There are plenty of employee perks that are high on job seekers’ lists: flexible time off, parental leave and professional development programs, to name a few. But perhaps the most important one is feeling connected.
Working somewhere that prioritizes emotional and psychological wellbeing is at the top of the wish list for 92 percent of workers, according to the American Psychological Association.
Rachel Kaiser, chief people officer at VelocityEHS, a greentech and social impact software company, noted that an employee experience where teammates are encouraged to be themselves is a core part of VelocityEHS’s culture. The company prides itself on meeting the diverse needs of employees and its remote-first approach is centered on trust.
“When people feel they belong, are trusted to do their best work and understand how their role connects to a larger mission, they are more engaged, collaborative and able to make a meaningful impact,” Kaiser said.
Justin Caruthers, senior vice president of people and total rewards at fintech company OppFi, said that prioritizing employee wellbeing is just one reason he recommends his employer.
“We cultivate an inclusive environment where team members feel safe sharing their perspectives at every stage of the employee lifecycle, confident that their voices drive meaningful progress,” Caruthers said.
Want to work for a leader in employee experience? Built In spoke with Caruthers and Kaiser in detail about how the two Chicago tech companies put employee wellbeing, transparency and trust at the center of their employees’ experiences.
VelocityEHS is a software company that helps make workplaces safer and more sustainable.
What defines a great employee experience at your company?
A great employee experience starts with creating an environment where people feel trusted, supported and comfortable bringing their whole selves to work. That means recognizing that employees have different identities, responsibilities and needs, whether they are working parents who need greater flexibility during the summer, employees who want to feel safe being open about who they are, or individuals balancing work with the many demands of life outside it.
Flexibility is a key part of that experience. Our remote-first approach is rooted in trust: We believe employees can deliver great work while having the autonomy to manage their schedules and responsibilities in the way that works best for them.
“Our remote-first approach is rooted in trust: We believe employees can deliver great work while having the autonomy to manage their schedules and responsibilities in the way that works best for them.”
It is also important that employees feel connected to a meaningful purpose. Our mission is to help companies create safer and more sustainable workplaces and every employee contributes to that goal. When people feel they belong, are trusted to do their best work and understand how their role connects to a larger mission, they are more engaged, collaborative and able to make a meaningful impact.
How do you measure and act on employee feedback?
We take employee feedback seriously and create multiple opportunities for employees to share what they are experiencing. Every companywide all-hands meeting includes a live Q&A, giving employees direct access to leadership and the opportunity to ask questions, raise concerns and better understand decisions affecting the organization.
We also conduct an anonymous employee engagement survey at least twice a year. The survey covers a broad range of topics, including employees’ experiences with the company, their teams and their managers. Anonymity is important because it allows employees to provide candid feedback and helps us identify both strengths and areas that need attention.
Just as important as gathering feedback is acting on it. Leadership reviews the results, shares key themes with the broader company and provides teams with more targeted insights. From there, leaders develop action plans based on what employees are telling us and continue to communicate progress. Our goal is to ensure feedback does not disappear into a survey report, but instead leads to meaningful conversations and visible change.
What cultural values or rituals make your workplace unique?
One of the rituals that makes our culture unique is how intentionally we celebrate people during every companywide all-hands meeting. We welcome new hires by name, recognize employees who have been promoted and give the entire organization an opportunity to celebrate those milestones together.
We also present quarterly value awards, with one employee recognized for each of our company values. We believe it is important to walk the walk when it comes to culture. Our values are not simply words on a wall or statements on a website; they are embedded throughout the employee experience and reflected in how we work together.
By recognizing employees who bring those values to life, we make them tangible and give others clear examples of what those behaviors look like in practice. Recipients also receive a meaningful cash award because we want our recognition to reflect how seriously we take living our values. These moments help reinforce the culture we are building while celebrating the people who make it possible.
OppFi expands credit access to the 60 million everyday Americans who lack traditional options.
What defines a great employee experience at your company?
At OppFi, we define a great employee experience by caring for team members with the same dedication and empathy we give customers. Our goal is to create a workplace that centers on meaningful work, a supportive and equitable culture, inspiring executive leadership and inspiring managers.
A key driver of employee experience is our “thrive where you work” ethos, which supports our distributed, remote workforce with benefits such as home-office reimbursement and travel stipends to visit our Chicago office.
“A key driver of employee experience is our ‘thrive where you work’ ethos, which supports our distributed, remote workforce with benefits such as home-office reimbursement and travel stipends to visit our Chicago office.”
Our annual “thrive where you work” week in Chicago brings our remote teams together for connection, collaboration and celebration and aligns our strategic objectives. The week features wellness events such as chair massages, charitable team-building, off-site team events, five and 10-year tenure awards, professional development and a ping-pong tournament. The week culminates at our Thrive Party, an evening with music and catering.
Year-round connection continues through monthly hybrid town halls, which offer direct access to senior leadership and cultural heritage month virtual events. Finally, we champion work-life balance through a flexible PTO program and paid holidays.
How do you measure and act on employee feedback?
Our comprehensive listening strategy builds trust, fosters continuous learning and drives positive organizational change. We cultivate an inclusive environment where team members feel safe sharing their perspectives at every stage of the employee lifecycle, confident that their voices drive meaningful progress.
To capture these insights, OppFi leverages several listening channels and measurement platforms. Quantitative and qualitative feedback is gathered through engagement surveys, platforms designed to collect anonymous feedback and interactions with “people business partners.” This multi-channel framework provides leadership with a real-time, comprehensive view of employee sentiment across the entire organization.
Feedback is only as impactful as the response it generates, which is why employee insights directly shape OppFi’s company action plan. Championed by executive leadership, the action plan transforms feedback into workplace initiatives. OppFi ensures that employee feedback consistently leads to actionable, lasting improvements through a continuous loop of active listening, goal setting and accountable execution.
What cultural values or rituals make your workplace unique?
OppFi’s five current guiding business principles are woven into our culture through recognition programs, performance reviews and leadership expectations: “define success first,” “best ideas win,” “inspect what you expect,” “act then optimize,” and “improve one percent every day.”
Our principles guide how we learn and grow together: As our CEO says, “we either win, or we learn,” paraphrasing Nelson Mandela.
During town halls, we spotlight team members who embody our business principles. One of our recurring segments highlights a senior leader demonstrating how they live our principles by applying them to recent project wins. This alignment extends to our annual performance review cycle. Self-assessments, peer feedback and upward reviews are anchored to our business principles, ensuring our goals are driven by metrics and values.
Our leadership commitments are informed by business principles and OppFi leaders are expected to foster a safe, trusting space where all perspectives thrive and all employees belong. By leading with empathy, maintaining confidentiality, acting on feedback and following through, our leaders ensure that intentional action and open communication define the OppFi employee experience.
