When Kelly Mendez-Scheib joined Crunchbase as chief people officer in 2022,
"When you care about your people, you care about the benefits that support them," says Mendez-Scheib. "It was apparent to me in my research [about the company] that Crunchbase is a very people-centric organization. I was not asking about parental leave because I wasn't having any more babies, but I was very curious about flexibility."
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Mendez-Scheib's children are now four, five, nine, 12 and 15. Her three oldest are biological, and after fostering an additional five children, she adopted two of them, both of whom have special needs. From dance classes to doctor's appointments, she is able to keep her family and
Those policies span the entire workforce: Employees have the option to customize their work days, with core working hours between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and remaining hours filled in at an employee's convenience. It's easier for employees to be productive when they know they have the ability to budget their time in a way that suits their life, says Ashtynn Lawson, people operations manager at Crunchbase. After recently becoming a mother herself, she's experienced the benefit firsthand.
"When someone joins the company, they see our leaders taking care of their kids and feel like they can do the same," says Lawson. "It's important to build that level of trust. I had a baby in the last year, and being able to spend the first three months of his life with him was really amazing."
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Having worked for companies with far less leeway, being part of an organization that allows employees to have "the full human experience" is not something to take lightly, emphasizes Mendez-Scheib.
"I've lived the shame of telling a previous employer, 'My kid has an ear infection and I have to leave,'" she says. "I've had my daughter sleeping on a cot in my office because I needed to work, and then been chastised. With Crunchbase's remote-first structure and the way we operate, I'm more present and available then I've ever been for my children, and as far as productive metrics, we've accomplished more in the last two years than I accomplished in my previous 18 years in this field."
Crunchbase's other benefits reiterate the value of policies that allow parents to fit work into their lives, rather than the other way around. The company offers up to 14 weeks of PTO for new parents — a benefit that can also be used for mental health, medical or disability needs. Crunchbase also provides supplemental benefits including a monthly stipend that can be used for child care and fertility offerings, along with multiple health and wellness programs.
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Beyond benefits, the company's communicative culture helps bolster its working parents. Parents share experiences and celebratory moments over Slack, and have access to a designated email for benefits-related questions. Employees are also routinely sent anonymous surveys to gather feedback about their needs and concerns. Company leaders also host town halls each Friday to answer anonymous questions from employees.
"It's about supporting people in whatever part of the journey they're on, and this is wholly possible when it's supported at the highest executive level," says Mendez-Scheib. "I don't have to choose between being a mom and being an executive."
