Bestow Work-Life Balance & Wellbeing

What does flexibility in the workplace look like for you? What practices/policies are in place that support it?

Bestow and my managers recognize and appreciate that employees are human beings who have lives, obligations and other people they may be responsible for outside of work. I never have to feel like I’m being forced to choose between my job and caring for my family. Bestow supports this by being a remote-first company, offering flexible PTO and promoting a company culture that values balance and work-life boundaries. We are encouraged to work at a sustainable pace and care for ourselves mentally and physically to avoid burnout. We all have equity in the company, so we’ve all got skin in the game, and it creates a culture where we recognize we’re in this together. It creates a more collaborative, supportive and just plain friendly environment.

Why is flexibility an important element of Bestow’s culture?

I have three kids and a disabled husband for whom I’m the sole provider, and having the flexibility to be able to pick a sick kid up from school, drive their dad to the doctor or respond to an unexpected crisis without ever feeling like I’m jeopardizing my job or career progress is a priceless benefit. Our leaders publicly model this behavior in their own lives. I’ve always felt compassionate support and genuine empathy from my managers and teammates.

What tools or meeting structures ensure that a flexible work setup works for everyone? Is there certain software you swear by, or informal happy hours that you love?

Bestow has strong communication systems in place. Utilizing Slack for asking questions, ad-hoc huddles, posting updates and sharing current availability status is extremely useful. Meetings are often recorded for those unable to attend in real time, and productivity is seen as a measure of work completed rather than the specific hours people are sitting at their desks, allowing contributions to be asynchronous when life gets complicated. Periodic on-site gatherings are a valuable mechanism for building rapport and relationships within and across teams both during the workday as well as during after-hours dinners and social activities.