Dataminr has always made our employees a top priority—not just because it’s good for our overall success, but because we believe it’s the right thing to do. Our global benefits packages are a prime example of this. We recognize that employee benefits are more than just a checklist of vacation days and health insurance plans. They reflect a company’s values and culture. That’s what motivates me the most: our people, culture and community.
As Senior Director of People Operations, my team and I are responsible for almost everything that touches a Dataminr employee’s life cycle: onboarding, offboarding, performance management, employee relations, and benefits and perks. Being involved in every stage of an employee’s journey means that we really get to know our people and their needs, and then match our offerings against that.
Supporting employees through pandemic-driven organizational change
We care deeply about the health and wellbeing of our employees. It’s our highest priority. And we know that employees can’t be their best selves if their physical and mental health are at risk. This is evident not only in our benefits—we offer best-in-class medical insurance—but also in how we support people during challenging times.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, we had to consider the implications of prolonged remote work. The sudden transition from an office-centric work life to working at home full-time wasn’t easy, so we made a point to provide our employees with the necessary support to live and work comfortably in their own space.
In early 2020, we swiftly revised our benefits package to reflect our new state of living. In 2021, we built upon that initial revision based on employee feedback by adding an array of new benefits including a generous stipend for home office setups. I was able to purchase a desk and chair for my apartment using this stipend, which has made all the difference in my work-from-home experience.
We also noticed that employees weren’t taking much time off during the pandemic, and while we understood why, it’s not what we wanted. We want and value employees’ need and right to rest and recharge. So, our leadership team added three additional company holidays in 2021 and 2022 to encourage us to take more time for ourselves. The best part is, the additional holidays were tacked onto existing ones—such as May Day in the UK and Independence Day in the US—extending our three-day weekends to four days.
In addition, we’ve adjusted our mobile app reimbursement in light of gym closures to allow up to $100 USD for any fitness and/or wellness app that employees choose. I took advantage of this perk by trying out a new pilates app!
Building an inclusive culture through community, flexible time off and family-forming benefits
Beyond the benefits packages, I’m proud of and love how Dataminr fosters a culture which directly reflects the importance we place on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), as well as employee development and growth.
Our employee resource groups (ERGs) are deeply important, not just to the ERG members, but to our entire organization. To date, we have nine ERGs: Amigos@Dataminr, Asian@Dataminr, Balance@Dataminr, Black@Dataminr, Parents@Dataminr, Pride@Dataminr, Salam@Dataminr, Service@Dataminr and Women@Dataminr. These groups provide a space for our diverse employee base to feel safe and empowered to be their authentic selves—while having their own community within the Dataminr community.
I see examples of just how special and impactful our culture is every day—from employees finding ways to spend time together in our new remote environment to generously donating to organizations such as Women for Women International and the Austin Area Urban League through our donation matching program, Alert to Action.
At Dataminr, we are also encouraged to take full advantage of our benefits. People feel comfortable using our flexible sick time off as mental health days and/or to take care of sick family members and enjoying every second of our inclusive-for-all parental leave.
Our emphasis on people’s wellbeing extends beyond taking mental health days. Many employees use our online platform Ginger, which gives them access to a life coach, therapist or psychiatrist, whenever and wherever they need it. The best part? Dataminr covers 100% of up to 12 sessions per year for both employees and their dependents. I’ve used the free Ginger therapy during the pandemic myself and feel very grateful for it.
And as much as we support our employees who are parents, we want to empower those who wish to start or grow a family. That is why, in October 2021, we announced the latest addition to our global employee benefits—Carrot—to offer high-quality, accessible and affordable fertility and family-forming care to all.
Through Carrot, Dataminr employees have $5,000 USD per year (or $10,000 USD lifetime) to spend on any family-forming care or services as requested or provided by eligible providers. Services include egg freezing, in vitro fertilization (IVF), adoption and more. We believe everyone should have options to pursue parenthood, and we hope the addition of Carrot will enhance our employees’ family planning journey.
That’s not the end of our story. As Dataminr continues to scale, we constantly strive to find new, better practices to enhance the experience of our growing workforce and meet people’s ever-changing needs. It’s one of the ways we make our employees a top priority, something everyone new to Dataminr soon learns as our culture and people are at the heart of who we are.
Interested in joining our time? Check out our open roles.
