How an ERG led to a new benefit for Squarespace

Like many organizations, Squarespace saw the pandemic taking a toll on its employees’ mental health. The leadership team began a system of regular communication and encouraging the use of mental health days as often as needed, but it became evident that more needed to be done.

While employees share feedback via quarterly and annual engagement surveys, focus groups, and Ask-Me-Anything sessions, the Squarespace Diversity and Inclusion team aligns with the seven global employee resource groups (ERGs) and surfaces employee feedback to leadership. The MINDS ERG offers support, awareness and education around mental health, which includes reducing the stigma around the topic and providing resources.

As the Squarespace benefits team evaluated the company’s wellness programs and explored additional mental health supports for employees, the MINDS ERG co-chairs also began doing research. The two groups came together, and the employee co-chairs indicated interest in the meditation and mindfulness app Headspace as a possible solution for helping reduce employee stress and fatigue.

With this recommendation as the basis, the Squarespace people team officially announced all employees would have free access to Headspace starting in December 2020. Since then, 60% of the company’s global employee population have signed up and used Headspace, and throughout 2021, the average active monthly usage rate was 33%.

A commitment to listening

When it comes to its wellness programs, Squarespace says it has three goals:

1. Cultivate a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone feels they belong.
2. Provide employees with the resources and support needed to thrive at the company and beyond.
3. Develop an inspiring culture for delivering the best work.

The company continues to make enhancements to the company’s wellness programs and benefits, keeping employees’ well-being as the priority. Squarespace says, “We are committed to continuing to listen, learn and take action to make our organization culturally responsive.”

Other policies Squarespace has introduced that deliver on its goals and meet employee needs include:

• Paid family leave

Offering eligible employees up to 20 weeks of paid leave, the policy can cover the birth, adoption or foster placement of a child, caring for a family member with a serious health condition or family care during active military service. Squarespace says the goal for its this policy is “to be as inclusive as possible to the unique situations of our employees and ensure that everyone has the flexibility to take care of their loved ones.”

• Personal sick leave

This benefit introduction in 2021 was driven largely by the pandemic’s physical and mental toll. The Personal Care Leave policy allows eligible employees up to 12 weeks of paid leave to address their own serious health condition.

• Learning and development

The Squarespace Learning platform offers customized employee development options. Additionally, the company offers up to $5,000 in tuition reimbursement to support employees seeking to further their expertise.

These efforts earned Squarespace a win in the Employee Benefits category of Ragan’s Workplace Wellness Awards. Congratulations to them — all the winners here.

Comments are closed.