Meet: Melissa Theiss
Founded in 2019, Column is a public benefit corporation that revolutionizes public notice software. By 2022, after raising a $30M Series A, Column was ready to expand its services and remote-first team, which now spans five continents.
But for Melissa Theiss (Head of People Operations at Column), the challenge was clear: how to connect personally and foster engagement with a diverse, global team of software engineers, marketers, salespeople, operators, and designers. This team isn’t just talented in their professional roles – they are also musicians, authors, dancers, lawyers, former startup founders, and even award-winning filmmakers.
Challenge: the struggle of keeping a remote team happy
Column’s annual benefits survey revealed a complex problem: while everyone wanted a 401k employer match, the team also desired nearly 20 other perks. Some employees wanted help with their home office setup, while others wanted to pay off student loans. There was no one-size-fits-all solution. Moreover, existing benefits saw low utilization due to poor awareness and understanding. Melissa knew the key to a successful benefits program lay in personalization.
I realized our current stipends weren’t meeting our team’s needs. A benefits program is successful if and only if people are aware of it, feel empowered to use it, and have a positive experience.
Melissa Theiss, Head of People Operations at Column
What next: exploring solutions
Melissa evaluated various strategies, weighing the pros and cons of vendor marketplaces versus reimbursement models. She engaged with HR professionals in Slack communities, reviewed G2, and compared competitors.
Ultimately, the flexibility of the Compt platform stood out, especially its ability to offer global parity by allowing employees to upload receipts in their respective currencies. This also gave employees the freedom to choose the benefits that were most important to them. Theiss said the flexibility of the Compt platform was a major selling point.
Solution: the breakthrough
Column chose Compt to manage its custom perks, introducing:
- A one-time new hire tech stipend for home office setup.
- A quarterly technology productivity stipend for internet bills, office equipment, etc.
- An all-inclusive stipend for anything that makes employees feel “healthy and whole”.
From mid-November to mid-December, Compt was onboarded, and within a week, employees were submitting receipts just in time for the holidays.
Results: impact in action
Melissa saw firsthand the meaningful impact of Compt’s stipends. Employees used them in diverse ways— from taking their children to Disney World to paying off student loans and investing in executive coaching. The flexibility allowed them to create experiences and access resources that truly mattered to them.
“People are using it to access resources or create experiences with their loved ones that they wouldn’t have otherwise. And for us, that looks like a success”, says Melissa.
Almost all employees used the company benefits— 97% of the team participated in their benefit!
The work-from-home stipend was a hit. Employee happiness about working from home jumped from 56% to a fantastic 98%!
And the best part? A massive 98% of employees were happy with their benefits overall.
One revelation came when comparing initial benefit requests with actual spending behavior. One of the most requested items was a WeWork membership, but spending behavior suggested that specific benefit would have seen very low utilization and high upfront investment.
Future: what’s next with the partnership
A flexible solution for a growing team
Theiss sees the immediate impact on Column’s U.S. team and is looking forward to the potential of the global team. Melissa anticipates further positive impacts as Column’s global team integrates Compt more fully. Despite some growing pains, she sees the value in the platform’s flexibility and personalization, which has resulted in less wasted benefits budget and more meaningful benefits for the Column team.
“Compt helps our team members to be aware of the stipends that we’re offering and empowers them to make the choices that make the most sense for them and their loved ones,” explains Melissa.
Your team deserves a benefits package that truly meets their needs. Compt offers personalized, flexible solutions to elevate employee satisfaction.
