Not every company can say it offers its employees’ children a financial advantage — but process mining company Celonis can.
According to Frank Van der Leeden, vice president of performance and total rewards, every child born to or adopted by an employee receives an “education kicker,” an equity grant that can be put toward their education.
“We take a highly intentional approach to our benefits portfolio,” he said. “We don’t offer a little bit of everything, but make sure that what we offer really stands out.”
When it comes to total rewards, Celonis aims to support both its people and their loved ones. Similarly, connectivity provider Spectrum provides employees with a Live Well program, which enables them and their families to access 24/7 confidential, free counseling services and mental health resources.
Vice President of Compensation Nick Dunlap said that this mental wellness offering is just one element of a comprehensive, affordable benefits package that supports Spectrum’s employees “at every stage of life.”
In addition to perks, fair and transparent pay is another key aspect of a well-rounded total rewards package. At 360Learning, Head of Total Rewards and HR Operations Elodie Sipos spearheads the company’s transparent, equitable pay policy, which involves a “compute, not negotiate” approach, which means that roles are priced using existing salary ranges rather than individual negotiation, and performance is calibrated to ensure consistency and internal equity.
“This helps reduce bias and improves predictability for ‘360Learners,’” she said.
With fair pay policies and holistic benefits packages, the following companies give their employees everything they need to thrive in the workplace and at home. Read on to learn about the competitive salary plans and perks on offer at each company.
Featured Companies
Spectrum is an internet, television and mobile communications provider serving residential and commercial customers in 41 U.S. states.
How do you ensure pay and bonus plans are competitive?
We benchmark base pay, incentives and total rewards against relevant peer companies and roles, and exchange best practices with partners in the telecommunications and media industry through professional associations, including the Content & Connectivity Human Resources Association. We’re always looking for ways to improve and build upon the plans we offer our employees. In 2022, we increased our minimum wage from $15 to $18 an hour — and in 2024, increased it again to $20 an hour, nearly three times the federal minimum wage. We provide employees with the opportunity to continue to increase their earnings with structured career progression programs that provide clear pathways for professional development and career growth.
Which benefit delivers the most value — and how do you know?
Our benefit plans are comprehensive and affordable to ensure that we’re supporting the well-being of our employees at every stage of life. We offer high-quality and affordable medical, dental and vision insurance options, health care accounts, life insurance and disability coverage. By absorbing the cost increase for these programs for the last 13 years, we’re helping our employees keep more money in their pockets.
Beyond these plan options, our Live Well program provides employees and their families with access to 24/7 confidential, no-cost counseling services and mental health resources. We also provide fertility benefits to employees and their dependents to support family planning, including adoption and surrogacy. Members of our team have access to free and discounted Spectrum products, including high-speed internet, video, residential voice services, streaming apps and Spectrum Mobile™.
“Our Live Well program provides employees and their families with access to 24/7 confidential, no-cost counseling services and mental health resources.”
Our market-leading retirement plan provides support for employees’ futures. For every $1 an employee contributes to their 401(k), we match $1 — up to 6 percent of their pay — and we automatically put an additional 3 percent of pay into the retirement accumulation plan for eligible employees. That’s up to 9 percent of an employee’s pay invested for their future.
Our education benefit continues to help our employees grow their skills and earn promotions. In 2023, we launched our tuition-free degree program in partnership with Guild, which offers employees the ability to continue or complete their education at no cost. Since launch, 13 percent of our workforce has enrolled in or completed a course, and those participating are being promoted at a 20 percent higher rate and are 19 percent more likely to stay working at Spectrum. In addition to tuition-free degrees, our education benefit also covers up to $10,000 per year for degrees outside of the Guild learning catalog.
Does the company offer stock/equity, and is it considered competitive?
We have an equity incentive plan that provides leaders with an ownership stake in our company and shared success. Employees who are not eligible for our equity incentive plan have the opportunity to participate in our employee stock purchase plan. Through the ESPP, employees can buy charter stock via payroll deductions, and we provide matching restricted stock units that grow with tenure. While many stock purchase plans offer a discount on stock, our ESPP is designed to do something more meaningful: Reward employees’ commitment to our company. By becoming owners in the company, employees share in our success, motivating them to be their best for our customers. It’s one more way we invest in our employees as they build long, successful careers here. In addition to our equity incentive plan and ESPP, nearly 85 percent of our employees are eligible for additional variable compensation based on their performance, including annual bonus plans, sales commissions and more.
Celonis leverages process mining and AI to create a digital twin, or dynamic digital model, of an organization’s end-to-end processes, providing a common understanding of how the business operates as well as where hidden value can be unlocked and how to capitalize on this value.
How do you ensure pay and bonus plans are competitive?
