With two-thirds of its employees living in active conflict zones like Israel and Ukraine, Sisense knows that mental health resources aren’t just nice to have — they’re critical for employees’ well-being.
That’s why the company offers all of its team members access to Modern Health, a global mental health platform that connects individuals with one-on-one coaching, group support and self-guided resources.
“We’re always encouraging employees to use this resource and reminding them that there is no stigma against using this tool,” Nikhil Kulkarni, global director of total rewards and people operations at Sisense, said.
With access to this mental health benefit, Sisense’s employees are empowered to put their personal well-being first, leading to more engagement and a stronger culture overall.
MarketAxess also prioritizes team members’ personal wellness, offering benefits that encourage them to thrive, such as access to sabbatical leave, which is offered to individuals who have been employed at the company for five years. According to Head of Benefits and Immigration Rosa Mini, many employees have leveraged the benefit to take long-awaited vacations, from visiting the Great Barrier Reef to traveling across Italy.
“It makes me so happy that we can offer these benefits, but seeing them being used in this way is truly incredible,” she said.
Below, Kulkarni and Mini share more about their employers’ most valuable benefits, how employees engage with these perks and how managers encourage employees to leverage these resources.
MarketAxess’ platform is designed to make bond trading more accessible.
Your quotable take on the most valuable benefit your employer offers?
I am really proud of our overall competitive programming. What stands out is our 401(k) matching program for our U.S. employees. We match dollar for dollar up to $17,500, which was an increase in the previously offered $10,000. Globally, employees value our flexible wellness stipend. This offering, along with our many other wellness initiatives, allows us to continue to promote healthy living.
“Globally, employees value our flexible wellness stipend.”
I think that goes hand in hand with our five-year anniversary leave benefit that rewards eligible employees with a two-week sabbatical in addition to PTO, acknowledging their long service. This allows employees to take extended time off to re-energize or even get to take the holiday they’ve never gotten around to making happen! A colleague in compliance spent his sabbatical driving through Italy with his wife and children. Another colleague in finance spent hers in Australia learning to surf and finally seeing the Great Barrier Reef. A fellow HR employee spent his first sabbatical traveling Tel Aviv and Cairo and the second celebrating his 10-year anniversary in Japan. It makes me so happy that we can offer these benefits, but seeing them being used in this way is truly incredible.
The Impact of MarketAxess's Benefits By the Numbers
- Roughly 75 percent of eligible employees used the company’s wellness stipend in 2024
- Over 90 percent of employees participate in the company’s 401(k) plan, and over 50 percent of those are maxing out their contribution and the employer match
- 40 percent of employees have a tenure surpassing five years
How do managers encourage employees to leverage these benefits?
A good manager is someone who encourages you to be your best authentic self at work, one who motivates you and pushes you to learn and grow in your career while supporting your well-being. I believe managers set the precedent and therefore should utilize employer benefits and resources available. Organization-wide, work-life balance is highly valued. While five vacation days can be rolled over to the next year as personal days, employees are encouraged to take all of their allotted time off.
Toward the end of the year, when certain parts of our business are slower, reminders to take and track PTO are circulated via our intranet, and managers reiterate those sentiments to their department. We know that each employee plays a pivotal role in our business, but taking time off and truly unplugging is just as important. Our people leaders work closely with HR to ensure there is coverage of responsibilities when members of their team are out. Even at a high level, managers across the board encourage their teams to stay engaged with our intranet so that they stay abreast of our HR initiatives and benefits.
Sisense’s platform is designed to embed analytics into any workflow, enabling companies to drive large-scale business decisions more quickly and efficiently.
Your quotable take on the most valuable benefit your employer offers?
The most valuable benefit Sisense offers is our access to global mental health tool Modern Health. Two-thirds of our employees live in active conflict zones like Israel and Ukraine, so it is critical for us to provide these employees with equitable access to quality crisis resources and ongoing well-being benefits tailored to reflect their local cultural context. This benefit provides personalized mental health care to employees through coaching, group support and self-guided resources in addition to traditional one-on-one therapy all in their local languages with a local mental health professional.
“Two-thirds of our employees live in active conflict zones like Israel and Ukraine, so it is critical for us to provide these employees with equitable access to quality crisis resources and ongoing well-being benefits tailored to reflect their local cultural context.”
The Impact of Sisense's Benefits By the Numbers
- 48 percent of employees have registered with Modern Health
- 30 percent of employees are actively engaged with a professional through Modern Health
- Within six months, U.S. claim costs have decreased by 8 percent year over year
How do managers encourage employees to leverage this benefit?
We’re always encouraging employees to use this resource and reminding them that there is no stigma against using this tool. We also share success stories via our well-being Slack channel to reinforce how the benefit is helping employees.
