After working in the startup world for almost 6 years I get emails from startups looking to recruit me. I read these emails because I am intrigued by the new companies that get seed rounds or series A fund raising. I do a little research about the company, look up their site, and then ask them questions. Working for a startup in their early phase demands employees and potential employees to ask questions to determine their health and future plans.
An employee from WorkWhile emails me about an open Lead Engineer position; Looks like a typical opening recruiter email. After I do not respond I get a bump email.
I then respond after reading their Forbes article.
Hi <Employee's Name>,
Thanks for reaching out. I read through the Forbes article you linked and I have some follow up questions about the company in general to see the company's stance and direction.
In the article "gain access to a number of benefits that mirror full-time office workers, including free telehealth benefits".
- Does a worker hired through WorkWhile get health insurance exactly the same way someone working at a full time company does? (Does WorkWhile provide the health care, does a third party provide health care, or do the employers provide that health care?
- Similar to the question above, do workers hired through WorkWhile get 401k benefits? (retirement benefits)
- WLOG, what about Vision and Dental benefits (since that is not covered in typical health insurance benefits)
- WLOG, are there other benefits like cell phone plan or commuter benefits?
In the article "How WorkWhile ensures the employers on their platform meet the bar for pay, benefits, and conditions is through a healthy dose of competition."
Personally I would be concerned if I were to write software that would be taking advantage of workers who are relying on critical pay and benefits to not only pay bills but give them financial security. There is a large difference between paying the bills vs financial & health security.
Thanks, Kevin
They dodged the questions. Normalizing health care for everyone, work benefits, retirement benefits, and paying living ways for financial security.
I'll update the blog post if I ever get a response