At Celonis, we anchor our compensation strategy in a data-driven philosophy. We don’t just look at broad industry averages; we specifically benchmark against the elite peer group of global technology leaders from whom we recruit and with whom we compete for talent. By leveraging real-time market data from multiple sources, we maintain a granular view of compensation trends across every role and geography in which we operate.
“By leveraging real-time market data from multiple sources, we maintain a granular view of compensation trends across every role and geography in which we operate.”
Having a live view on market developments does not mean we jump on each trend. We carefully evaluate everyone’s compensation once a year. This is our dedicated moment to ensure pay reflects performance and stays competitive with the market.
Which benefit delivers the most value — and how do you know?
We take a highly intentional approach to our benefits portfolio. We don’t offer a little bit of everything, but make sure that what we offer really stands out.
One example is our top-of-the-market parental leave policy, including six-plus months of paid parental leave: 24 weeks of paid leave for main carers and 12 weeks for supporting carers. We see parents returning from leave to stay longer and perform better, especially because of another unique benefit we offer to newborns: equity.
Does the company offer stock/equity, and is it considered competitive?
Yes. Equity is a core component of our compensation package at Celonis, and we are very thoughtful about it. We want every team member to be personally invested in our long-term trajectory.
Even though we are a privately held company, we offer restricted stock units to every new hire, regardless of role, seniority or location. Equity holdings are reviewed once a year to ensure our employees have sufficient skin in the game.
It’s not just employees who own equity. Each child born to or adopted by an active employee will receive what we call an “education kicker.” This is an equity grant, aimed to help employees fund their children’s education.
360Learning’s AI-driven platform is designed to enable learning and development teams to create content, automate tasks, boost engagement and more.
How do you ensure pay and bonus plans are competitive?
We ensure our pay and bonus plans are competitive through structured market benchmarking, transparent salary ranges and regular review cycles. Our compensation ranges are built using market data from specialized providers and are reviewed annually to reflect market movements. We target the 60th percentile of the tech market, meaning total cash compensation is designed to sit within the top 40 percent. Market data guides both our on-target earnings levels and the typical fixed/bonus split for each role, helping us design competitive incentive plans.
“We ensure our pay and bonus plans are competitive through structured market benchmarking, transparent salary ranges and regular review cycles.”
Salary ranges are fully transparent at 360Learning to maximize trust and support fairness. Our annual compensation review combines the global market benchmark with a merit increase process and a “compute, not negotiate” approach: Roles are priced using existing salary ranges rather than individual negotiation, and performance is calibrated to ensure consistency and internal equity. This helps reduce bias and improves predictability for “360Learners.”
Beyond cash compensation, our total rewards strategy follows the same principles and supports employee well-being across all stages of the 360Learning journey.
Which benefit delivers the most value — and how do you know?
We believe that benefits and perks are essential components of our commitment to the well-being of 360Learners. These rewards not only supplement compensation but also address fundamental needs, fostering long-term security and promoting work-life balance.
In addition to offering health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, what people value at 360Learning is Convexity, our living experiment in company culture, that we are all responsible for maintaining and developing. Our regular Convexity surveys highlight high accountability as one of the principles that resonates most with 360Learners. This principle reflects the balance between individual autonomy and responsibility toward the business: People are trusted to make the right decisions about where and when they work, as long as commitments are met. This translates into strong support for flexible and asynchronous ways of working, enabling individuals to flow — on a global scale.
As a concrete example, 360Learning offers a monthly remote budget of €/$/£200 to employees with remote status, to create a productive workspace at home. It can be interchangeably used for goods or services and supports work flexibility.
Does the company offer stock/equity, and is it considered competitive?
Those who build greatness reap the rewards. Everyone at 360Learning is a stockholder, entrusted with our fully detailed compensation model. We value employee stock ownership plans to make everyone think like an owner. We grant equity regularly every year, based on performance and using a transparent grid. It is important for us to reward every year invested by a 360Learner with a growing equity portfolio. We hope in the end to share the wealth with our whole team as we progress toward our long-term goals.
Our approach stands out because most companies don’t grant equity to all employees; most companies only grant once when hired, then only exceptionally. This makes our approach particularly unique and competitive. 360Learning is a French company, and all equity incentives are based on one French vehicle: Attribution Gratuite d'Actions, or Free Share Allocation. These are used for incentives in France and as the underlying vehicle for incentives in other geographies.
Advisor360’s end-to-end wealth management platform is designed to help advisors work more effectively by turning fragmented data into contextual intelligence.
How do you ensure pay and bonus plans are competitive?
We make compensation decisions based on rigorous market data and ongoing review. Every role is benchmarked against tech companies of similar size and stage, and compensation is structured around clear role and level bands with defined expectations for scope, impact and experience.
We adjust pay throughout the year for promotions, market changes and shifting responsibilities rather than waiting for an annual review, ensuring compensation stays fair and competitive. Bonuses are strategically designed to reward high-impact performance and are calibrated across peers for consistency.
