Olark Handbook
Professional Development & Wellness Budget
What’s our Policy?
To help spark professional growth and encourage self-care, every Olarker has $2,000 to spend each year on professional development and/or wellness needs.
The Why:
At Olark we want to #help each other grow professionally and as people. We each have something to offer, and with this budget, you can grow and develop in a way that’s most meaningful to you!
In a Nutshell:
You can allocate your yearly budget for career development classes, books, wellness tools, gym memberships, and more! Once you’ve decided, just get approval from your manager and/or People Ops, submit for reimbursement, and you’re all set.
The Details:
How you split your budget is up to you! Want to use it to go to a conference? Great! Want to buy some books, join a gym, and get a new yoga mat? Also great! It also doesn’t have to be exactly 50/50 between development and wellness.
Here are some examples of how you can use your budget:
Professional Development
We value your career aspirations and want to help you achieve them. Use a portion of your budget for activities like:
- Attending workshops, conferences, and courses.
- Exploring books and online resources.
- Buying tools and software that helps you work best.
Wellness and Well-Being
Taking care of yourself is vital, and we're here to support you. You can also spend your budget on:
- Gym memberships
- Wellness classes and programs
- Wellness apps or tools
Your professional development and wellness budget resets every year on Jan 1 and doesn’t roll over, so be sure to use it!
Note: While we like to keep our definition of professional development and wellness pretty open, you can’t use your budget to outsource portions of your work via contractor, or for medical procedures, co-pays, or medicine.
Ready to use your funds? Here’s how:
- Chat with your manager for professional development purchases and People Ops for wellness purchases. Once it’s approved, buy the thing!
- After you’ve made your purchase, follow our expense process to be reimbursed.