Here at Apeel, we look to create long-term, sustainable growth for the foods we eat. And we are equally dedicated to achieving healthy, long-term growth for our employees, too. We believe that in order to create a more abundant future for our planet, we must also focus on providing abundant futures for our team members.
Our US health benefits ensure our employees get the care they (and their families) need at affordable costs. Aside from competitively priced insurance plans, Apeel offers a generous 401k match, equity, open paid time off, and an abundance of wellness activities.
We sat down with Emily Lucas, People Operations Specialist, and Megan Pawlak, our Senior Manager, HR Business Partner - Americas, to share more details about our generous benefits packages for our US-based employees.
What does Employer Paid Health Care, Vision, + Dental look like at Apeel?
We offer US employees a variety of medical insurance options, including PPOs, HMOs, and a High Deductible Health Plan with a Health Savings Account. The Health Savings Account includes an Apeel contribution for employees enrolling in the HDHP.
Apeel covers a generous amount of the premiums for employees and families in all health plans. In fact, Apeel covers one of the PPO plan premiums for employees at 100%. Aside from medical plans, Apeel offers several dental and vision insurance options for employees and families.
In the last year, we have also introduced a Flexible Spending Account and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account options for employees and their dependents. These accounts are incredibly helpful in offsetting expensive healthcare costs throughout the year with tax-free dollars.
And what does open paid time off look like?
Apeel recognizes that every employee has their own unique work-life blend. With our open Open Paid Time Off (PTO) policy, employees in the US can work with their managers to determine the number of vacation and sick leave days they need throughout the year to rest, recharge, and explore the world around them. We operate this benefit with a “freedom with a framework” idea, meaning that we trust our employees to consider their business needs and use this benefit as often or as little as they’d like.
How does Apeel handle 401K?
We have a 401K option where employees can choose between traditional 401K and Roth accounts. In addition to this, Apeel will actually match up to 5% of the employee’s contribution. Aside from the 401k program, we do understand that financial planning can be overwhelming and stressful. Because of this, we offer several well-being programs and free applications aimed at improving financial health. These programs can assist with finding low-interest rate loans, obtaining financial advisers, and gathering discounts for travel, events, and activities.
And what about relocation assistance?
On a case-by-case basis, we may offer relocation assistance to those considering the move to Santa Barbara or to any of our global locations. We have a fantastic Travel & Global Mobility Team ready to assist with your move if that applies to you. For those interested in buying a home, we can connect you with a recommended real estate agent in Santa Barbara to make sure you find your perfect new home. For those relocating to Santa Barbara, we offer our employees a comprehensive ‘Guide to Santa Barbara’ created by our team.
How does Apeel encourage personal health beyond the office?
Personal health and fitness are so important to us here at Apeel. For employees based at our headquarters in Goleta, we offer free yoga and meditation classes weekly (in-person when we go back to the office and virtually while we’re working from home) and have a fleet of Apeel bicycles that employees can take around town at any time! We also have a basketball hoop and ping pong tables in our break room for employees to enjoy while taking a break.
If you want to hit the gym or go for a run on your lunch break, we have lockers and showers available in our office. We’re a very active group of people, so you’ll always be able to find a running buddy!
Because we have grown to be a global workforce as well as a virtual workforce, we have recently added an array of new well-being perks aimed to improve overall holistic wellness. Areas of wellness addressed include physical activity, mental health, family well-being, social health, financial health, and more.
We offer subscriptions and memberships to 10+ programs centered on wellness. These include access to virtual workouts, meditations, telehealth, fertility assistance, pet insurance, and much more!
Lastly, and in addition to the perks listed above, we have created an in-house wellness team to manage a calendar of global employee wellness events, programs, and resources. Employee wellness is a top priority at Apeel, and we aim to take care of the whole person.
And what about beyond health & wellness?
With ingenuity as one of our core values, it is of the utmost importance that our employees continue to learn and grow. We provide an annual stipend of $1,500 to use toward pre-approved education activities like college courses, conferences, or certification programs related to their work.
In addition to our educational stipend, our Learning & Development team offers professional and personal development classes online and in-person throughout the year. We've held classes in a wide variety of areas, including professional coaching for employees, personal development courses on topics such as budgeting and understanding equity, and professional development courses on subjects like presentation skills, influential communications, as well as weekly Spanish and English language classes with our Apeel language professor. We’re all about growth in all ways!
How do families benefit from working at Apeel?
In regards to health insurance, we have made sure that employees and families receive competitive premium rates to offset the financial burdens of health insurance. As listed above, our Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account also allows families to take advantage of tax savings for various health costs.
Aside from health insurance, we want our employees to be paid their full salary if they need to go out on family leave, and we are proud to offer top-up pay for disability and paid family leave. In simple terms, this means that we supplement employees’ base pay so that they earn 100% of their normal pay while they’re on leave.
What are the benefits of working at Apeel in a location outside of the United States?
Apeel is committed to providing competitive benefits in all of our international locations. We work with several partners to evaluate trends and provide the best experience to our employees. We understand that every country has a different view on what benefits are competitive, and we evaluate those differences carefully to make sure that our employees can take care of themselves and their families.
While insurances, retirement plans, and income protection vary by country, many of our perks I have listed in this posting are also available on a global scale. This includes but is not limited to: equity, professional development opportunities, company wellness programs, and events, and much more!
Although we currently have employees all over the globe, we strive to create a comparable and unified experience among all Apeelers.
Interested in working with us? Check out our openings on our Apeel careers page to find the perfect fit for you.