Transparency underpins our approach: Pay ranges are included in U.S. job postings, managers have visibility into bands and benchmarks, and we communicate openly about compensation decisions, building trust and confidence.
“Transparency underpins our approach: Pay ranges are included in U.S. job postings, managers have visibility into bands and benchmarks, and we communicate openly about compensation decisions, building trust and confidence.”
Which benefit delivers the most value — and how do you know?
We offer best-in-class benefits designed to support long-term financial security, which aligns with our vision. Employees have access to comprehensive health plans with multiple options to fit their needs. For those in our PPO medical plan, we contribute up to $2,000 annually into a health savings account that they own forever.
Financial wellness is a key focus for us. Our 401(k) program matches 50 cents on every dollar contributed up to 10 percent of earnings with full vesting after just one year, and we reimburse Robinhood Gold memberships to support employees in building their financial knowledge and portfolio. We also provide competitive disability and life insurance coverage, tuition reimbursement up to $5,250 annually, and flexible vacation with no set limits.
We use data to drive benefit decisions through employee and new-hire feedback. When employees have strong benefits they can count on, it shows up in measurably high engagement and faster individual growth. We focus on outcomes that matter: retention of top performers, internal mobility and sustained performance over time.
Does the company offer stock/equity, and is it considered competitive?
Yes. Equity is a core component of our compensation philosophy, intentionally designed to align employees with the company’s long-term success. It’s offered based on role, level and impact, positioned alongside base pay and bonus to create competitive total rewards and structured to be competitive with the market.
This creates alignment: When the company wins, our people share in that success. Equity reinforces ownership, accountability and long-term thinking across the organization. It’s a meaningful way to reward high-performers and retain critical talent. One of our leadership principles is earning trust through transparency, and we do this by ensuring employees understand how equity fits into the broader compensation philosophy and their contribution to the company’s success.
Zello builds communication solutions for workers across various industries, including aviation, transportation and emergency and response.
How do you ensure pay and bonus plans are competitive?
We design our compensation programs to be fair, competitive and aligned with both the market and our business goals. We benchmark pay using Carta across similar roles, levels and locations.
Through semi-annual rewards cycles, we regularly review compensation and bonus plans to ensure they reflect market conditions, company performance and individual impact as Zello grows.
Which benefit delivers the most value — and how do you know?
The benefits that matter most are the ones our employees actually use and value in their day-to-day lives, and we believe that value comes from the full package, not a single benefit. We take a holistic approach to total rewards, combining competitive pay with meaningful support across healthcare, retirement, parental leave and professional development.
We regularly review participation and utilization trends, gather ongoing employee feedback, and look at indicators like retention and engagement to understand what’s working. This helps ensure our benefits reflect what our “Zellonauts” care about most, so they feel supported and empowered to have the impact that drives Zello forward.
“We regularly review participation and utilization trends, gather ongoing employee feedback, and look at indicators like retention and engagement to understand what’s working.”
Does the company offer stock/equity, and is it considered competitive?
Yes, every Zellonaut receives equity as part of our total rewards package, regardless of role, because we believe everyone should share in the value they help create. Our equity program is benchmarked against comparable companies and stages, with refresh grants tied to promotions and a bi-annual refresh after two years of tenure, rewarding long-term impact as Zello continues to grow.
Order.co’s AI-powered procurement software is designed to help businesses streamline purchasing, strengthen financial operations, and maximize spend efficiency.
How do you ensure pay and bonus plans are competitive?
We take a very intentional, frequent approach to reviewing compensation. Every four months, we examine pay across the company to make sure it stays competitive and fair. That means looking at internal equity — how roles compare across our team — as well as external market benchmarks. We use data from companies that are similar to us in size, stage, valuation and industry, so we’re not chasing outliers but staying grounded in a market that truly reflects Order.co. This regular cadence helps us adjust proactively, rather than reactively, as the market and our business evolve.
“Every four months, we examine pay across the company to make sure it stays competitive and fair.”
Which benefit delivers the most value — and how do you know?
Our time-off programs have delivered the clearest, most measurable impact. Last year, we revamped our PTO approach to better reflect real life and the ever-evolving needs of our team, adding more clearly defined time-off options like personal days, bereavement leave and dedicated emergency or natural disaster leave, in addition to our existing flex time, sick time, parental leave and other policies. The result was an immediate uptick in usage across these categories, which told us two things: People understood the benefit, and they felt comfortable actually using it.
Does the company offer stock/equity, and is it considered competitive?
We view equity as a meaningful part of the overall compensation package. Like cash compensation, equity is benchmarked both internally and against the external market to ensure it’s competitive. Equity grants grow with your role: Each promotion comes with additional equity to reflect increased scope, impact, and ownership in the company’s success. Our goal is for team members to clearly see how their contributions translate into long-term value as Order.co grows.
