide, including 92 of Fortune 100, have created millions of courses using Articulate's online training apps, Articulate 360, and Rise.com.

Articulate 360: Gives e-learning developers what they need to create courses for their learning management systems.

Rise.com: Gives organizations what they need to create, track, and manage their online training in one complete system.

Articulate has a global reach with about 112 million learners in 161 countries using the company's applications. Notable clients of Articulate include Insperity, LexisNexis, and Zillow.

Articulate was founded in 2002 and is a remote-first workplace, giving the company access to talent around the world.

Job Opportunities At Articulate

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Common job openings at Articulate include career opportunities in customer success & support, software engineering, human resources, finance, project management, sales, and marketing, to name a few.

The job interview process at Articulate typically includes a phone screen, an assignment, and sometimes multiple interviews with those you'll work most closely with on the job, according to reviews on Glassdoor.

What It's Like To Work At Articulate

Articulate was named one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces of 2020.

Articulate has a culture score of 4.2/5 on job board website Comparably and was named as one of Inc. magazine's Best Workplaces of 2020. The company has also won many awards for its products.

"We've won more than 90 awards over the last decade for our innovative e-learning apps. They make it stunningly simple to create richly interactive, highly engaging online and mobile courses," the company states on its website.

Articulate puts a lot of focus on autonomy because its workforce is global and remote. Employees are given the tools they need to do their jobs, and as long as they are producing their best work and meeting deadlines, the company doesn't place rules on where and when employees work.

"Autonomy doesn't mean 'work in a vacuum all by your lonesome.' In fact, we're very interdependent and collaborate a lot, so we do need to be available sometimes for our teammates. People on teams decide when they need each other and sync on schedules. A team's work hours are fluid, flexible, and determined by the people they impact...What it boils down to is that we're each given respect, trust, and, ultimately, responsibility. We trust one another to be responsible. To do the job, and do it well. No babysitting required," the company states.

Articulate also usually has an annual retreat to get the workplace together, but recent versions have been digital because of COVID-19.

Some of Articulate's benefits and perks include:

Articulate supplies the tools they need for the job and their home office
Flexible PTO
Wellness benefit ($100 a month towards the wellness program of your choice)
Health insurance, 401(k), supplemental insurance

Careers At Articulate

Articulate has multiple job openings available.

If you're interested in working at Articulate, visit the company's careers page to learn more.

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