A People-Focused Approach to Wellness at LinkSquares

I’m Kayla Stockman, a Sr. People Operations Specialist at LinkSquares. Being part of the LinkSquad is something I'm passionate about, and my goal is to help create an environment where our entire organization can thrive. From onboarding and offboarding to benefits coverage and wellness initiatives, I believe that having a holistic approach to wellness is essential for start-ups. 

Too often, there’s a stereotype that start-up culture thrives on chaos, and you always have to put yourself last in order for the business to succeed.  At LinkSquares, we champion the opposite mindset. We want our team members to be able to take the time they need to stay healthy – mentally and physically – so that they can do their best work.

The Value of Employer-Driven Wellness

What does this look like in practice? It can be hard to really know if the company you’re interviewing at really means what they say when it comes to wellness and work-life balance. At LinkSquares, we look for individuals who understand our company values. Our hiring process focuses on finding people who are driven, passionate about their work, and have a great attitude toward taking care of themselves. 

Once our employees join us, we provide them with the resources necessary for their success. This includes competitive pay, health insurance and retirement savings plans, flexible work hours, and even unlimited PTO. 

Wellness is supported from the top down here at LinkSquares. Our co-founder and CEO Vishal Sunak is a big believer that generous parental leave gives your company a competitive edge, which he wrote about in Inc. Magazine. Chief Revenue Officer Steve Travaglini works with a designated professional mindset coach to help support our account executives. People do their best work when they feel safe and empowered, and LinkSquares strives to create that kind of environment.

Wellness from Within

In addition to desirable benefits and top-notch leadership, we make it a point to offer easy, manageable wellness resources to all employees. I help organize our Slack wellness group and monthly newsletters, which have tips and resources that employees can access. Our Slack channel is full of photos from employees’ adventures during their time off. 

We also have wellness initiatives like “LinkSquares recharge days,” which are company-wide days off we plan strategically. They are usually after busy times of year–like the end of the quarter–when we know just about everyone is a little burnt out. At HQ, there are on-site wellness initiatives where you can book a massage chair, get a healthy smoothie, and even receive a discount on an Equinox gym membership. 

It’s important that employees feel empowered to pursue their own hobbies and self-care rituals. In addition to organizing and participating in company initiatives, I enjoy taking dance classes, traveling the world, and spending time with people I love the most (like my Mom!) Sharing my interests outside of work and prioritizing my needs helps me create an environment of well-being.

Work-life balance: Activated

At LinkSquares, we’re proud to be named the #1 best place to work in the medium-sized company category by the Boston Business Journal (BBJ). It’s important for us to have a holistic approach to wellness – making sure every facet of it is taken into consideration when creating policies at our organization. 

If you want to learn more about working at LinkSquares, visit our Career page and view our open positions.