Basis employees from the U.S. and Canada gathered last summer for a team summit.
As employees in the ad industry contend with organizational shake-ups and a deepened erosion of the work-life boundary, Basis Technologies is making efforts to help its own find some relief.
Basis, a Chicago-based digital advertising platform, earned the No. 1 spot in Ad Age Best Places to Work 2024 for companies with more than 200 employees, as well as the top ranking in that size category for ad tech firms and central region companies.
Throughout 2023, Basis offered a program of flexible Fridays, during which employees were allowed a respite from the normal wheelspin to take time as they saw fit, such as completing personal errands, learning new professional skills or getting a head start on the weekend. Basis tinkered with the format, alternating each week between a full day and half day of flexibility in order to find the right balance of productivity and relaxation.
The program became a win-win for employer and employees, said Tyler Kelly, president of Basis Technologies, and the company is continuing it in the form of weekly half-days of flexibility through 2024.
“If you take care of your employees, they’re going to work harder for you,” Kelly said.
Basis provides a slew of other rewards to fuel its staff. A sabbatical offering allows employees a three-week paid break after every four years of their employment—in addition to their normal allotment of paid time off. And an annual, month-long wellness program aims to help staff improve their mental, physical and financial health, as well as earn up to a 30% discount on their health care premiums.
The ad tech sector has had a rough going over the past year, prompting companies including Basis to conduct layoffs at a scale larger than usual. Kelly sees the first six months of 2024 as being equally trying. But with the right programs in place, he believes his company can encourage its staff to push through toward a more optimistic second half of the year.
President Tyler Kelly: “In challenging times, Basis Technologies has stayed true to our manifesto that was created in our origination—that if you care for your employees and create the right work environments, they will work that much harder for you. In the past few years, we’ve doubled down on wellness, mental health, DEI and flexibility as the attributes that our team needs—and these are what will carry us through the next 12 months.”
Chicago employees helping to support local kids for the upcoming school year through a program called Operation Backpack.
Some quality assurance employees at Basis enjoying a team dinner.
