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- Glaze Martillano has been a talent-acquisition leader at Meta for almost five years.
- Martillano says Meta's benefits and perks are very effective recruitment tools for the company.
- She says the most underused benefit Meta offers is its mental-health-support package.
- This article is part of Talent Insider, a series containing expert advice to help business owners tackle a range of hiring challenges.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Glaze Martillano, a tech recruiter at Meta who lives in Toronto, about the benefits Meta employees are offered. It's been edited for length and clarity.
In my opinion, Meta has one of the best benefits programs in the tech industry. I've been a talent-acquisition leader at the company for almost five years. I hire software engineers from all over Canada and the United States, and I've pursued recruits from our competitors. Meta's benefits are a very effective recruitment tool and help us remain a competitive employer.
Naturally, people have different priorities regarding which benefits and perks are most important to them. Regular benefits like good medical and dental plans are expected, but our wellness resources and relocation packages are some of the top perks our employees care about.
Layoffs have reduced many teams in the tech space, and with less hiring, companies need to focus on recruitment marketing and employer branding. The layoffs have also allowed for more conversations around work culture and environment and have encouraged leaders to talk more directly about team plans with job candidates.
In my opinion, Meta's perks and benefits are still considered one of the top packages in the market. I believe Meta has really thought about each area of its employees' lives and created benefits to make sure they feel supported. Here are the top 10 benefits that has helped me recruit tech workers, ranked.
10. In-office amenities
Our headquarters in Menlo Park, California, has offered many in-office perks that candidates look forward to, such as free meals, laundry service, valet parking, an arcade, a barbershop, and other services. But many of our employees prefer to work remotely or in a hybrid capacity, so we've had a generous remote work policy as well.
9. Vacations
When joining a big tech company, most candidates have high expectations when it comes to healthcare, competitive equity packages, vacations, and bonuses. The candidates aren't as curious and excited about these benefits because they're expected to be exceptional, but our vacation benefits are a great recruitment tool.
The most exciting part of our vacation package is the "recharge" perk. Our employees get four weeks of PTO every year. After working at the company for five years, employees can take 30 days of paid time off at once, in addition to their regular PTO.
8. A wellness stipend for remote workers
We also offer a $2,000 stipend for wellness so that our employees can purchase gym equipment, a gym membership, and access other wellness resources from their remote locations.
7. Funds to set up a home office
This benefit became especially popular during the pandemic as more employees worked from home. We offered $1,000 to remote workers to help them set up a home office.
6. Four months maternity and paternity leave
Another popular perk we offer is our family-planning policy. We offer four months of maternity and paternity leave for new parents. We've also partnered with a company to offer fertility coverage, which provides employees with access to fertility clinics, counselors, and doctors around the US and a patient-care advocate to support them with their needs.
5. Housing and transportation for interns
Meta has a 12-week internship program, and many of our interns prefer to live near headquarters so they can work in the office and get the full corporate experience. In order to do that, Meta provides interns with housing assistance and transportation options to and from work.
Most importantly, they get to work on different projects with Meta employees based on their personal interests and skills. Our internship program is a short but impactful experience.
4. Relocation assistance
We've partnered with a company to help our employees and their families relocate, under certain circumstances. The relocation company books flights and moving trucks and helps our new employees scout places to live and find resources based on what's important to them, whether it's preschools, grocery stores, or transportation.
The company also provides a point of contact who can help families learn about state laws and the community they're moving into. I believe the relocation compensation is more than enough for our employees and their families to move.
3. Bonuses
Meta's bonus structure remains competitive, in my opinion. Bonus amounts might have changed since the layoffs, but it's a perk that I've used to attract new recruits.
2. In the past, employees got to pick their own job roles
We put software engineers through an eight-week boot camp where they can immerse themselves in the code and products of the company. In the past, they'd also meet with different teams to select which area they wanted to work in. Unlike other big tech companies, we didn't hire for a specific role.
One of the biggest perks of working at Meta was that after the boot camp, software engineers got to choose their own roles, whether it was working with Insta Reels, WhatsApp Payments, Facebook Stories, or another Meta platform.
1. Equity packages
Meta offers very competitive equity packages to employees, on par with other big tech companies. This helps with recruitment, but candidates expect a robust equity package from us. It's not necessarily the benefit that stands out for new recruits, but it's one of the most important.
And one under-the-radar benefit
From my observation, the most underutilized benefit Meta offers is its mental-health-support program. Companies talk about the importance of mental-health care, but there's still a stigma attached to getting help, so employees often don't take advantage of it.
Meta provides 24/7 support for mental health and have on-site counseling at our wellness center. Our mental-health benefits also extend to an employee's immediate family. For parents who have a child with a learning disability, for example, we partner with a company that provides coaching and support.
Tech recruiting has undergone some massive shifts, but to compete for top talent, you need good employer branding, a compelling recruitment-marketing strategy, and a strong employee value proposition. Forty percent of employers say they believe workers leave their jobs to work at companies that offer better benefits and perks. Top talent is always in demand, so recruiters need a good strategy to get a conversation started.