6 Pinterest Benefits You Didn't Know About

Founded in 2008 and later labeled one of the hottest start-ups in 2012, Pinterest has long enjoyed a reputation of being an empathetic and " do good" kind of culture. Its benefits may have earned it the reputation of being "the nicest company in Silicon Valley" but many employees feel this is at the cost of productivity.

Moreover, Pinterest culture, once true to the the tech company’s mission: “to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love", has changed. More recently in 2020, the company faced discrimination allegations from prominent members of its finance team that it ultimately settled in court.

Still, with some of the best benefits in tech, it's hard to say "No" to a job offer from Pinterest.

Here's what makes their benefits truly stand out:

Focus on Employee Well-Being is Legendary

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Health Insurance + Free Therapy For Everyone

In addition to the standard health and wellness benefits like health, vision, and dental insurance:

• An added benefit is the support in these plans for mental healthcare. More specifically, Pinterest has partnered with Lyra Health, a mental healthcare provider which currently covers more than 1.3 million people. Through this partnership, employees have the option to enroll in 12 sessions of free therapy.
• Employees are also offered Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).

Most notably, one employee pointed out that the health insurance benefits at Pinterest are on par with FANG:

You Also Get Disability and Life Insurance

Pinterest offers employees comprehensive disability and life insurance:

1. Life insurance and supplemental life insurance
2. Disability insurance
3. Accidental death & dismemberment insurance
4. Occupational accident insurance

Reports from former employees show these benefits are well in line with competitor companies and have left most if not all employees satisfied with no reason for complaints.

Unique Employee Programs Encourage Work-Life Balance

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In addition to offering standard health insurance as well as an excellent mental health support program, Pinterest hosts a series of unique health-oriented programs as part of its focus on helping employees practice work-life balance.

One of these programs is Pintentions:

• A four-week program that provides employees with strategies to maintain a work-life balance.
• Pintentions provides books, podcasts, articles, exercises for wellness, and even curated playlists to support and guide employees through each week.
• Additionally, personal tips for productivity, child care, and even healthy habits with social media are shared at weekly meetings.

Pinterest also offers resources for its employees to stay active such as fitness classes and gym memberships.

Lucrative Financial and Retirement Benefits

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Standard 401(k)

Pinterest offers a 401(k) retirement plan with some employer matching, which is a step up from past employee reports of no employer matching just a few years ago. Levels.fyi reports a 100% match on the first 2% of base salary, which is fairly standard in the industry.

• Employees can choose from retirement plans that are pre-tax, Roth, and after-tax.
• Additionally, local retirement pension plans are supported.

Family-Friendly? You Bet

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A large part of Pinterest’s company culture is its flexibility and support for those with families or looking to start families.

Some Of "The Best" Maternity & Paternity Leave

Pinterest takes its support of parents seriously and offers 4 months of parental leave which parents can take over the course of a year. What’s more, the tech company encourages both mothers and fathers to take advantage of the benefits.

Many current and former employees have praised Pinterest’s support for fathers specifically as well as the company’s flexibility with parents returning to work, allowing them time to adjust and ease into their work.

More Family Support If You Need It

Pinterest also offers family medical leave and dependent care support. Reduced/flexible hours, as well as unpaid extended leave, are also provided. From as early as 2015, employees were also able to work from home.

What’s more, for those looking to start families, Pinterest offers generous surrogacy, fertility, and adoption assistance. In fact, Pinterest even offers egg-freezing.

On and off-site family parties are also a frequent occurrence at Pinterest offices. Some popular events feature pumpkin carving, Valentine making, barbeques, and Santa-sitting.

The tech company states that “Parental leave isn’t just the right thing to do for our employees, it’s the smart thing to do for our business.” It’s clear that Pinterest has a deep commitment and understanding of the importance of supporting the families of its employees.

More Vacation Than You Know What To Do With

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Very much in line with its family support policies and health benefits, Pinterest offers generous and flexible vacations and holidays to its employees. In fact, the exact details of Pinterest’s Paid Time Off (PTO) policies and vacation time show just how dedicated the company is to provide its employees with the greatest possible flexibility and support for work-life balance.

Unlimited PTO? Yes, Really

Employees are--as expected--huge fans of Pinterest’s unlimited PTO. There are no restrictions around PTO accrual: on day one of working at Pinterest, employees are offered unlimited PTO.

Some employees argue that unlimited PTO is a double-edged sword. One employee writes on Glassdoor:

Unlimited vacation is nice in theory but depending on your team and how much you have to grind, you might find yourself taking less vacation than when you have an accrual cap.

While some may have concerns of abuse of these offerings, most current and former employee reviews claim that Pinterest’s highly motivated work culture has ensured that such occurrences are rare and unlikely.

Everyone Gets Christmas Off

The Pinterest office closes between Christmas and New Year and offers employees paid leave during this time.

Personal and Professional Development

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As per its mission of inspiring and empowering employees, a large part of Pinterest’s focus in terms of employee growth is centered on personal and career development.

More specifically, Pinterest provides various programs for employees to have ongoing guidance about their short and long-term goals for career growth. Two of the most notable programs are Pinterest’s Apprenticeship Program and its Diversity Program. Along with these programs, employees also enjoy workshops centered toward helping employees develop new skills and aid in their career advancement.

Finally, Pinterest provides a generous budget to support employees’ personal learning and development which aids in supporting these programs and more.

One-of-a-Kind Perks

As part of Pinterest’s work culture, employees receive several unique benefits:

1. Pinterest-themed meals - Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided onsite and are all Pinterest-inspired! Free snacks are also provided.
2. Studio nights and culture events- employees teach each other new crafts and trades
3. Community groups
4. Bring your pets to work
5. Legal Assistance
6. Commuter checks and stipends
7. Mobile phone discount
8. Employee assistance program (EAP)
9. Employee discounts
10. Pinterest Hacks and Happy Hours

Pinterest hosts weekly hackathons and happy hours to help inspire and promote employee creativity. More notably, many of the clubs on campus formed organically. According to High Five:

"A few months ago, a group of engineers within the Culture Club decided to do an analysis of all the things Pinterest employees were pinning in order to identify common interests. The result was 20 new groups and clubs at the company. The culture club helped organize lunches among the groups. Many of the employees didn’t know one another. But they were told that they had to come together and decipher what their common interest was. Since that time, a number of groups have started within the company including a wine club."

Pinterest’s vast expanse of employee benefits and resources not only empowers professional success in its employees but also ensures that employees are fully supported in terms of mental and physical well-being as well as their families. The tech company definitely understands the meaning of its mission, as one that focuses on both professional success and personal wellbeing. Ultimately, it’s clear that Pinterest has an unwavering dedication to helping its employees “create a life they love.”