How Webflow uses Origin to design a global benefits strategy

Challenge: Webflow needed a financial wellness program to reach its global workforce

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Since receiving $72 million Series A funding in 2019, and $140 million Series B funding in early 2021, Webflow has grown to over 380 team members worldwide and is actively hiring around the world.  

While Webflow’s headquarters is in San Francisco, only a fifth of its workforce is based in Silicon Valley. The majority of its workforce is remote, and 25% of Webflow employees are located outside the United States.

The fast-growing unicorn was looking for ways to attract and retain the best talent, and it knew highly sought-after voluntary benefits were key.

“A robust voluntary benefits offering saves employees money and increases productivity,” said Laura Rondanin, Webflow’s Global Benefits & Perks Manager, who is based in Italy.

Rondanin is methodical when it comes to creating employee benefits packages. Each year, Rondanin and her team do a deep dive on each of Webflow’s employee offerings and evaluate:

• How do these programs are bettering the lives of employees
• If they are cost-effective
• What can be added to improve Webflow’s Total Rewards offering

“Financial health and wellness benefits were top of mind for our workforce. This year, 80% of employees said they would take advantage of financial wellness and financial assistance programs offered by their employer, compared to 69% in 2020.”

Rondanin wanted to leverage a financial wellness program to:

1. Increase employee engagement
2. Help employees understand the value of their benefits
3. Reduce financial stress felt by employees
4. Complement Webflow’s existing financial benefits, which include retirement savings plans, in addition to life, accident, and disability insurance policies

There was an additional layer of challenge: With team members in 23 countries, Rondanin wanted to rely on a centralized platform that could offer consistent high-quality services.

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How Origin solved Webflow’s challenge

After researching financial wellness programs, Rondanin identified Origin as the leading solution to solve her problem.

Webflow partnered with Origin, a holistic financial wellness and Total Rewards provider, in January 2020 (right before the U.S. tax season!).

During a kickoff meeting, Origin and Webflow worked together to identify key areas of support. Origin put together an action plan to address priorities, which included:

• Hosting multiple 60-minute live webinars with a lead financial planner to accommodate various time zones
• Matching international employees 1-on-1 with a financial advisor with specific, in-country experience
• Creating ongoing employee engagement campaigns
• Helping employees discover and utilize their equity benefits and highlight the value of their total compensation packages
• Creating customized financial roadmaps to address the top challenges of employees, including planning for personal financial goals, tax guidance, equity management, and investment advice

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Impact

After launch, the adoption of Origin was immediate.

Webflow was astounded to see that month over month, more than 40% of its U.S. and international employees engaged with Origin.

With ongoing employee engagement campaigns and continual support, Webflow reached 52% engagement with U.S. employees and 40% with international employees in June 2021. Additionally, employees met 1-on-1 with a financial planner, received a personalized financial roadmap, and engaged with educational lessons focused on their unique needs. In response to employees’ questions about equity, Origin delivered targeted educational programming to help employees strategize around their stock options. As a result of Origin, Webflow has data-driven insights to determine how to help its employees.

The most common questions Webflow employees had are around taxes, analyzing current financial situations, and understanding equity. Planning for life goals, like purchasing a home or saving for a baby, was also high on employees’ list of priorities. These insights could influence Webflow’s other benefit offerings.

As Webflow continues to rapidly grow, and face new challenges, Origin is there to help its global team on their financial wellness journey. Together, they help their global employees feel supported and live impactful, fulfilling lives.