Parliament | On Brand Benefits
On-Brand Benefits: When Your Perks Actually Mean Something
Let's talk about something that matters more than ping-pong tables and free snacks: benefits that actually align with who you are as a company.
As AI takes over more of the "doing" in our world, your "why" is becoming the real differentiator. People aren't just shopping for what you do anymore—they're shopping for who you are. And nothing speaks louder about your values than how you treat your team.
Our On Brand Benefits:
The Life Support Revolution: Putting Our Money Where Our Mouth Is
At Hoot, we've created something transformative: Life Support. It's $250 monthly for anything that buys back our team's time. Dog walking? Covered. House cleaning? You bet. Meal prep? Absolutely. We've even got team members using Nuuly for their wardrobe needs because, let's face it, deciding what to wear is still time spent.
Here's the thing: throwing an extra $250 on someone's paycheck isn't going to change their life. But giving them back their time? That's priceless. Especially in a woman-led company, we understand that time isn't just money—it's everything.
Reimagining Work Hours for Real Lives
Forget the 9-to-5 grind. We've introduced core collaboration hours: 9 AM to 2 PM, Monday through Thursday. During those hours, we're all in, focused, and available. Outside those hours, life happens, and we're here for it.
The Maternity Leave Truth Bomb
Let's cut to the chase: we offer 12 weeks at 70% pay. For a small company, that's huge. But here's what's bigger: we'll never pull this benefit. Why? Because it's not just a perk—it's who we are. It would be like trying to change our DNA.
The Daycare Game-Changer
Here's a statistic that should make you uncomfortable: daycare now costs more than a mortgage in all 50 states. People are going into debt just to be able to work. It's absurd, and we're doing something about it.
We've partnered with Windsor Street Montessori to offer our employees a 50% discount on childcare. This isn't just a nice-to-have—it's a life-changing subsidy that acknowledges a brutal reality: in Missouri, 52% of women are family breadwinners, yet often, they're expected to justify their career against the cost of daycare.
The "Bring Your Baby" Revolution
After maternity leave, parents can bring their babies to work until they're one year old. Sure, most tap out around the crawling stage (turns out babies aren't great office mates once mobile), but the option is there. Because sometimes, the most powerful benefit is simply having the choice.
Why This Matters (Beyond the Obvious)
These aren't just random perks we threw at a wall to see what sticks. Each benefit is a direct reflection of our values and an investment in our team's whole lives—not just their work lives.
The Bottom Line
Creating on-brand benefits isn't about following some corporate playbook or copying what the tech giants are doing. It's about looking hard at who you are as a company, what you actually believe in, and putting real money behind those beliefs.
Our benefits aren't just perks—they're promises. Promises that say we understand your life, we value your time, and we're willing to invest in both.
Because when your benefits align with your brand, you're not just building a company culture—you're building a movement.
And that's something worth investing in.
Artwork by Nya McClain, article by Senior Art Director, Bri Thomas
