Why Invoca is a 2020 Best Workplace for Parents

Invoca is honored to be included among the 2020 Great Place to Work® Best Workplaces for Parents™. This recognition comes at a time when parents and caregivers need empathy, support, and kindness from their employer more than ever.

When all 200+ Invoca employees went remote this spring, many of the parents and caregivers were left wondering how they were going to juggle meetings in the living room, homeschool on the kitchen table, dogs barking in the background, and the more-than-occasional Zoomteruption. Our leadership and People & Culture teams quickly put their heads together to create a plan to support these panicked parents, as well as the employees with roommates, spouses, needy cats, and many other unique situations.

“As an already 100% remote employee, one with small children, the level of understanding, communication, and transparency from Invoca has been amazing.” Dan Pramann, Engineering.

The first thing we did to prevent burnout and the destruction of work life balance was to provide a flexible working hours program to all parents and caregivers. This program empowers employees to take shifts between work and homeschooling (and many other family-driven responsibilities). As part of this program, we significantly extended sick leave and expanded the ways employees can log sick time — from caretaking for elderly parents to school holidays — parents and caregivers are empowered to take the time they need. About 10% of our employees have used the extended sick leave time to care for their families. We also have employees currently using the flexible hours program and so far it has allowed parents and caregivers to maintain sanity while contributing impactful work to Invoca. 

In addition to the flexible hours program, Invoca introduced 12 additional company holidays to the existing schedule. These new days off—given to all employees–provided much-needed mental breaks. We quickly learned to never underestimate the power of a three day staycation.

“Everyone reset their expectations around the idea that their home and family life are now incorporated into their work life, both for themselves and other Invocans.”Ed Boyle, Business Systems.

We also implemented a “zero apologies” policy. Cat screeching during your Zoom call? No problem. Kids want to join the virtual happy hour? Bring on the apple juice. We encourage employees to never apologize for their situation and we bring empathy and understanding to each unexpected moment.

“You never know who is going to visit our daily standup — a pet, a kid, a spouse, a roommate — but we roll with it.” Laraine Hart, Customer Success.

We send a short survey to employees on a biweekly basis to check in on how they are feeling so that we can make improvements and additional changes. For example, we noticed a few months into quarantine that employees were spending personal dollars on equipment for their home offices. To change that, Invoca added a new monthly stipend to all employees’ paychecks for supplies. 

“Invoca was one of the first companies that I know of to take action and embrace our ability for remote work. This shows how deeply the company cares for the health and well being of everyone on the team.” Natalia Burris, Marketing 

We’re so fortunate to have wonderful employees who are the magic behind the Great Place to Work atmosphere at Invoca. A special thank you and recognition to employees with extra responsibilities, children, and dependents—you are the real MVPs.

Need a laugh today? Check out these Invoca parents and their light-hearted advice for this topsy turvy time: