Engenious Design takes a holistic approach to benefits, striving to meet team members where they are; to provide what they need the most.

Our core cultural values are Relate, Create, Produce, and Improve.  So, we designed a benefits package to rival and even exceed those at larger organizations because we believe that every aspect of our work matters. We want our team to know – “we’ve got your back.”

While we have the standards: comprehensive healthcare (health, vision, dental) plan, employer-paid life insurance, a retirement plan with immediate vesting, etc. We have also gotten creative by designing benefits that are nimble and adapt to the needs of our people: Health Savings Accounts with a 1:1 match up to $3600 per year, flexible PTO, a continuing education fund, wellness room, paid parental leave, an elementary learning program…it’s an ever-evolving list!

We are continually seeking input from our team about what matters most to them. Here’s some of what we learned and implemented!

Paid Parental Leave Benefits

Engenious Design offers paid parental leave (maternity, paternity, adoption). Because we think it’s the right thing to do. Brett Dunahue, Digital Marketing Manager at Engenious Design, had a beautiful baby girl in November 2019, here is a bit about her experience.

When Brett began her job search, she was 17 weeks pregnant and had just bought her first pair of maternity jeans. Her former employer, like so many in the US, did not have parental leave. It was Brett’s goal that her next job was more “family-friendly.” When she saw Engenious Design had a position that matched her qualifications with a benefits package that included paid parental leave and flexible PTO, she was excited!

Brett added, “I was thrilled to see Engenious Design didn’t just have a maternity leave program but PAID maternity leave (and paternity and adoption leave, too)! It is so rare to find a plan like that these days. It felt good to see a company that genuinely wants to take care of their team.”

Not long after Brett joined the team in May 2019, she nervously informed her manager and the company CEO that she was due in November of that year. They were thrilled for her and expressed excitement for her feedback on the program upon returning post leave.

Brett explained, “I was a little anxious about sharing my news with my new team members. I hoped they wouldn’t feel like I misrepresented myself when they hired me. Instead, they were supportive and excited for me. They were looking forward to strength testing the program and invited any feedback, as I was the first female at the office to have a child.”

After the birth and six weeks of bonding with her new daughter, Brett returned to work. She felt refreshed and grateful for the time she spent with her newly expanded family.

While she was away, Engenious moved our offices into a new, larger building to accommodate our rapidly growing team. We designated a room to serve as the company “wellness room,” giving the breastfeeding mother a place to go during the day. The room included a plush chair, soothing artwork, refrigerator, warm lighting, and most importantly, a lock.

“What a relief it was to return to work and discover the new Engenious Design wellness room that had everything a new breastfeeding mother might need. While it was hard to leave my daughter, I was beyond grateful that I would still be able to keep her well-nourished. I am grateful that I joined a company that cares so much about their team members.”

Elementary Learning Program

As the summer of 2020 came to a close, school districts began discussing the upcoming school year and their plans for remote learning, hybrid learning, gating criteria, etc. Engenious Design recognized the mental toll this would take on team members with school-aged children. So we developed a plan. Engenious took the unconventional step in creating an elementary learning program and hiring onsite educators to ease some of the burdens this has put on working parents.

Responses from team members were of gratitude and relief:

“The learning wing looks fabulous and knowing we have a space like that and a teacher like Miss Quinn certainly makes me feel more secure in this chaotic school year. THANK YOU to everyone who helped pull this together.” said Katy Kanne, Product Manager.

Joel Murphy, Prototype Model Maker, had this to add, “The elementary learning program at Engenious Design brought our family peace of mind knowing that our son is in a safe and constructive environment, allowing us to focus on our work.”

Finally, David Steele, Electrical Engineering Technician, said this, “Remote learning is a challenging experience for everyone involved. Knowing that my daughter will be in an environment conducive to learning has taken a great deal of stress away from myself and my family!”

Fast forward to February 2021, you can still hear the sound of young voices and giggles down the office hall that team members have affectionately dubbed “the kids’ wing.”

The Elementary Learning Program continues as part of day-to-day operations at Engenious Design, as we continue to have elementary-aged children learning remotely.

In addition to keeping kids on track with their school-provided curriculum, it is a place of great fun! We often have children who beg their parents to stay at work longer because they’re not quite ready to leave their friends.

When walking through the kids’ wing of our building, you might witness a reenactment of the sinking of the Titanic, see children in full-on stage make-up putting on a theatrical production, or find yourself surrounded by “wanted” posters for various members of our team.

This program has brought a great deal of joy to our office and our team. We will be happy when all our children can return to in-person school, but until then, it’s a benefit we’re glad to offer.

Conclusion

We could elaborate on the “why” behind our other unique benefits at Engenious Design, and just might in future articles. However, we think these two programs uniquely illustrate some of the out-of-the-box thinking we’ve employed in our benefits at Engenious Design.

If you’re curious to know more, drop us a line!