Our Philosophy

We all wear multiple hats in life: staff member, spouse, parent, artist, binge watcher. The multidimensional nature of every team member is part of what makes Fractured Atlas a special place to work. We want everyone to have a balanced and fulfilling life where work doesn’t completely take over.

Fractured Atlas team members aim to give our best every day to make our company, our programs and services, and the cultural sector a better place. We acknowledge that “our best” looks different every day, and we strive to respect each team member as a whole person. This means supporting everyone through a compensation and benefits structure that values both the work they do with Fractured Atlas and who they are outside of that.

Compensation

At Fractured Atlas, we have a fixed-tier compensation structure. This means everyone at each tier makes the same amount; for example, every Director-tier team member makes the same regardless of department. This also means that we don’t negotiate compensation for new or current employees. The negotiation process can introduce bias and often ends with pay inequity, especially for marginalized people. We believe that people should be paid the same amount for the same work, no matter an individual’s negotiation skills. 

At the start of each fiscal year we review and often adjust each tier’s compensation based on cost of living increases and baseline living wage standards. We also periodically assess how our tiers align with similar organizations in the sector and adjust as necessary. Throughout the year and when people depart, we assess the needs of the organization. We always want to be intentional about how we grow. Instead of keeping roles static, we look to see how to leverage skills of current staff and what might be missing. 

Managers at Fractured Atlas are committed to working with direct reports on professional goals. If their career goals align with the needs of the organization, people get promoted within Fractured Atlas. We also understand that sometimes an individual's career goals are better matched outside of the organization and we strive to help people on their career journey whatever it looks like.

Although we see many benefits to our approach, no compensation structure is perfect. Fixed-tier compensation can remove compensation as a tool for recognizing great work. However, compensation is only one form of recognition and we’ve implemented other methods of recognition.

Benefits

The purpose of benefits and perks is to take care of our staff. Benefits are more than health insurance and dental insurance (although those are definitely important too). 

Fractured Atlas employee perks and benefits evolve over time.  Here are some of the perks and benefits we currently offer:

Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance

Employees can choose from 6 different health insurance plans (all are Aetna) as well as two dental and two vision plans. Fractured Atlas contributes enough towards the employee cost for at least one medical, dental, and vision plan. If someone decides to choose a more expensive plan that better fits their needs, or add dependents, these additional costs are deducted from paychecks. 

401K Contribution

Fractured Atlas employees are eligible to participate in the company's 401(k) plan on the first of the month after they start. The 401(k) plan is administered in partnership with Just Futures, who specialize in values based investing. The plan is fully vested immediately - there is no waiting period.

• Traditional vs. Roth: You may contribute to either a Traditional 401(k) (pre-tax, but taxed upon withdrawal) or a Roth 401(k) (post-tax, but tax-free upon withdrawal) or both. Fractured Atlas sets no limits on the amount you may contribute, but the IRS does set a maximum annual amount.
• Non-Elective Contribution: Fractured Atlas makes contributions of 5% of an employee’s salary or wage each pay period, regardless of the amount an employee contributes. This alternative to a match allows staff members to benefit from 401(k) contributions regardless of personal financial situation affecting personal contribution. 

Professional Development

Fractured Atlas gives each staff member a $1,000 allowance each fiscal year to apply towards professional development expenses. These include things like:

• Books and manuals not required for work 
• Tuition 
• Conferences 
• Coaching 
• Coffee with mentors
• Experiences, events, and other things that inspire you

All we ask is that you pre-approve these items with your manager. Occasionally, managers consider one or two items above the base allowance. If you have something in mind that exceeds your annual allowance, discuss it with a member of the People team.

Vacation Days Policy

The Fractured Atlas vacation days policy is pretty simple—take the time off that you need. As long as you complete your necessary work and get your manager's sign-off in advance, you can take any reasonable amount of time off. Long periods of work without time off can lead to exhaustion, burnout, and general lack of excitement so our Unlimited Vacation policy allows everyone to take off the time they need and deserve. 

Part of our Unlimited Vacation policy is providing your team with as much notice of your time off as possible. A good rule of thumb is to give at least 4 days notice for every day you plan on taking off.

While vacation days are unlimited, approval is at manager's discretion. Approval could be based on a combination of any or all of these factors: 

• Organizational priorities or required events (i.e. All Hands)
• Job responsibilities
• Priorities and inherent deadlines in the employee’s role 
• Overlapping time off from other team members
• Seasonality

If you need time off for life events, jury duty, military leave, or if you plan to take off more than two weeks in one stretch, please reach out to the People team.

Ticket Allowance & Member Donation Allowance

Fractured Atlas is dedicated to serving our ever-growing membership of over 75,000 artists. In order to help us keep our finger on the pulse of the cultural sector and support our members, staff members receive $350 each fiscal year to attend member events, view films, visit exhibitions, watch performance live streams, and enjoy the vast variety of art that our members create. Use it to see things you wouldn't necessarily attend, invite coworkers to join, and if attending in person try to say hello to our members when you're there! 👋

Not all of our members put on performances, so to help connect with members we additionally provide a donation allowance that can be donated to Fiscally Sponsored projects

Supplies for Working Remotely

We understand that working remotely can add some expenses and we want to do what we can to reduce that financial burden. Fractured Atlas provides laptops, mice, keyboards, and headsets to all full-time employees. Along with that, we have the following benefits:

• Internet Reimbursement: It’s important as a fully distributed organization that we all have access to reliable high speed internet. Because of this, staff members can receive a monthly reimbursement for internet up to $100.
• Phone Reimbursement: Because we have you occasionally use a personal cell phone for things like multi-factor authentication, we reimburse up to $10/month of your cell phone bill.
• Workplace Supplies Allowance: Fractured Atlas covers equipment necessary to do your job.  Sometimes you might want something to make your workspace a little nicer that isn't something that Fractured Atlas covers. To offset these costs, Fractured Atlas provides an allowance up to $100 a year for things in this category. Items that fall into this category that you might use this allowance on/towards: laptop stand, external monitor, desk, chair, pens, notebooks, headphones that are different from the Fractured Atlas provided model, lighting, printer, internet equipment, or extension cords.
  
  

Family Medical Leave

Need to take time for family medical leave? During a twelve month period, Fractured Atlas provides staff with 8 weeks of paid leave and an additional 4 weeks of unpaid leave for employees dealing with family medical issues, including: 

• Parental leave (any caregiver) 
• Managing personal health
• Caring for an ill spouse, parent, child, or sibling 

This leave runs concurrently with any state leave, so you might be eligible for additional leave depending on where you live. 

In order to be eligible for this Fractured Atlas paid leave, employees must have worked at Fractured Atlas for the 12-months prior to the period of requested leave. Fractured Atlas paid medical leave must be taken in two-week increments or longer, however other leave options might be available for shorter time periods.  

If you need to request family medical leave, please speak with a member of the People team.

If there’s something you don't see in the mix but it could make employees’ lives better, we want to hear about it! We also want to know when the magic has worn off of a current benefit.